Has it always been about panthers?

[showjet95]

I LOVE panthers! and own one, and soon a pair. But, I own many more and I think its more of when youve kept the "norm" species and they arent a challenege anymore you tend to want to move on to more challenging and more "unique" species. I tend to like species with characteristics that set them apart from others, such as horns, crests, knobby scales and gular lobes. I try and keep a good balance of all of them
Bradypodion transvaalense, pumilum, thamnobates.
Trioceros hoehnelli, deremensis, cristatus, merumontanus.
Kinyongia matschiei
Chameleo calytratus AND panther! and the list seems to be ever growing. Between my dad and I we have probably kept over 30 species dating back to the early 90's, including C. globifer and C. parsonii cristifer
Panthers will always be a staple tho because they are relatively easy to keep and have such amazing colors, oh and there are an absolute ton of them out there!

 

[Chameleonmaster]

I agree with you showjet I think people need to move out of "norm" and into something unique and different!

 

[absolutbill]

For me I started with a panther, and then got a veiled. Today I have that same veiled and 2 panthers who I hope to breed next year. I would rather master my husbandry with the "starter" chameleons and then move onto the more rare species. To me, it's selfish to take a rarer species if you don't have the intention of breeding it to increase the captive population here in the States.

With that in mind, I would someday love to work with pygmies, mellers, parsons, carpets, jacksons, and a multitude of others. However, I know my limits, and since I currently have 13 animals, I know that I am at my threshold. When some of my animals move on and cross the rainbow bridge I will have the space and time to dedicate to some of the rarer species - it's just not currently in the cards for me.

 

[imcurt]

As a past saltwater reef keeper its all about the pop'n colors for me.With panther you get more interactions,There more of a hands on pet than stairing at a tank of water&corals..Sure panther are easyer to handle then other chameleons.They also do better in captivity than most.It is also true they are more colorfull than any other chameleon. Theres nothing like seeing a tamatave or a sambava turn there flame on for the first time.There are some others that intrest me ,but most are Wild caught And I prefer to keep captive breed animals......

 

[shaunaroxanne]

As a past saltwater reef keeper its all about the pop'n colors for me.With panther you get more interactions,There more of a hands on pet than stairing at a tank of water&corals..Sure panther are easyer to handle then other chameleons.They also do better in captivity than most.It is also true they are more colorfull than any other chameleon. Theres nothing like seeing a tamatave or a sambava turn there flame on for the first time.There are some others that intrest me ,but most are Wild caught And I prefer to keep captive breed animals......

Ditto that^^ All chameleons are amazing creatures, but the colors of a panther are almost cartoonish, they are so unreal. I personally would not get the same satisfaction looking at a green lizard all day. I need my reds and blues on these gray Pennsylvania winter days

 

[Chameleonmaster]

If you get a rare species you should always buy in pair and eventually try breeding.
I also understand the chance you can be taking buying wild caught animals I was a little iffy buying mu pair but I received some good shape animals.

 

[PenelopeLove]

I have a panther and will be receiving a veiled in late Feb.
Someone else mentioned that our choice in species depends on our location.. For me, that is exactly my problem. Here in the UAE, if you want it you can have it.. Tigers, lions, you name it.. But most are captured, bred or smuggled illegally.
Although I would love a mellers or oustaleti (I'm not really into horns), the likely chance of receiving a captive bred or even healthy Cham is not high and I simply wouldn't want to take the chance and do that to an animal.
But that's just me

 

[maxttu]

Panther and verrucosus are my two experiences. I hope to get my hands wet with melleri if I can ever find cb or ch babies...

 

[SMCNARY]

I have had several species but as already mentioned many are harder to get except wc and mellers are very shy and remember they need lots more space to keep and tend to stress if they r not kept out of hi traffic areas and do not like human contact in general. I love some of the pigmy s and the live bearing is cool if u r going to breed them. All of them r cool just consider the level of care required to keep some is more advanced and make sure u r ready for the commitment required to do so!!! Panthers and veiled s are easy as opposed to many others thus they r very popular@ ( again just my humble opinion )

 

[Olimpia]

I've tried my hand at about 6-7 species at this point and panthers are still my absolute favorite, with Meller's being a close second. I've tried my hand at other smaller (some even rare) species and after a few weeks... I'm bored. I am so bored. I love the bigger species and I think I will never buy another small species of chameleon again.

So I think for me personally, I will always have a panther or two in the house. Whether I have a bunch of Meller's or other large species chameleons... I don't know, time will tell. But not everyone has the same interests. And sometimes "harder" isn't necessarily more interesting. I love seeing photos but I think I'm over investing time and effort into little uncommon chameleon species that are hard to get, expensive to import, difficult to sell, etc.

 

[Chameleonmaster]

I understand that some people think its just much of a risk because they are wc animals and it's too much to deal with I understand and respect that.

 

[Chameleonmaster]

Olimpia but you have had other species. The point I want to make is there are more than just panthers and veileds. I would like for some people to test out these species but I understand that there is risk and some people don't want to take it.

 

[Meow Kitty]

as far as Chameleons i do like panthers the best but my favorite to see is parsoni their like the elephant of chameleons just like Leachianus are the elephant of geckos

 

[Sohumvet]

I like elephants. And I'm lucky enough to have both Parsonii and Lechianus.
The neat thing about both of them besides there size is they are calm and gentle.

as far as Chameleons i do like panthers the best but my favorite to see is parsoni their like the elephant of chameleons just like Leachianus are the elephant of geckos

 

[dmb]

It is possible that not everyone is comfortable taking a wild caught animal from its natural home and shoving it in a cage for the rest of its life. Captive bred have no choice so you get the wild without ruining it.

 

[Chameleonmaster]

Yah I feel bad for them but at the same time I'd rather have them in someones care that knows about them, then have some random joe shmo get him and end up killing him in the end.

 

[Motherlode Chameleon]

I think the selection and variety is a strong point of the hobby. If you want chameleons with horns there are many species with horn and many unique horns arrangements, if you want color there are many species with great colors, if you want large or small chameleons there is a good selection of chameleons, and etc.. I tend to pretty much am a fan of them all.

Even then I still occasionally go back Panthers and Veileds just for the fact they have got many great traits about them (many colors and Casque and colors). However as a keeper once you have learned the basics about keeping chameleons I would highly encourage keepers to work with some of the less mainstream species. There are many great species out there.

 

[PenelopeLove]

It is possible that not everyone is comfortable taking a wild caught animal from its natural home and shoving it in a cage for the rest of its life. Captive bred have no choice so you get the wild without ruining it.

For me.. that is something I feel very strongly about. Why take it from its home where it is healthy? There are a lot of species available (even the rare ones) that are CB.

All that stress surely must be the reason they get sick and take a lot to care for in the right way?

 

[chameleoman]

random joe shmo get him and end up killing him in the end.

That can happen if people try to get other species. Most people who get there first chameleon want to take it out all the time and hold it and do other stuff. Say if some one were to get a i don't know? a . . . mellers for instance. That species tends to stress out really easily. And if the new owner wants to be holding it. . . . . well then that person might have killed a species that is not that well established in captivity where people are still trying to breed them. Which is why most other species IMO are not good for a starter cham more of something to acquire down the long road of keeping reptiles.

 

[Chameleonmaster]

Chameleoman I'm taking about people That have panthers and veileds Already not a new person going out and buying one of the most hardest species to keep in captivity. They would have a slim to nun chance of surviving.
Let's say someone that has Been keeping panthers for a year, and they had no money limit so they have a good feel for chameleons. They go out and buy a wc animal let's say a T. Montium
They did theyre research and all got it treated for parasites everything's good. But it won't be that easy.
I would just like to see some different selection, but not everyone's comfortable buying wc which I don't blame them it's risky.