Panther Chameleon's...Good pets? Any Advice?

[Frogglett]

Hello
I am looking into getting a panther chameleon and was looking for advice. I am a complete novice where reptile keeping is concerned and want to make sure that I have all the knowledge and advice to take care of it properly. Of course I will be doing plenty of research myself but first hand advice and tips are greatly appreciated. The first thing that I want to know is whether they are a good pet? Other things I would like to know are lifespan, best conditions in vivarium, prefered plants and food. I would like to know as much as I can before I go ahead with it

Thankyou
Frog

 

[dacrazycanadian]

Welcome to the forum! There are tons of knowledgeable people here to help get you started. I'd first like to direct you to the Care Resources on the left margin of the page and read through all that and also the panther chameleon care sheet.

My one tip is, don't be cheap; you will be replacing uvb bulbs and what not every 6 months or so among other things. Reptiles are an expensive hobby but they are well worth it. And remember to always play it safe than take an easy way out because it normally will come back to haunt you or bite you in the wallet haha.

 

[Frogglett]

The care resources were very helpful, and its good to know that panthers are the better of the chameleon to keep. Also was very good for the sizing of cages!! No, cheap is not one thing I intend to be with this. Wouldn't want to put chameleon at risk of harm just to save a bit of money.
Thanks for the advice
Frog

 

[dacrazycanadian]

Yeah when I got my panther I started with a medium sized cage about 20 inches tall so the little baby could hunt easier but then when he got older I upgraded to a larger cage.

What kind of panther were you looking at? I currently have Ambanja eggs incubating and going to hatch soon.

 

[junglefries]

Your best prep work is to constantly read any and all threads on here you can. Even go back and read older ones. Keep reading for as long as you take it. Until you are literally shaking because you want your cham so bad. There will always be something new to learn, and the more you already have learned, the better. Chams can quickly degrade health wise over the smallest issue. One minute eating and healthy, and two hours later dead. NBC says it best "the more you know".

 

[Psychobunny]

If you decide to get a panther, and you want good ods of it being a pet, I strongly suggest getting one from a small scale breed, as opposed to a large (for profit) breeder or pet store.

Reason being, these folks handle, pamper, fuss and spoil their little ones from the time they hatch!!

So if you get one, say, 5 months old, and already quite used to people and being handled, that would be the way to go.

You should talk to the breeder, and tell him/her you want a pet, not interested in breeding stock.
Most will know exactly which cham to pic out for you.

Be warned, not all chams are friendly, in fact, lots of them can be quite nasty in temperment. A lot depends on where, and who, they came from

 

[jm400]

Welcome! You are in the same boat that I am in. I have been doing a lot of research and the resources on here are great!

Last night I actually put together my first blog FULL of the research I have found. It is a very long read but it has a lot of information on it. If you want to look it over you can find it < here >

 

[xraygirl]

Your best prep work is to constantly read any and all threads on here you can. Even go back and read older ones. Keep reading for as long as you take it. Until you are literally shaking because you want your cham so bad. There will always be something new to learn, and the more you already have learned, the better. Chams can quickly degrade health wise over the smallest issue. One minute eating and healthy, and two hours later dead. NBC says it best "the more you know".

This is exactly what I did.... I spent a lot of time in the enclosure threads and health threads. I read everything I could about health issues... Like shedding problems, respiratory infections (RI), necrotizing tail tips, burns, eye issues, metabolic bone disease (MBD).. Etc... Also read like crazy on temperatures, calcium/vitamin supplementing, UVB, literally everything until my eyes were bleeding. I think I was on the forums whenever I had the time to spare, literally...

They are awesome as pets but remember not all of them care to be handled and some love it. They all have different little personalities! But they are awesome little creatures

 

[Frogglett]

thankyou all great advice. will definitely not be getting my cham til i am certain i can provide it with the best care.

 

[christineacero]

thankyou all great advice. will definitely not be getting my cham til i am certain i can provide it with the best care.

Frog, I wish there were more responsible pet owners like you out there! Unfortunately many people buy these guys on a whim because they're exotic and look cool, and the animal suffers due to lack of knowledge on their part. It always pays to wait and know your stuff, you're future cham will thank you for it!

 

[Baksmurf]

Welcome to the wonderful world of chams. I agree with what everyone else is saying here and that's research research research, you will thank yourself later for it . Also know that those little buggers can be quite pricey to start up. Cham, plants, viv etc. I was pretty surprised just how much I had to invest in his enclosure (sans cham). But luckily I did this before I actually acquired him so it wasn't as big of a problem as it could have been.
Just kinda curious by what you mean by "good pet"?

 

[Frogglett]

Frog, I wish there were more responsible pet owners like you out there! Unfortunately many people buy these guys on a whim because they're exotic and look cool, and the animal suffers due to lack of knowledge on their part. It always pays to wait and know your stuff, you're future cham will thank you for it!

Fortunately, I am an animal lover and would hate the though of a cham suffering because I didn't do the right thing! I know this is definitely not going to be an instant and would rather wait a year and get the perfect set up

 

[junglefries]

Here's the thing: you WILL make a mistake. The trick is to educate yourself enough to make less mistakes or hopefully a minor one. Most likely you will make several mistakes. Don't be hard on yourself, but at the same time learn from it. Even spending one day on this site, prepares you more than most people buying a pet. So take some pride in your efforts.