so I then return to my original question.
they are over priced because they are hard to find, someone responded that most of the chams i listed weren't rare, maybe not, but in comparison to ambilobe yes.
i still don't understand why people aren't breeding them like ambilobes then, are we still early in the game?
I think it's hard to explain, and maybe a bit more complex.
A few thoughts. Keep in mind I haven't hatched a thing yet. So, this is just an "out there" rare rant from me LOL. (see, I never, NEVER use terms like LOL, and I don't normally rant, either, so bear with me.
)
Breeding chams isn't as simple as some think. It's not just "can I get them to breed", and then "can I get them to successfully lay eggs" and then "can I get the eggs to successfully hatch". There's more to it.
I don't mean to offend, but these breeders aren't running puppy mills. At least, not the ones on this forum, as far as I can tell. It takes MANY MANY hours of careful considerate work to raise and care for these creatures. They ARE exotic animals. We have over 20 adults now, and I don't lose sight of the fact that these are exotic animals that require thoughtful attentive care. And it's not all success stories, either. And, after a breeder has raised, bred, hatched, and then cared for a delicate animal like this for 2 months, they're not too eager to send them off to just anybody.
It's hard to describe. The few breeders I've met in person (that were related to this forum) expressed a respect and admiration for their chams. And, a sort of awe. Breeding was begun in small steps, and sales were not the highest priority.
Keeping prices a little high helps to weed out the buyers who would love to have one but can't really afford to keep one. It costs a lot of money to care for these critters. And they do need vet care, too. If a person can hardly afford to purchase the animal, how will they afford to keep it healthy and happy? The exotic vets we use say that caring for chameleons is an art, not a science. That there aren't really enough hard facts nor enough scientific studies performed yet, to make dealing with chameleons "cut and dried".
And, also, keep in mind that the good breeders, importers themselves invest a LOT of time and money in raising these chameleons. Raising the CB, or procuring/acclimating/establishing the WC. In business that's called "added value", and it justifies a raise in prices.
How rare is paint? How long does it take an artist to paint a watercolor? Not a great length of time. Why are the better watercolors so expensive? Because, even though it's just common paint, paper, and water- it's still takes uncommon skill and artistry. I can't really explain it- but there seems to be a lot of skill and artistry involved in a good breeding program. On the face of it- it seems like it should just be a matter of a couple of chams humping it on a branch somewhere and producing offspring- but, when you get them in these captive environments, it's not.
Then again, I may just be way out in left field. Perhaps chameleons in general, and pardalis specifically, are like diamonds- not as rare as the industry would like you to think- and with prices artificially controlled. But, I don't really think so.
There. That really clears things up, doesn't it?
