Buy a chameleon now or at NARBC?

[Ibleedcolors]

I was wondering if it would be best to purchase a cham (panther) now, or would it be a smarter choice to wait for the NARBC comes to Arlington?
I was planning on buying from Lance or Chamalot Chameleons if i purchased sometime soon.

 

[jandie]

there are advantages to either....at a show, you would have several on site breeders to compare and pick out your cham personally... not to mention saving money on shipping and possibly discounted supplies and such to pick up. i didn't check where you were from but some breeders will also meet you somewhere in between if there is a convenient pick up location....true for sure i know for amazing blue, lance, and i think from kammerflage...

if you want it sooner, though, either of those would be a good choice and depending on exactly what you're looking for, you could probably get some good direction from forum members on where to look....

also want to consider the temps when looking at purchasing online/by phone and shipping...

 

[Ibleedcolors]

there are advantages to either....at a show, you would have several on site breeders to compare and pick out your cham personally... not to mention saving money on shipping and possibly discounted supplies and such to pick up. i didn't check where you were from but some breeders will also meet you somewhere in between if there is a convenient pick up location....true for sure i know for amazing blue, lance, and i think from kammerflage...

if you want it sooner, though, either of those would be a good choice and depending on exactly what you're looking for, you could probably get some good direction from forum members on where to look....

also want to consider the temps when looking at purchasing online/by phone and shipping...

I am in Dallas/Euless. I really want to save the money on the shipping so I might actually wait. With those extra 50 i may be able to get a cage or accessories. I've been looking high and low for breeders near Dallas, and I CANNOT find a single one. Pet stores don't help much either, they offer high priced animals taht are not the best of quality. Chameleons aren't to common, at least not that i know of. If you know of any Breeders I can contact near my area plz let me know.

and thanks for your input!

 

[Stanly]

I got my guy from lance (guessing you mean lancecham on here) and he was great with questions I had befor and after the purchase, I can not recomend him enough. I was how ever fortunate to be working about 20 minutes from where he is located so I didn't have the shipping cost/worry.

I believe there are also some members near Dallas that have breeding pairs, you might inquire with them (they may have babies that they just haven't posted they might be willing to part with)

I'm not sure what/who NARBC is, I'm guessing a reptile show? if so I'd check who will be there and do some and do some home work on them ahead of time. either way I'd stay away from pet stores (and chain pet stores for sure) to manny horror stories with them (plus I've see how petco/petsmart keeps chams and it's not the right way)

so for my $.02 I'd go with a site sponsor or reputalble breeder.

 

[jandie]

no problem. =) some of the site sponsors offer a package deal with baby chams with cages and all of the setup and stuff....might be something to look into, even with the shipping....
another option would be to watch the classifieds section on the forum....there are quite often a lot of offerings and a range of ages and such.... as far as breeders near dallas....that one i'm not sure of...mainly the ones in cali.... .

we did luck out with three of ours buying from a reptile retail store...two are veileds that we've had no problems with...the other was a panther... (i posted a thread called "the gangs all here" with pics of all of our chams....gargamel is the ambanja we got through a local reptile store) but i've seen several in stores, even reptile stores, that i would question. one of our girls is from Lance...and i'd recommend him to anyone hands down...in addition to beautiful, colorful, healthy chams, he really is helpful and supportive and great with the customer service.

we also have purchased from classifieds on kingsnake.com and fauna classifieds, though sometimes it's a little tricky to trust who you're working with vs. forum members who you can interact with. and we have one girl from amazing blue reptiles and one from kammerflage kreations and i'd recommend either of them as well.

 

[Ibleedcolors]

Thank you guys for all the great feedback.
I've managed to stumble across a breeder near Dallas, sobi might check him out. The NARBC is on the 12 so I just might wait till then to make my decision. One thing for sure I will be getting a panther
I agree with your statements about lance, he has already answered several questions of mine. Really great customer service!
Thanks again!

 

[mojo chameleon]

Just curious, have you been to the narbc show before? Been thinking about going but i live 2 hours away and was wondering if it was worth it?

 

[Ta2Smitty]

from what I've been told it's a pretty big show, one of the bigger ones in the states.

 

[Ibleedcolors]

Just curious, have you been to the narbc show before? Been thinking about going but i live 2 hours away and was wondering if it was worth it?

No I have not. But I've heard great things about it, and have also seen some vids from past shows. It definitely seems worth the drive .

 

[dodolah]

Just wait and buy your cham at the show. In the meantime, you can setup the cage first. So, when you go home from the show, your chameleon already has a perfect enclosure.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

I'd check the site for NARBC it should tell you what vendors will be vending that show. You may be able to get a first pick before the show. They bring your cham and you can inspect on site. If not I'd get there real early, I know all the shows I have attended and vended at, the good stuff goes fast. So if its something particular your looking for I'd start looking now and get a leg up on people. Jmo...

 

[Ibleedcolors]

I'd check the site for NARBC it should tell you what vendors will be vending that show. You may be able to get a first pick before the show. They bring your cham and you can inspect on site. If not I'd get there real early, I know all the shows I have attended and vended at, the good stuff goes fast. So if its something particular your looking for I'd start looking now and get a leg up on people. Jmo...

I might do that. Someone had mentioned to me earlier that they get pretty crowded and all the good chams go fast. Others have told me to wait till I get there and I may be able to get a better deal on a chameleon and cage than I would on their website.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

You wont save that much by waiting til the show day. Unless your willing to wait to see if a vendor has anything left at the last hr of the show. Think about it for a minute. They have hundreds of possible buyers coming by their table for 2 days. Odds are they will sell that animal if its in good condition and healthy. Esp chams, if we were talking beardeds or snakes you may be able to swing a deal. But there just arent that many cham vendors, even at the big shows. Jmo

 

[Ibleedcolors]

I'd check the site for NARBC it should tell you what vendors will be vending that show. You may be able to get a first pick before the show. They bring your cham and you can inspect on site. If not I'd get there real early, I know all the shows I have attended and vended at, the good stuff goes fast. So if its something particular your looking for I'd start looking now and get a leg up on people. Jmo...

I might do that. Someone had mentioned to me earlier that they get pretty crowded and all the good chams go fast. Others have told me to wait till I get there and I may be able to get a better deal on a chameleon and cage than I would on their website.

 

[Ibleedcolors]

Sorry for the double message :/
And thanks, I think I will get there early or contact a breeder. I don't mind Paying for a top quality animal.