Zen Reptiles
Avid Member
If we can take a hint from the rest of the hobby; leopard geckos, crested geckos, and before them was day geckos - it's all about color.
People like color.
I just spent 1000$ on a pair of Nosy Mitsio and I have never spent even close to that much on any reptiles before in over 10 years of keeping reptiles. Why? 95% of the reason is that there is nothing really available in Canada, and although I'd LOVE to work with all the species Chris mentioned, I can maybe get one or two and that's a quest in itself.
The other 5% is sellability. Panthers sell like hot cakes, and what I love about this hobby is that it is self sufficient; whether it's geckos, chameleons, or frogs, you start with two and up selling 50. 100% of the money from them goes back into them and that's a rule for me. I'd love to work with the montanes and pygmies, but panthers help me maintain my hobby whereas montanes and pygmies would make them more of a money pit.
If I make more than I can spend on my current collection, and potentially maintain groups of chameleons that don't pay for themselves over time, then I would work with the other species.
I do disagree with the price of veileds being as low as 20$, and I also disagree with 500$ for panthers (even though I paid that). I think a fair price for any chameleon is between 120$ and 350$, panthers falling in the 200-250$ category and rarer montanes being in the 250+ category.
But, when does anything ever make sense anyways?
People like color.
I just spent 1000$ on a pair of Nosy Mitsio and I have never spent even close to that much on any reptiles before in over 10 years of keeping reptiles. Why? 95% of the reason is that there is nothing really available in Canada, and although I'd LOVE to work with all the species Chris mentioned, I can maybe get one or two and that's a quest in itself.
The other 5% is sellability. Panthers sell like hot cakes, and what I love about this hobby is that it is self sufficient; whether it's geckos, chameleons, or frogs, you start with two and up selling 50. 100% of the money from them goes back into them and that's a rule for me. I'd love to work with the montanes and pygmies, but panthers help me maintain my hobby whereas montanes and pygmies would make them more of a money pit.
If I make more than I can spend on my current collection, and potentially maintain groups of chameleons that don't pay for themselves over time, then I would work with the other species.
I do disagree with the price of veileds being as low as 20$, and I also disagree with 500$ for panthers (even though I paid that). I think a fair price for any chameleon is between 120$ and 350$, panthers falling in the 200-250$ category and rarer montanes being in the 250+ category.
But, when does anything ever make sense anyways?
