Pet Store V.S. Breeder

[Preekoo]

I bought my male veiled cham, "Leon", from a local pet store. They buy all their chameleons from a local breeder (Circumstances unknown). I've had Leon Since April now and im thinking of buying a panther or jacksons. I work as a bus boy and my budget is not to big. I have around $700, keeping in mind im buying a car in september with hopefully some help from the family. My local pet store has been saying they're gona get some panthers in soon for a while now. They had a jacksons when i bought Leon, (Which im really regretting not getting for $50 more lol) but they sold him real quick. They've had only veileds for a while. Should I just order a panther or jacksons online? And if i do, it needs to be $150-$250, any ideas on which one i should get?

 

[pssh]

I always recommend getting one from the breeder. The animals are exactly what you pay for. With a breeder, they know the lineage, the locale, the sex, etc. but petstores dont always know. Plus the animal moves around less before you get it.

You can easily get a quality panther for $250 shipped from a breeder. There are many hobby breeders on here that sell them for really great prices.

 

[Preekoo]

I've been looking at FL Chams and they have some nice looking jacksons for $125. And idk about 250 lol, thats a 2 week paycheck right there. Which would you reccomend? Panther or Jacksons. I've heard jacksons are easier to take care of. But i want a chameleon that isnt an ass hole like my veiled lol. And ive heard panthers are really friendly lol.

 

[CamiGirl89]

I would recommend waiting for a Reptile Show. Prices are much cheaper, and you get to meet the owner of the babies, and most of the breeders have at least one parent with them. I see you are from around my neck of the woods, and want to let you know that on August 11th, Evansville is hosting a Reptile Show at the Center downtown. I know it's about an hour-ish drive for you, but it might be well worth your while! Pet-stores can be very sketchy about where they get their chams. My Petsmart near here used to tell me (back when I didn't know as much as I do now) that they got their chams from local breeders. When I questioned the manager months later, they said they ordered them from a supplier in California, and had no records of the lineage. So you might want to wait for a Reptile show, the prices are better, the selection is right out in front of you, and it is a fun experience

 

[Ben0918]

i would get a jacksons because they are cheaper, a community chameleon as in u can keep a pair or 1 male and multiple females, easier to care for and arent as expensive as panthers. i got my pair from a captive breeder for $120 and captive bred panther babies usually go from $250 up. but what ever your into i was a bus boy and thats how i got my jacksons. but i would love a panther to my collection too

 

[Meow Kitty]

I bought my male veiled cham, "Leon", from a local pet store. They buy all their chameleons from a local breeder (Circumstances unknown). I've had Leon Since April now and im thinking of buying a panther or jacksons. I work as a bus boy and my budget is not to big. I have around $700, keeping in mind im buying a car in september with hopefully some help from the family. My local pet store has been saying they're gona get some panthers in soon for a while now. They had a jacksons when i bought Leon, (Which im really regretting not getting for $50 more lol) but they sold him real quick. They've had only veileds for a while. Should I just order a panther or jacksons online? And if i do, it needs to be $150-$250, any ideas on which one i should get?

chamelon company jim sells panthers on abudget heres my panther from jim

 

[Preekoo]

Thanks for heads up Cami I'm for sure gona head up there. It's like a hour drive, ya. And i've had my suspicions about my local pet store as well. they seem a lil sketchy about when they're getting they're next order or cham's. Which makes me think they're buyen some big corporation pushen badly bred chameleons out the ass lol. and they always have Veileds. Like ALWAYS, year round. Always babies, never any older than a few weeks.

 

[sandrachameleon]

I bought my male veiled cham, "Leon", from a local pet store. They buy all their chameleons from a local breeder (Circumstances unknown). I've had Leon Since April now and im thinking of buying a panther or jacksons. I work as a bus boy and my budget is not to big. I have around $700, keeping in mind im buying a car in september with hopefully some help from the family. My local pet store has been saying they're gona get some panthers in soon for a while now. They had a jacksons when i bought Leon, (Which im really regretting not getting for $50 more lol) but they sold him real quick. They've had only veileds for a while. Should I just order a panther or jacksons online? And if i do, it needs to be $150-$250, any ideas on which one i should get?

not all petstores are bad. If you are familiar with what to look for in terms of health, and if you arent overly concerned about getting a pure-breed, ... but I also recommend a breeder you can meet or who has a good reputation.

 

[CamiGirl89]

Sounds about right! And as Sandra said, not all are bad, but I (personally) have had enough bad experiences with them that I have given up on them for anything but turtle pellets and crickets. I got my male veiled at 5 months old from a Reptile Show for $90. Sweet personality, already used to being handled, and they had his sire there to show off. The owner gave me her business card, her website, and a brochure of how to care for chams. I enjoyed that experience much more than the pet-store

Thanks for heads up Cami I'm for sure gona head up there. It's like a hour drive, ya. And i've had my suspicions about my local pet store as well. they seem a lil sketchy about when they're getting they're next order or cham's. Which makes me think they're buyen some big corporation pushen badly bred chameleons out the ass lol. and they always have Veileds. Like ALWAYS, year round. Always babies, never any older than a few weeks.

 

[Carlton]

i would get a jacksons because they are cheaper, a community chameleon as in u can keep a pair or 1 male and multiple females, easier to care for and arent as expensive as panthers. i got my pair from a captive breeder for $120 and captive bred panther babies usually go from $250 up. but what ever your into i was a bus boy and thats how i got my jacksons. but i would love a panther to my collection too

I have to disagree with this post. They are NOT necessarily "community" chameleons unless you happen to have a greenhouse or free range room enclosure, are NOT easier to care for depending on where you live. In warmer or drier climates in the US you can end up spending more to set them up, keep them cooler and hydrated. Supplementation is trickier. They are more prone to temporal gland infections that can be tough to treat. The initial price of a jackson's is only part of the equation.

I think it's a bad idea to get a "cheaper" species if you really want something else. Save your money and get what you are MOST interested in! Your animal may suffer if you are always second guessing your decision or are secretly wishing you could trade it for the next one that comes along.

 

[Carlton]

Thanks for heads up Cami I'm for sure gona head up there. It's like a hour drive, ya. And i've had my suspicions about my local pet store as well. they seem a lil sketchy about when they're getting they're next order or cham's. Which makes me think they're buyen some big corporation pushen badly bred chameleons out the ass lol. and they always have Veileds. Like ALWAYS, year round. Always babies, never any older than a few weeks.

If you feel you can recognize a healthy juvenile cham at a pet shop it won't necessarily be a bad choice even if they don't have all the lineage info handy. The main thing is, do you want to support the particular shop because they are knowledgeable and responsible with their stock. If the care info is spot on, the chams are well cared for and housed well, that would make the difference to me. Those shops won't be common though.

 

[Preekoo]

The pet store i bought my guy from had like 3 veileds in a kinda small glass box with one giant lamp on top, and it had a bearded dragon on the left with a see through divider. I went there one day to buy some worms and i saw a lil baby veiled scratching the glass over and over again and i almost bitched out the people behind the counter for not giving them a proper place to live at, being chameleons and what not. I felt sorry for them and i am glad i got my buddy out of there and gave him a nice home to live at.

 

[Preekoo]

But they knew everything to know about chameleons, yet they put em in a shit tank. they taught me basically everything i read online, and i also made some smart choices that the chick didnt tell me about, like the screen enlcosure, and not getting moss as bedding.

 

[BocaJan]

I just went to a show this weekend and except for one of the forum members who was selling panthers at the show, the other chams being sold at other tables were all in bad shape. I don't believe they were breeders because there was only a cage of two with chams (many in one cage). They were all dehydrated and not in good shape. So, unless you know what a healthy chameleon looks like I wouldn't buy from a show. A reptile store may have a lot of chameleons or only a few, but probably buys from a distributor or local breeders. Ask some questions and again, know what you are looking for. Always be prepared to have a fecal done and segregate your purchase from any other chams that you have at home until you are sure your new friend doesn't have any parasites.

Personally, you are much better off getting a cham from a breeder. Babies that are from CB parents and hatched out by the breeders don't have parasites and are usually cared for well and come with a guarantee. We have many fine breeders on the forums and you hear recommendations all the time from people that are happy with their purchases.

 

[CamiGirl89]

I have had personal experience with Lance Chams and with FL Chams. Both have great animals, so as far as sponsors go I can personally recommend you to them! But yes, at a show make sure you know what a healthy cham looks like, don't purchase from someone who is keeping them in poor conditions, know what "bad signs" are in a cham, and don't go for the cheapest simply because it is the cheapest. Interview the person you are buying from, that is what I did. If they can tell you things you already knew, but just wanted to make sure they knew, it is comforting. If they can tell you the age of the baby, how they fed it, what kind of enclosure it should have, etc, and their answers be right, that is good as well. If you see 8 baby chams in a small glass enclosure with many that are yellowish colored or sitting near the bottom with closed eyes, steer WAY clear of those, even if they are $20 cheaper. You will see good and bad at shows, you have to do some detective work to figure out which is which!

 

[Preekoo]

Alrighty, im gona check out the show, and if im not pleased with that then ill probably order one from fl chams when they get something i want in stock. or LLL reptiles. anyone ever bought from them? I see alot of good reviews. But they dont have to many panthers.

 

[maxttu]

Check ur pm...

 

[Paloma]

Repticon will be in Nashville August 18th & 19th I don't know for certain what reptiles will be available for purchase. The Kentucky Reptile Expo just took place in Bowling Green, and I think they have another in December. They have one in Lexington in August 4th. Look up their website as they have shows almost every month in Kentucky or thereabouts. I don't know what will be for sale but I imagine you could call the sponsors and ask as they have a vendor list. The classifieds area in this forum may also have something available u may be interested in within your price range. Sometimes it is cheaper to buy a chameleon from a breeder online as they come complete w a kit; screen cage, lighting, dripper and supplements among others items included, sometimes free bugs and almost always life time support. Those are some options you could look at in addition to your local store.

 

[Preekoo]

lol alrighty, I'll look into the websites classified section. My mom was with me on getting another chameleon earlier today and now that my step dad is around shes like "no, no no" Shes worried about having to buy a new setup and stuff lol. Its not that bad at all and completely within my budget. Shes worried about crickets, they arent that hard to breed are they? cuz i can easily start a colony. i just need to get her the motivation someone give me some ideas of what i can tell her.

 

[Irwinthechameleon]

I bought my male veiled cham, "Leon", from a local pet store. They buy all their chameleons from a local breeder (Circumstances unknown). I've had Leon Since April now and im thinking of buying a panther or jacksons. I work as a bus boy and my budget is not to big. I have around $700, keeping in mind im buying a car in september with hopefully some help from the family. My local pet store has been saying they're gona get some panthers in soon for a while now. They had a jacksons when i bought Leon, (Which im really regretting not getting for $50 more lol) but they sold him real quick. They've had only veileds for a while. Should I just order a panther or jacksons online? And if i do, it needs to be $150-$250, any ideas on which one i should get?

Online ordering ain't too bad if it's from where you are , I'd go with a jacksons bit different from the veiled and the 3 horns are very interesting