We went to our local reptile exhibit yesterday as an information gathering and just to look around. We did find someone selling chams there, but I'm not sure about purchasing from them. The poor chams looked so miserable in little plastic tubs. My wife wanted to buy them all. Thankfully, we have nothing set up, so nothing could come home with us. It did lead to a few questions, though. First, how do you vet a vendor? What criteria do you use? Secondly, is a local reptile show a good places to purchase chams? We don't usually see very many, and I have to assume that is either because of low demand in that setting or the enormous stress they must go through. We are 1 for two for healthy reptiles and 5 for 6 on healthy fuzzies. Finally, are there many shows in or around southwest Michigan? Even if we aren't buying, they can be fun to look around.
Reptile trade shows/exhibits
- Thread starter Bazingaed
- Start date
DonKeesh
Chameleon Enthusiast
The vast majority of chams at shows are wild caught. We recommend first time chameleon keepers to start with a captive bred juvenile (3+ mo.) from a reputable breeder. Check out the site sponsors, they can ship anywhere in the U.S. here are a few good ones:
ipardalis
Framschams
Kammerflage
ipardalis
Framschams
Kammerflage
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Mendez
Chameleon Enthusiast
To add to this: if you are experienced and want WC for some reason, support reputable importers. There's no reason at all to support these vendors, even if you want WC. They don't bother acclimating the chameleons, and they have no regard for their long-term survival. There are reputable vendors out there. By supporting reputable vendors and spending the extra buck, you help move this reptile industry in a better, more ethical direction. I put "more" in quotes because ethics are definitely debatable when it comes to WC. If we rip them out of the jungle, the least we can do is provide for them to the best of our ability and not shove them in a deli cup for people to peer down upon them from above (and elicit a fear response).
I know my above response doesn't really help you. But here's the answer to your question: ask the community! To verify a vendor's credibility, you should listen to those within the community. Most likely we have heard a thing or two about these vendors. There are good vendors out there for sure. About half a year ago, some person asked me if they should buy a jackson's chameleon at a reptile show. My answer was "No"! But then she sent me pictures of the enclosures and told me that the vendor was "Sean McNeely" (a very reputable jackson's chameleon breeder). I proceeded to tell her that she hit the jackpot. So not all vendors at these expos are bad. More often than not, they won't care for the chameleon. But sometimes you might get lucky.
Some bad signs are: big chameleons in small deli cups, cages filled with more than one chameleon (more often than not there will be at least 10+ babies in one cage climbing over each other in a cage with zero or spare foliage), adult chameleons being sold well below market value, etc. If you feel like the price isn't too shabby, you are probably looking at the wrong vendor.
Mendez
Chameleon Enthusiast
Here's Sean McNeeley's website at McZoo Exotics: https://mczooexotics.com/
He's a very reputable jackson's chameleon breeder and has just gotten started with panther chameleons.
He's a very reputable jackson's chameleon breeder and has just gotten started with panther chameleons.
Thank you all for the responses. Just to clarify, we weren't really planning on buying a cham at the show, other than fending off my wife's urge to "rescue" everything she laid eyes on. In the end we came home with a new heat mat and dubia breeding colony from the guy we've been buying feeders from for a while. We were planning on purchasing online anyway when the time comes, I was more curious what qualifies a vendor as good. From the responses, it sounds like primarily reputation?
MzLaurie11
Avid Member
I just went through buying a new addition to my family which I take very seriously. After vusiting local breeders and talking to numerous shops i started my online search and found i kept coming back to one site do i called and am so happy i went with my gut. I have a healthy happy male veiled that will end up looking like his father. Markschameleons.com in New York. Overnighted to me in California. Mark went over my entire setup with me to assure his baby was headed to a good home, which i really liked. Good luck. I have heard and seen so many horror stories about chams bought at Petco and places like that from those that have no idea about cham care. Vet bills are high enough as it is so keep that in mind as these are ecotics.
Mendez
Chameleon Enthusiast
I emphasize reputation because it is hard for a newbie to discern good from bad when they first enter the hobby since everything is new. A surefire way is to get an experienced keeper's opinion. I'm not saying that you should only support the site sponsors because of their good reputation--you can make a decision for yourself based on the signs listed down below. And you can always take a picture of their booth set up at an expo and send it here for feedback.
I will also highlight this:
Additional bad signs could be extremely sunken in eyes, the vendor mislabeling animals, and overall lack of knowledge or concern for the future of the animal they are selling. If they don't ask you questions back or aren't willing to provide advice, you are better off going with someone who is willing to talk you through the acclimation and setup process. Some of these factors can easily be overlooked by someone new to the hobby, so going with a reputable breeder is the easiest and surefire way to get a healthy animal. Once you get some experience under your feet, it is easier to spot a good vendor from a bad vendor.
