Pricing of Chameleons

[JoeG]

Any good guidelines out there for pricing chams? I have been assuming that the value of chameleons varies greatly depending on age & species & overall health & if they are captive hatched or wild caught. So is it correct to think that chameleons purchased for x amount of dollars as babies can be appropriately priced at 50 percent more than their original value, as adults. Its not for the making of money because the time & husbandry to raise a baby to adulthood far outweighs any money that could be made. I have decided to downsize & looking for others opinions on pricing. Maybe the adults should sell for less than the babies or maybe for the same price. Just checking....

 

[tkilgour]

Any good guidelines out there for pricing chams? I have been assuming that the value of chameleons varies greatly depending on age & species & overall health & if they are captive hatched or wild caught. So is it correct to think that chameleons purchased for x amount of dollars as babies can be appropriately priced at 50 percent more than their original value, as adults. Its not for the making of money because the time & husbandry to raise a baby to adulthood far outweighs any money that could be made. I have decided to downsize & looking for others opinions on pricing. Maybe the adults should sell for less than the babies or maybe for the same price. Just checking....

Adults go for more money, because they are more colorful and closer to breeding age. The prices are across the board. It all depends on locale, genetics, age, breeder, etc. Making money off chameleons isn't an easy task. Especially, when you factor in the cost - all the thousands of fruit flies, pinhead crickets, etc. Plus, energy costs, incubation times, and on and on. CB animals are going to cost more and crosses are going to cost less and many people will not touch a crossed female. Hope that helps answer some of your questions. Of course, there is always this vendor at our local show that claims to be able to get any locale panther chameleon for $50 - $100 no matter what the size. However, I have yet to see him with a panther, nor has he ever had a chameleon to show me when I pin him down on it.

 

[pssh]

Like you said, it depends on the age, species, color, etc., AND the demand for the animals. Adult panthers for example can often be sold for much more than 50% more than the price of the animal as a baby. Or, if it is a rare animal that either can't be imported or has not been imported for a long time, they can also sell for quite a bit of money if there is a demand for them (like Parsons, Bradypodion, certain Panther locales, etc.) But for other animals, adults (even CH and CB) don't always sell for more than a CH/CB baby (Senegals and other underrated Chamaeleo species come to mind.)

One of the reasons adults tend to sell for greater prices is because they are of breeding age (so that the buyer can breed very soon after rather than buy a baby and wait until it is mature and of proper weight/age) and some traits that might not have been evident when they were babies are known. Adults usually have their full colors, patterns, size, and general temperament known, where with a baby or juvi animal, it can be a toss up. If you had an adult that was a very sought after type/color/size/whatever then people are much more willing to pay more for it.

What animals are you trying to sell? Perhaps others can help you determine an approximate price range for the animals. Info like species, gender, age, etc. for each animal can also help others give a better range of selling prices.

Edit: I guess, in a way, it can be kind of like the prices of dogs. Rare breed/from champion lines puppy = Big money. Rare breed/champion adult in its prime, ready to produce young = Even bigger money! But it can go the other way too. I mean, you can some times find very common breeds in shelters (and some even have their papers!) where the adoption cost is much lower than if you were to purchase a puppy of the same breed and quality.

 

[JoeG]

I got out of Panthers a while ago. I was thinking of putting up my CB Kinyongia Matschei & my CH Quads & basing the price by what I paid for them at a young age, & factoring in how old they are now & coming up with a fair price.

 

[mcleodschams]

Wanna send those babys across the border?lol you should have np selling those.