Panther chameleon breeding project!

Raphael1047

Established Member
I am starting a panther chameleon breeding project and was wondering how to keep them from hatchling to ready to sell. I have been reading a lot of different techniques but i wanted to ask the expert breeders on the chameleon forum how they keep them.i already have an idea of what to do. I would appreciate a step guide example: first month keep them together or whatever. Also i am not in it for the money, more for the experience! Although It would be nice to make a little money to keep my hobby going!:D another thing i calculated the numbers and i came up with a couple hundred dollars excluding food because i already have a fruit fly culture and a dubia roach coloy going, is this right? Thank you for reading and hopefully replying. Sorry that it is so long.
 
I am starting a panther chameleon breeding project and was wondering how to keep them from hatchling to ready to sell. I have been reading a lot of different techniques but i wanted to ask the expert breeders on the chameleon forum how they keep them.i already have an idea of what to do. I would appreciate a step guide example: first month keep them together or whatever. Also i am not in it for the money, more for the experience! Although It would be nice to make a little money to keep my hobby going!:D another thing i calculated the numbers and i came up with a couple hundred dollars excluding food because i already have a fruit fly culture and a dubia roach coloy going, is this right? Thank you for reading and hopefully replying. Sorry that it is so long.

Feed each of the babies 15-25 appropriate sized feeders a day. Generally 2-3 months is when they are sturdy enough to ship. That is also, however, around the time they need to be visually separated (3-4 months of age). Supplement them the way you do the adults immediately.
 
Thanks, but to summarize what i said earlier, what cages do i use till selling and are my money calculations correct ($250 dollars). Sorry if i said that in a confusing way.
 
Be carwful with dubia. The babies can't chew them really at all and.will choke. So make sure they are easily able to swallow them down.
 
Thanks, but to summarize what i said earlier, what cages do i use till selling and are my money calculations correct ($250 dollars). Sorry if i said that in a confusing way.

...Not quite sure to be honest. But make sure it's big enough to house about 7 babies (7 is the limit for housing them together).
 
I see a lot of people use like rubbermaid containers, they will hold the babies well and you put a good amount of branches and things in there they will be good.
 
You say 7 ok so 7 it is. And that is one of the ways i was looking at the rubbermaids with Thin babboo sticks tied together. How about when they are seperated and also will girls be aggessive to each other or do i have to seperate them in seperate cages too.
 
You say 7 ok so 7 it is. And that is one of the ways i was looking at the rubbermaids with Thin babboo sticks tied together. How about when they are seperated and also will girls be aggessive to each other or do i have to seperate them in seperate cages too.

All chameleons become territorial, especially males, but females will too. It is safe to separate them between 3 and 4 months of age to avoid injuries and stress.

EDIT: Also I am not 100% sure on the 7 per cage. I heard that from another member but I would do some more research on that just to be safe...
 
I was actually thinking of making jdog's diy cages, alot of them and smaller. Plus i can sell them with the chameleon and everyone wins.
 
Hey I'm just getting caught up with this thread. First of all, good luck with the panther chams, they are wonderful to work with, and even more fun when u begin breeding. My question is this, when you refer to $250..are you asking if this is a good price to sell your chams at, or are you thinking that $250 will be the approximate cost of raising a clutch of babies from hatching until you sell them? Thanks for clearing it up for me!
 
Sorry that i was not clear, i tend to do that, anyway i meant $250 for the total cost but i did NOT add the cages. Now i think that i will spend more like $400-$500 depending on the amount of chams i get. Please tell me if those numbers are wrong and what it really cost. thank you
 
I think there are many factors to determine when attempting to calculate the cost of raising a clutch of babies. First will you hand mist or buy an automated misting system. Will you buy cheap walmart fixtures, or high quality reptile specific fixtures. Where will you buy your plants...live or fake. You will need to buy supplements and cages. I know you said you have fruit flys and dubias, but you will be shocked at how much food a clutch of hungry babies can go through. I suggest you either begin breeding your own feeders, or be prepared to dish out more cash on purchasing extra feeders to keep your chams healthy. Another thought you need to consider is potential vet visits, these are not cheap, so money should be set aside to deal with that if necessary. Lastly you need to consider the cost of buying shipping supplies, this is an expense that can be passed on to the buyer, but obviously you must have the initial cost to be able to offer shipping to your customers. Thats all I can think of for now!
 
I think there are many factors to determine when attempting to calculate the cost of raising a clutch of babies. First will you hand mist or buy an automated misting system. Will you buy cheap walmart fixtures, or high quality reptile specific fixtures. Where will you buy your plants...live or fake. You will need to buy supplements and cages. I know you said you have fruit flys and dubias, but you will be shocked at how much food a clutch of hungry babies can go through. I suggest you either begin breeding your own feeders, or be prepared to dish out more cash on purchasing extra feeders to keep your chams healthy. Another thought you need to consider is potential vet visits, these are not cheap, so money should be set aside to deal with that if necessary. Lastly you need to consider the cost of buying shipping supplies, this is an expense that can be passed on to the buyer, but obviously you must have the initial cost to be able to offer shipping to your customers. Thats all I can think of for now!

You don't have to buy reptile stuff just because it says its for reptile and think it is better than walmart stuff. I buy all my uvb bulb holders from home depot and they work much better and are only 12 dollars for a 48 inch holder. Thinking smart is more important that thinking expensive. :)
 
Well first off thank you for giving me a headache! Jk Jk thank you for giving me more to think about :D also i have quite a big dubia colony and the fruit flies are ok but i will expand it. I think i am getting ahead of myself i dont even eggs yet!!! I am just getting prepared. Oh yeah forgot to ask this earlier how many hours a day are you dealing with them? ( the babys)
 
You don't have to buy reptile stuff just because it says its for reptile and think it is better than walmart stuff. I buy all my uvb bulb holders from home depot and they work much better and are only 12 dollars for a 48 inch holder. Thinking smart is more important that thinking expensive. :)

This is so true, i regret buying my $24 clamp lamp when i have seen it in walmart for only $8!!
 
I did not recommend buying something that says "reptile" on it, i merely pointed out that the cost for his clutch would be very dependent on the products he chose to buy. For me the fixture is not nearly as important as the bulb that goes in it.

As for the the amount of time to take care of a clutch, again it depends on the clutch and how automated you have your set up. If you have lights on timers, misters on timers, all you really need to do is feed them several times daily, and clean from time to time, and observe them to ensure they are all alert and healthy, and that no bullying is taking place.
 
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