Generally agreed with the above. I kept reef tanks for about a decade before moving out here to Hawaii to pursue a Ph.D. in oceanography. Corals can't be kept in private aquariums here, so no reef tank for me, but my research is with corals, so that helps to sate the palate. I kept and bred Veiled chameleons for several years, about 10-15 yrs ago, had a pair of T. deremensis for a while, and have been keeping Jackson's here in Hawaii, but have never owned a Panther myself.
If you can successfully keep a reef tank you should be able to successfully keep chameleons IMHO, at least of the hardier species. The particular skills needed are very different, but the level of attention to detail is similar. Likewise, if you can keep a reef tank you should be able to bake a cake though the actual skills (and acquired experience) is different.
As mentioned, Veiled and Panthers are generally considered the most foolproof options. This is primarily because 1) these species are relatively hardy and more forgiving of beginner errors than many other species, 2) their needs in captivity are well understood, and 3) they are readily available as captive bred animals, as opposed to beat-up wild caught animals which can be near impossible to successfully acclimate to captivity in unexperienced hands. This is not to say all wild caught chameleons are in bad condition, but some species are notoriously mistreated, such as...
With chameleons, cheaper species are not easier per se. For instance, Senegal chameleons and a few other species are often available for very cheap prices but many are in such poor condition when they arrive in this country they are doomed in all but very experienced hands that know how to get them back into good health (and even then many can suffer irreparable kidney damage due to dehydration during the chain of custody).
Veiled are generally much cheaper than Panthers: typically $40-100 for Veiled or $200-400 for Panthers, depending on age and coloration. Veiled are often a bit pugnacious, though occasionally you'll see a fairly calm individual. Conversely, Panthers are generally more mild tempered though occasionally you'll see a fairly pugnacious individual. Both are beautiful, though I think most people would consider outstandingly colored male Panthers to be among the most colorful chameleons (or vertebrates, for that matter). Between these two species it depends on which of these qualities are most important to you.
As compared to most reef tanks, keeping a chameleon is a relatively cheaper venture. For the initial setup you might invest $200-500 in the cage and equipment, plus the cost of the animal, and an additional few hundred dollars annually in recurring costs (mostly live insect food, but also replacement bulbs, some electricity, etc.).
Breeding can be vastly more complex than having a single chameleon, especially for a very fecund species like Veiled. Suddenly caring for (and feeding!) 50 chameleons instead of two can be a daunting task. Having been there and done that, I wouldn't initially plan on breeding chameleons at all. First learn to be really successful with a single pet animal. If this goes well, the next thing you'll need to do is learn to breed crickets (and perhaps fruitflies). If you're buying food for all the babies instead of breeding crickets and hatching out pinheads you can easily spend more on food than the baby chameleons will end up being worth! (...with my first clutch of Veiled, been there, done that). If you get very good at chameleon husbandry AND breeding crickets, then you might consider breeding chameleons sometime in the future and may even end up turning a profit once you get good at that
There's a lot of good care information out there, as well as plenty of not-so-good information. We can help guide you to good reading material and as specific questions come up.
Hope that helps,
cj
and nice they range from $300-$400 and just say you have 20 babies and sell them all ill let you do the math
