Calling all experts! Tips on great starter species!

I'll take your word about the reptibreeze, but what makes them suck? And I THINK I'm going to go for a Jackson's first, then a Veiled for my second, and then a Panther for my third if I think I'm really committed to Chameleons. And, uh... what's DIY?
 
ScalesTailsandClaws said:
I'll take your word about the reptibreeze, but what makes them suck? And I THINK I'm going to go for a Jackson's first, then a Veiled for my second, and then a Panther for my third if I think I'm really committed to Chameleons. And, uh... what's DIY?
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DIYcages.com (site sponsor), DIY stands for do it yourself. The reptibreeze cages rust in a matter of weeks.. They are not sturdy at all.. Never liked them.
 
Do NOT use substrate.. They can ingest it and itllmcause impaction which can lead to death.. Bare bottoms is the way to go. The cage comes with a hard plastic bottom which works well
 
seeing your from the state of VA id go with screameleons!!! and i do prefer panthers over veileds. like posted before they can become very territorial or aggresive as some might say. but just know not everyone has the motherly touch like jannb that can give her male veiled smoochies. you might be in luck with panthers i got two and they prefer to just hang out on me all day and now when i try to free range them the climb off their trees and make their way to me. it's pretty awesome i'll be playing video games and i feel a heavy tug on my turtle beach wires and i look down and they are looking up at me saying dad i want on your head. but certian panthers can be hostile though. but this is a great site to get info. most people on here not saying all will just say hey fill out this form but like me hit me up with a pm with any question and i'll be more then happy to answer for you. but all in all what you said for size id go with a panther. or something more exotic like one of seecos fischers aka k mulits or some flapnecks.
 
Didn't read every single post, but just wanted to throw in my 2 cents on Jacksons. A male would definitely work better than a female, I have 2 and they both don't mind interaction, even w/my 5yo :) They're pretty chill, as they won't hiss or bite. They can live up to 8-10 yrs, depending on environmental stressors and other factors. Their environmental needs are somewhat temperamental though, so tread carefully...I spend about an hour a day misting, feeding, and cleaning out the cages of my 3 chams. Looks like you know what you're getting into though. Jacksons were my first chams, and my prior knowledge was basically non-existent! Plus I think they're the best, but that's just my opinion :)
 
Lol. Well I have owned my fair share of exotic reptiles. This is my first go at Chameleons. Let me tell you it's turned into a passion real fastt!!!

So this is what I can understand from your post. You need a fairly attractive Cham, with easy to moderate care needs, hardy, and can be handled!!

^^^ All of that Screams Panther to me! lol
There is even a member on here with a classroom Panther.

I have a Veiled and 2 different locale Panthers. I no longer let my kids handle my Veiled because he has his days where he tends to be more aggressive and could possibly bite and would not be pretty.

But my 2 and 4 year old girls handle my Panthers without issue at all. But as already stated temperament will differ from animal to animal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdhnU...NdTSEUSR2xgdyk

I don't own a Jackson's. But they come off to me as a shy species. They run wild in Hawaii, so I assume they are somewhat hardy.

Now lets get to your budget. The Panther is going to be up there in price compared to a Veiled or Jackson. But spend some time here and LIVE in the for/sale sections. I see deals and re-homes for really good looking animals for a reasonable price.

_______________________________________
In the hobby it's sort of looked down on to produce a cross of Panther Locals, hence the "cheap" price. But unless you are planning to breed them , they make a GREAT and uniquely colorful pet/educational tool. These guys should be about 4.5 months now. Hit Lance up, and he will send you recent pix and maybe you can talk him into a better deal.;) .
https://www.chameleonforums.com/wow-50-ambilobe-50-ambanja-panthers-71276/
 
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PM me- you live in my neck of the woods (about 90 minutes away) and I've been doing educational demonstrations around the state for many years now.

I also have some chameleons at the moment ready to sell that are already a very usable size for your purposes and growing very quickly. It would save you $$ on the shipping as I could see my folks for a visit and meet you for free delivery.
 
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fluxlizard said:
PM me- you live in my neck of the woods (about 90 minutes away) and I've been doing educational demonstrations around the state for many years now.

I also have some chameleons at the moment ready to sell that are already a very usable size for your purposes and growing very quickly. It would save you $$ on the shipping as I could see my folks for a visit and meet you for free delivery.
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what kind? and pixxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:D
 
Just veileds ~3 months old now. I'll have nice amibilobe panthers hatching sometime in 2012.

My last pics were taken a few weeks ago- my camera is on the fritz. So, they have grown a bit since these were taken, but here is a link to a couple pics-

http://livingwithlizards.com/update-on-baby-veiled-chameleons/

I've used veileds, panthers, jacksons and even melleri in educational presentations over the years. Veileds and panthers are the best because you can work with them to hand feed in front of an audience- the others are more shy about it usually. Melleri obviously are easiest to see for a large audience (I think our largest audience was about 400 ppl in an auditorium- usually we aim for around 150 or less if possible).

I don't recommend letting anyone handle your chameleon at these sorts of things though. I always let people come up and hold a few select herps at the end of the presentations, but you would be surprised at how carefully everything has to be watched- especially when kids are involved, but sometimes with adults as well. People can be kind of stupid about the fact that it is a living breathing animal sometimes and have to be kept in check. Not a good position for a chameleon to be in...
 
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I'll be the only one handling the chameleon in front of the audience. I am not interested in veilds at the moment, but a panther would be fantastic. Just let me know when they hatch and what you're asking and I'm sure we can arrange something. I'm going to a local trusted pet store in about half an hour (not a chain!) that has some exotics including a Jackson's. I'll take a look at him/her to see if it's a possibility, however I will not be making a purchase today. How do I tell the difference between the genders? It's a sub adult with 3 horns, but I've heard that the females of this species can also get horns. Does it really matter since Jackson's are live bearers? Maybe I can get you guys a picture....
 
ScalesTailsandClaws said:
I'll be the only one handling the chameleon in front of the audience. I am not interested in veilds at the moment, but a panther would be fantastic. Just let me know when they hatch and what you're asking and I'm sure we can arrange something. I'm going to a local trusted pet store in about half an hour (not a chain!) that has some exotics including a Jackson's. I'll take a look at him/her to see if it's a possibility, however I will not be making a purchase today. How do I tell the difference between the genders? It's a sub adult with 3 horns, but I've heard that the females of this species can also get horns. Does it really matter since Jackson's are live bearers? Maybe I can get you guys a picture....
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from what i have read , it can go either way. In some Jackson species only the males will have the "horns" and in others they both can have them. So it depends on which one if at your local petstore.
 
Sub species Jacksonni Jacksonni females have horns. Xanth's & Mt Merus females dont. I'd say 90% or more pet store Jacksons are going to be the sub species Xanth's. They are the ones found in Hawaii, Florida, & Cali.

A male jackson would make a nice educational display animal. They are somewhat smaller so they would be easier to transport as opposed to a lg male veiled. Just make sure to watch your dusting when feeding these guys they are very susceptible to oversupplementation. I'd only dust occasinally and very sparingly. I would go with a flourescent fixture and a low watt incandescent for heat. These guys dont need a mercury vapor thats alot of heat for a montane species. Ambient temps in the low 70's and basking spot of 80 will be hott enough for them. You'd have to raise a mercury vapor light several feet above the cage to get those temps.
 
Thanks guys! The Jackson's at the petstore apparently sold last week. No worries, I can just purchase one from someone here in the classifieds. :) I can easily suspend a mercury vapor bulb above a cage, but I guess it'd be just as easy to do a low wattage heat bulb like you recommended. I just love my mercury vapors I have for my beardies and iguanas because they get their heat and uvb from the same single lamp. Could I just feed my heavily gutloaded roaches, or should I still occasionally dust the feeders for this species?
 
ScalesTailsandClaws said:
Thanks guys! The Jackson's at the petstore apparently sold last week. No worries, I can just purchase one from someone here in the classifieds. :) I can easily suspend a mercury vapor bulb above a cage, but I guess it'd be just as easy to do a low wattage heat bulb like you recommended. I just love my mercury vapors I have for my beardies and iguanas because they get their heat and uvb from the same single lamp. Could I just feed my heavily gutloaded roaches, or should I still occasionally dust the feeders for this species?
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I would still dust with calcium, maybe once a week but verrryy lightly
 
Hey i'll probally see you at the SC show ^^ are you that kid who does swamp stuff with the dad and is holding a turtle? ~(random guess)

thought u mite be if you vend at shows.
 
I've never actually been to a show before. I just own and run www.scalestailsandclaws.com and want an amazing addition. Hey, are there venomous at SC shows? I'd love to pick up a copperhead to display next to a norther water snake in the local nature center. Sorry, off topic. Never having been to a show before, I think it's okay to ask if you think there will be some baby panthers and jackson's there. I would love to pick up the animal instead of stressing it out during shipment. I'm still totally split between the two species, but it seems as if panthers are easier to handle in general.
 
ScalesTailsandClaws said:
I've never actually been to a show before. I just own and run www.scalestailsandclaws.com and want an amazing addition. Hey, are there venomous at SC shows? I'd love to pick up a copperhead to display next to a norther water snake in the local nature center. Sorry, off topic. Never having been to a show before, I think it's okay to ask if you think there will be some baby panthers and jackson's there. I would love to pick up the animal instead of stressing it out during shipment. I'm still totally split between the two species, but it seems as if panthers are easier to handle in general.
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yeah last show i went to there were (Anderson) i have three chams ( velied, hoe, pygmy) and all are easy to handle. my velied is a sweetheart that i can kiss as is the hoe. the pygmy is a wc i picked up at the show (the show had panthers, pygmys, velieds, jacksons, and a few others.) i think some were WC but the velieds were probally not and looked in gr8 health. :) all of my animals allow me to hold them whenever i please and rarely even puff up at me. it really just depends on the animals personaily, how much time you spend with it and how gentel you are + hand feeding. The velied also become nicer when i allowed her to Freerange.
 
I looked into free ranging, but didn't really see how I could provide proper humidity for a Jackson's if it is not confined to a cage that can be heavily misted. (Or any chameleon for that matter.) Thanks for all the help from everybody. This is the best forum I have ever been a part of, and I really appreciate how helpful you all are.
 
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