Sold as Male Baby Panther Chameleon from Pet Store - Need help confirming sex

[SamanthaLynn15]

When I go into the store I will get more pictures of the new chameleon. The one they claim they are 80% sure is a male but it seems it may actually be female!

Hopefully by the time I get in it’s more comfortable and I can get a better picture and it won’t be so dark in colour/stressed out.

 

[ERKleRose]

I will look into that breeder and do as much research as I can on reputable breeders here. I found a couple contacts at the reptile show who had past experience breeding and seemed great so maybe they have some recommendations so I will reach out and ask as well.

I totally agree with you they are not cheap and we are happy to spend the money on it. Spending around $1000+ I forgot to add the reptifogger and a couple other things was just for the start up. We will continue to add and provide the best possible care for a chameleon. If money was a concern we wouldn’t do it. I’m just sad Petland sold me this 3 month unwell female as a 4.5-5 month old perfectly healthy male and were originally wanting $360-370 cdn but gave us a discount if I believe 20% which took it to 290$ cdn. It’s really not the money I shouldn’t even bring up the money it’s more so the health, they are keeping them in small glass enclosures, no misting or fogger systems it was just unfortunate and had I not been so beginner I wouldn’t have gone with Petland. I thought it was a reputable responsible place who took adoptions seriously and that they would have really educated me and it would be a positive experience.

You’ll find a lovely cham, I’m sure! You’ve done an awesome job on researching, educating, and taking action! I’m proud of what you’ve done!

 

[Syreptyon]

I agree that the new one you posted is also most likely female! It's not the perfect angle for that shot, but I don't see a bulge at the tail base of this one, either

 

[SamanthaLynn15]

Thank ERKleRose you have been amazing to speak with and I appreciate all your info and advice!

Also thank you Syreptyon!

I want to do this right not be impulsive or rush so I’m going to make sure I feel confident before moving forward with a new chameleon friend! I have expressed me concerns that this is a female and I said I most likely will not be doing the trade for her. The last option was seeing what other locations may have ansnseeing if they ca find a male but I am going to try and push for a female and do some calling around and research into breeders including Red River Valley.

I’m still taking the girl this evening within the next hour, so if I can I will get pictures of this new chameleon and take them myself and hopefully I can get some better quality ones but I myself also thought female when I looked at it and that’s why I thought who better then to ask but the pros over here at Chameleon Forums!

 

[Jesspete]

May I strongly suggest buying from one of our breeders? I have the best little ambilobe panther (male) that I got from @Matt Vanilla Gorilla. I'm not sure if he ships to Canada, but you will not surpass his level of service. I have an unboxing video in one of my threads. Little guy ate and drank straight out of the shipping box, and has been thriving, eating, hunting, and drinking for a solid week now.

 

[Jesspete]

My baby, right out of the box.

 

[SamanthaLynn15]

What a beautiful baby! I am so incredibly happy for you and am so glad you had a fantastic experience. I actually just reading around the forum have read fantastic things about Matt Vanilla Gorilla.

I am thankful for any suggestions and advice so thanks so much for this. I wasn’t sure about shipping to Canada specifically Calagary Alberta, but this is potentially a great option.

How do I go about a getting in touch with Matt?
Could you get him to contact me?

My experience has been disheartening but I’m not giving in! I’m advocating for those panthers at Petland and going to ensure they get the best care I made sure the location I adopted from will no longer carry chameleons if any type and they will be doing major re training on all staff. I’m going to make sure the girl I have is taken care of and safe and happy!

Now I just need to find my perfect male to bring home

 

[ERKleRose]

@Matt Vanilla Gorilla

 

[SamanthaLynn15]

I guess I was just told the photo of the new chameleon is actually aged at 5-5.5 months old. We will have to see in person when I go look how it looks but I still say female.

I called Red River Valley Exotics and left a voicemail. I also reached out to the one and only panther breeder I know of in Calgary but i believe they sold the last of what they had. I would love to speak to Matt if it’s safe to ship that would be a favourable option. This community has been so fantastic and I would definitely be interested in getting from a breeder within the community.

 

[SamanthaLynn15]

@Matt Vanilla Gorilla

Thanks so much, you are absolutely fantastic! Looking to hearing from Matt Vanilla Gorilla!

 

[Mystique_Pepper]

Thanks ERKleRose, yeah I was concerned I wasn’t sure or confident this is a male and they did check hatch date and it is 6 months. I am really stuck because I paid about 290$ cdn for my girl and they seem to only be willing to do a trade for a male but I am not confident this is a male again and I’m really stuck with how to proceed.

I put easily 700$ into the enclosure maybe up to 1000$ with everything new and not including the panther at 290$ cdn before tax. They were originally selling it for $362 which wa very high compared to other places I have seen.

Do you have some advice. I’m new to this, I’m in Calgary Alberta Canada. I went to our reptile show this past week and couldn’t find any panther breeders or any available. I’m just stuck.

I am also from Calgary. Go to pisces pet emporium I go there when i have questions and are more than willing to help.

 

[Jesspete]

Matt doesnt sleep. lol. When he is off work, he will see this and chime in.

 

[celeste_knitter]

Matt doesnt sleep. lol. When he is off work, he will see this and chime in.

My baby boy is also coming from @Matt Vanilla Gorilla on Tuesday!! He's wonderful to work with & you really become cham family! I don't know the legalities/logistics of shipping into Canada, but I'm sure Matt can find out. If nothing else he is a great source of info!

 

[Matt Vanilla Gorilla]

@SamanthaLynn15 and I communicated quite a bit via text messages and I was practically with her at the pet store. Lol. I was not convinced that the older panther was male! The younger one they had might have been, but it had a tail nip. Those could result simply because another baby thought it had a nice juicy worm to snack on, or worse, it could result from having been raised in filthy conditions (there are a few other possible causes, none of which are positive). Depending on genetics and one's purpose for the chameleon, it might be worth the risk! Since @SamanthaLynn15 has already been through so much, I cautioned against getting either! As for me selling and shipping to her: I am an immigrant, and I had to deal with immigration from 1993 to 2009. No more please! Haha, government agencies are wild, Lol! I am currently way too busy to try and figure out international shipping, let alone all the laws and exceptions to laws and ......... please no!!!! Haha, maybe one day when I retire from my other jobs or after the kids have left home...?

 

[SamanthaLynn15]

@SamanthaLynn15 and I communicated quite a bit via text messages and I was practically with her at the pet store. Lol. I was not convinced that the older panther was male! The younger one they had might have been, but it had a tail nip. Those could result simply because another baby thought it had a nice juicy worm to snack on, or worse, it could result from having been raised in filthy conditions (there are a few other possible causes, none of which are positive). Depending on genetics and one's purpose for the chameleon, it might be worth the risk! Since @SamanthaLynn15 has already been through so much, I cautioned against getting either! As for me selling and shipping to her: I am an immigrant, and I had to deal with immigration from 1993 to 2009. No more please! Haha, government agencies are wild, Lol! I am currently way too busy to try and figure out international shipping, let alone all the laws and exceptions to laws and ......... please no!!!! Haha, maybe one day when I retire from my other jobs or after the kids have left home...?

Matt,

Sincerely thank you so much for taking the time to stay in personal contact with me during my time back at the pet store.

Your assistance, knowledge and sheer willingnesss to help made it such a positive experience. Again the employees knew very little I was disappointed in the lack of information and how they were trying to convince me that the older panther male was a male when it was showing to be very female. I felt protected having you there for and like you advocated for me to ensure I received the right information. I am above and beyond thankful for this.

Here’s an update on what I ended up doing for everyone in case anyone is curious:

I held off, I haven’t brought a new panther home yet. For now they have my little one isolated and will ensure it’s being fed well and watched over the next few days, if they can’t confidently find me a male I may consider a female. If this is the case I am prepared to do all the research and whatever it takes to do it right and learn and ensure it the best love and care.

The older panther I showed Matt that appeared female was incredibly tame though. Had no issues being handled in fact enjoys being handled. I was surprised at how tame it actually was at 6 months coming from a pet store. It was even comfortable with me! This female is a good size and very sweet and if there is no viable male candidate to trade for she may be a good option! I could also take back my original little one once they have ensured it’s eating well and healthy but it appears to be female and is very hard to sex at only 3 months old. Showing Matt lots of pictures of the little one he guessed there’s about a 65% chance it is female. It’s just so hard to tell because at times male traits seemed to come out.

What’s everyone’s opinions with females and egg laying process? Do you think as a beginner I will be okay as long as I dedicate myself to doing the research providing proper lay boxes and setting the terrarium up for a female etc.? Could it be bennificial to adopt the very tame female? Or should I really push for a male and be adamant on it.

Right now I’m waiting to hear back from the other locations in Alberta to see if they have a male panther. I was told it may take until Monday or Tuesday to get all the responses back but for now after going in and speaking with Matt I decide to wait and see if the perfect male comes up and not be impulsive and if there isn’t a male that’s a good candidate then my little one will be set aside until I make the decision and the very tame 6 month old female is also available.

I attached some photos of my little one in the travel container before it went back to the pet store and then some of the 6 month old female and the very last one is of the potential 4.5 month old male who has tail nip.

I will also add that I was given an $100 gift certificate for all the trouble so if I did end up going with a female then I have the certificate to use towards helping to purchase everything to set up a proper lay box and whatever else a female may need. If I stick with a male I still have the $100 gift certificate so I will just have it for anything else he may need in addition to the great set up I have going now!

 

[SamanthaLynn15]

My baby boy is also coming from @Matt Vanilla Gorilla on Tuesday!! He's wonderful to work with & you really become cham family! I don't know the legalities/logistics of shipping into Canada, but I'm sure Matt can find out. If nothing else he is a great source of info!

Matt is fantastic the time and dedication he spent helping me and advocating for me was absolutely incredibly kind of him. He knew I had gone through a trying experience and wanted to ensure I was educated, protected and had good information. I’m so thankful to have had him available to help me through the entire time I was at the pet store. He really ensured that I had a positive experience and that I take the time to really think this out and make the right choices. Without his help the pet store would have sent me home with another female this time 6 months of age. I knew it didn’t look very male but I’m no expert I’m the beginner here so having Matt there to reinforce what I was thinking and to provide his expert opinion was extremely valuable and ensured I didn’t get mislead by the pet store again.

I’m just so unbelievably happy with this community and it’s people. Everyone has been so kind and humble and helpful and it’s so refreshing to meet such a great group of people!

I totally understand Matt not wanting to ship to Canada right now! I know it can get tricky and dealing with the government side can be very frustrating! I’m so happy for everyone who is able to get their baby’s from Matt he is an awesome super educated dedicated person and if I wasn’t in Canada and he could easily ship to me he would hands down be my top choice for a breeder to adopt from.

I’m excited for your new baby coming Tuesday, it must be so nice knowing your going to get a great chameleon because I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about Matt’s chameleons! And on top of it he’s just so great and helpful. He wasn’t even selling me a panther and he took the time out of his day to really help me and be there for me today! What a great guy!

Thanks @Matt Vanilla Gorilla Words can’t describe how much I appreciate what you did for me today!!!!

 

[celeste_knitter]

I'm so glad @Matt Vanilla Gorilla was able to help you! He's a wonderful human who genuinely cares about people & animals.

I dont blame him for not wanting to get into international shipping of animals as that can be a nightmare, but his advice is invaluable. Glad you communicated!!