Chameleon status as pets

Gumball Machine

New Member
I'm curious as to why people consider breeding their chameleons. Do those who breed them wish to do so for profit? I just feel like finding the right home for a chameleon is quite difficult as is and that I never hear what happens to the babies. I'm really curious about the status of chameleons in the pet industry. Not because I am interested in breeding them myself, but like dogs, are there many that need homes? Also, who out there are chameleon rescuers?
 
I've never bred my chameleons, but I've also had these thoughts. I did buy a female panther to breed with my male, but she was small, and I couldn't bear putting her through that. Also, I tend to watch the classifieds and watch people try to sell their babies, and gradually lower their prices (and presumably their standards as to who they sell them to). I don't regret not breeding my chams, and am happy to just have them as pets.

As for chameleon rescues, Chameo is a great one, I believe out in California, though I might be wrong about that. They are on here, and also have a website, I think.
 
That's nice to hear that I'm not the only one who has thought about it. In a perfect world one could experience the excitement of breeding their chams knowing that they will find good homes. For those who do breed, I wonder what their take on the whole thing is. I'm going to check that rescue out :)
 
I was kindof thinking that breeding would drive the prices down and therefor take the pressure off of capturing and importing wild animals. I'd rather see an uniformed person purchase and fail with a captive bread animal than a wild one.
 
My goals for years have been simple:

If I own an animal I should let it reproduce once.

From that simple thought I found that I could breed my animals once in a while and make just enough money to cover the cost for caring for them. Feedings, habitats, Vet bills.

That has been my only goal, I tend to steer people away from trying to make a living off this.

As for knowing where the animals go, if you are the ype of person that just has to have that information then you don't want to breed your animals since it is out of your control to a high degree. I personally sell the majority of my animals directly to the final person and that helps a little. Other times I will let a trusted reptile store have them knowing they tend to do a great job educating their customers.

It may sound like I breed a lot, but the truth is sometimes I let years go by between breedings.

I'm currently working with Laurie to try and expand the bloodlines for Quads, I firmly think they can as established as Panther's if people work with them. So for me there is that personal goal, not money. If I can produce 50 more captive hatched Quads I did my job as a keeper
 
All of my chameleons are pets and I love them immensely. I also love there offspring because it's part of them. I could not allow their babies to just go to anybody. In fact is was very hard for me to find homes for them because I was so picky. As much fun as I had with the babies I doubt I will ever breed again. Also there are risk that you take when breeding. It is possiable that the male could prolapse but more common is for the female to have eggs problem. That's another reason I don't want to breed. I love my guys so much I don't want to take any chances at all with them.
 
It depends what species you are talking about. Some less common species are easy to find good homes for at the same time helping to offset the cost of an expensive hobby.
 
Keep them for my kid. Breed them for me, as payback for keeping them. Symbiosis..... :D (As far as pricing goes, I price mine as to the quantity. How much would it cost to feed vs selling early. I would rather sell cheaper at 3-6 months, than go thru all the work of 8-12 months. That can take a lot of time and money, when dealing with hundreds of chams. This year I have close to 400 panther eggs hatching and will be selling A LOT cheaper than last year. Most will be from first or second clutches from males and females, therefore no loss in quality. Last year I sold them from $40 - $200 each, depending on size, sex, and lineage. This year I plan on pretty much $40 for a female and $50 for a male, just to unload them. I want to enjoy this summer, rather than work from sun up to sun down. I hope this answers as to how some people price and why. None of my females see more than three clutches. They are given away at my friends store or go to a local zoo worker, who gives them out. I keep some, occassionally. I prefer the female colors to the males. The pink and orange is just too much, not to love.)
 
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My decision to try breeding was simply to experiment and learn. And to have a zillion chameleons since i dont want to have to pay for a zillion, let them take care of making more. I do hope to trade some to work with other types. As far as the home they go to, id like to think they all end up in good homes, but even then stuff happens. Just because a person appears to be well set to take care of them doesnt mean they will. :(
 
if I start breeding I will only do so If I have the possibility of keeping all offspring for the rest of their life if I can not find a good home for them. that´s my goal.

if I don´t find anyone who is going to care for the animal for their whole lifespam then I keep the the animal, until a find a permanet home for it. thats is may goal due to many chams go to waste. I think one shoudl give a years though before buying a chameleon, if you still want it after that then buy it, after all it is going to live for 5+ years( for many species) there is no hurry :)
 
Initially, I thought I would want to breed Panther chameleons. In fact, I have a male and female that I chose, specifically, to breed. Now, I can not see myself breeding this species because I see the market to be a bit saturated. That raises the 'going to a good home' concern.

However, if I had a breeding pair of Parsons I would be working toward producing as many healthy babies as possible.

The more invested in the animal a person becomes, the more likely they are to take proper care of it.
 
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