Psychobunny
Avid Member
Okay, I got my first chams back in the mid 1970"s, WC, from a "exotic" pet store on Capital Hill in Washington DC.
The only info the guys gave me, that was correct, was their species; a male jack and a flapneck (unknown gender).
That was literaly all they knew, but I bought them anyway.
I spent the next few months visiting libraries, book stores, universities and phone calls to zoos all over the US.
I could find no books except one, writen in German, and only available at Cornell U library (no internet, and only Fed agencies had computers, no such thing as a pc!!).
Needless to say, in spite of all I tried to do for my 2 chams, they were doomed from the start due to ignorance.
Fast forward to the pc/internet age and worldwide info sharing.
Suddenly, I see "designer" panthers selling for only a few hundred $$ and several cham forums!!
What happened??!!
How did these animals become so popular in the USA???
Back in the 70's, you did not just walk into even the best pet stores and see chams for sale.
This place on Capital Hill was the ONLY store that sold them!!
How did all this come about??!!
Anyone out there old enough to answer this question or even know what I am talking about?
The only info the guys gave me, that was correct, was their species; a male jack and a flapneck (unknown gender).
That was literaly all they knew, but I bought them anyway.
I spent the next few months visiting libraries, book stores, universities and phone calls to zoos all over the US.
I could find no books except one, writen in German, and only available at Cornell U library (no internet, and only Fed agencies had computers, no such thing as a pc!!).
Needless to say, in spite of all I tried to do for my 2 chams, they were doomed from the start due to ignorance.
Fast forward to the pc/internet age and worldwide info sharing.
Suddenly, I see "designer" panthers selling for only a few hundred $$ and several cham forums!!
What happened??!!
How did these animals become so popular in the USA???
Back in the 70's, you did not just walk into even the best pet stores and see chams for sale.
This place on Capital Hill was the ONLY store that sold them!!
How did all this come about??!!
Anyone out there old enough to answer this question or even know what I am talking about?