Advice on where to buy Chameleons

[Highway61]

My name is Rob and this is my first post! Many years ago I used to have a green iguana and bearded dragon so I'm somewhat knowledgable about reptiles but this will be my first Chameleon. I'm reasearhing as much as I can about housing it but once I invest in the housing and am ready to puchase an animal, I'm looking for advice. I see that captive bred/hatched is the best and they are quite a bit more money. I don't mind sepnding more for CB but what are the best options for buy CB?

 

[celeste_knitter]

It totally depends on what kind you want. There are quite a few really good breeders here on this site! For panthers I recommend @Matt Vanilla Gorilla. For other species, check out the forum under those species and you will get a feel for who keeps them & you can ask about reputable breeders there. Stay away from big box pet stores - they sell sick & poor quality generally.

 

[Highway61]

Thanks celeste, and my bad forgetting to express what I'm looking for! I would like to start with just a single, male Jackson.

 

[ChamFreak]

I dont know any Jackson breeders. I'm sure there is though. I am sure one will see you on here and post. Best thing to do is research them on here. You have a lot to read and as much as possible try and buy quality products. Let me be the first to welcome you here and gratz on your choice of cham

 

[Eddie3187]

I recently was looking to purchase another chameleon and I was torn between a panther and a Jackson’s chameleon. I contacted @Matt Vanilla Gorilla and he sent me pictures of what he has available. After seeing how much Matt cares for his chameleons and the passion he has for offering the best service he can I decided it was an easy choice. I got an Ambilobe panther from him that he’s shipping tomorrow. If you’d consider a panther I will highly recommend him. But if you’d like a Jackson’s I usually order through LLLreptile and haven’t had any issues from them, but over never ordered a chameleon from them before. I’ve order a few snakes and they have always been healthy from there.

 

[dshuld]

Reach out to @JacksJill if you are set on a jackson. I'm sure she can steer you in the right direction.

 

[CC's Baby]

Highly recommend @Matt Vanilla Gorilla for a panther cham. I purchased mine from him and they are soooo healthy. He is very good at what he does and very helpful. My one and only recommendation!

 

[Highway61]

Thanks all, I'm so glad I found this place! I'm still researching and getting the housing together right so I'll reach out more when I'm finally ready for the cham.

I've noticed lots of Panther encouragement and I'm very open. I've heard the Veils' personalties can be a bit cantankerous so I'm not as open for that. Aside from the brillant colors, is it the strong network of Panther breeders that make them so popular?

 

[Carter42]

Thanks all, I'm so glad I found this place! I'm still researching and getting the housing together right so I'll reach out more when I'm finally ready for the cham.

I've noticed lots of Panther encouragement and I'm very open. I've heard the Veileds' personalities can be a bit cantankerous so I'm not as open for that. Aside from the brilliant colors, is it the strong network of Panther breeders that make them so popular?

I think it's mostly color, they are trendy, and the fact that there are more responsible breeders that happen to like Panthers. You can get Veileds at most pet stores, but that doesn't mean it'll be healthy and not inbred.
I think that if @Matt Vanilla Gorilla bred Veileds or Jackson's instead of Panthers, the entire chameleon demographic would change lol

What sucks is that a lot of the choice between different species comes down to how much you're willing to spend, and how much you're willing to trust the place you're getting it from. The reason a lot of people here buy from Matt isn't because his chameleons are somehow better than anywhere else (no offense Matt, your chams are beautiful), it's because they can trust his husbandry and they know he actually cares about his chameleons' well-being. You can't say the same about a faceless company that's just churning out as many chams as possible to make a profit.

But hey, that's an ethical dilemma for you to figure out on your own. Just be wary that some people feel very passionately on this subject, and they have legitimate reasons for feeling that way.