Temperament changes as they grow?

[Rayzilla]

My plan to picking/getting the right cham is to be able to visit the shop multiple times and observe and hopefully be able to handle the cham that I am eyeing.

I know chams should not be brought home with the intent or for the purpose of being treated like handled or petted like dogs or hamsters but I do hope that I can do that from time to time.

So my question is, does my plan make sense? Or do their temperaments generally change as they grow out of each stage of their life?

I initially thought about starting off with a Carpet but the short life expectancy of them changed my mind on them after I thought about that some more. Then I thought that the Veiled would be best as my first cham because of their hardiness. But then I came across a Panther at the shop today and so I started researching them some more today.

So what are your experiences with temperament changes? And if your experience was with a Panther, even better.

Thanks!

 

[Carlton]

Their behavior can definitely change due to hormonal maturity, but it can also shift once the cham has gotten settled into a new territory...and that you can't really predict until it IS in the new territory at your home. Babies can be so "open" to everything that they seem very approachable until they decide otherwise at that terrible teen age of 5-8 months. Babies can also be totally intimidated because the world and humans all seem huge and threatening until they learn what to expect.

On top of these pretty understandable effects on any cham's personality, there's the reality that chams are individuals...there can be hereditary tendencies (if a breeder selected breeding stock for color or size, but didn't really care if a pissy attitude happened to go along with it). A conscientious breeder might tell you up front that his animals are great for display and reactivity (which means a lot of color change), but not too great to handle. Or, that they focus more on temperament and pet quality. I'd suspect most breeders don't really think too much about this unless they have the luxury to work with different bloodlines for different purposes.

But, probably the more important thing to consider is....there isn't anything like a guarantee on what you'll end up with. Selecting a dog for its behavioral traits is a bit more pinned down, but not perfect, and they are very domesticated. We say so often that one of the things about cham keeping is the unknown...that box of chocolates. You will be better off understanding what you might get and be ready to appreciate the cham regardless. By being consistent in your day to day care and knowledgeable about what worries or upsets these little walking mood rings, you won't be too caught off guard and can enjoy your cham for who it is. And, if it ends up being a surly character, there's some humor and challenge to that.

As for your plan to visit the shop multiple times, you may not have months with that cham to observe enough change. The shop needs to sell its stock, not raise each one for that long. And, in the shop's atmosphere the little chams could well be stressed and not showing their true personalities. If you buy from a breeder you may be able to have them "pick" for you from animals they know very well.