Best type of Cham for the 1st time

[RobinLewis]

My 27 year old son wants A Cham, He has had bearded dragons, leopard geckos and now has a savannah monitor. he has always wanted A charm and after I got mine, even with all the problems he sees me going through he wants one. What would be a good breed for his 1st Cham. He would like one that has nice color.

 

[maxttu]

Veileds and panthers are generally regarded as good, "entry-level" chams. They're a lil more forgiving and pretty resilient when it comes to minor husbandry faults...

 

[Kmw]

Panthers have the best colour variation. I had my panther first, so he was my starter chameleon. As long as you know what you're gonna need to do(spend), it should be fine!

 

[Marianna 7]

Panther Chameleon!!!!!

A male panther chameleon was my first. He's 1 1/2 years old right now (my only Cham). In my opinion I think panthers are the most pretty and colorful ones! Each Cham has it's own beauty.
Well the choice is yours!

 

[RobinLewis]

The panther are so pretty but from what I seen they are like $500. I won't get anything from the pet shop again.

 

[Branman]

My first Cham was a veiled chameleon. I loved them so much. I know some people love panthers, but I love veiled chameleons more. I like the look of the casque and all the Colors they can have. I also bought them because of the reasonable price. I am a College student so I don't have much money, but I was so happy with getting a veiled chameleon as my first Cham.

 

[Brad]

I always suggest veiled as a first chameleon, but panthers are a viable option as well. Whatever choice you make be sure to research how to create a captive environment for the particular species and how to provide proper nutrition.

 

[chameleonkev]

I personally think that all chameleons are easy to care for, al long as you do your research first an get his/her new home ready first you wouldn't have a problem

 

[DanSB]

I personally think that all chameleons are easy to care for, al long as you do your research first an get his/her new home ready first you wouldn't have a problem

This might be true when you're talking about healthy captive bred chameleons.

I think when people are looking for a starter chameleon what they really want to know is what chameleon is most forgiving to husbandry mistakes.

If you forget to turn on your AC before going to work on a hot day you will come home to an angry but alive Veiled or Panther but many many others may have just expired when their cage hit 105...

Maybe you over mist because you're not sure what is proper amount... URI for many species much faster than it will hurt a panther or Veiled...

What is too much or too little supplements what is the exact right amount?

A lot of these things you only learn from experience and getting to know the animals and learning to watch for signs no book can teach you.

Veiled seems like the best choice to me followed by a Panther. There are many other very good choices as long as you can find them captive bred.

 

[hpc1979]

1st Cham

I think if your son has had all those types of lizards, he's more than ready for any Chameleon that fits into your price range. Have him read about tropical reptiles and was dedication and equipment is needed to keep them alive and healthy. If i was you, you're absolutely right. I would never buy my kid a panther chameleon. They cost way too much money to take a chance on. I would let him buy that fir himself when he is able to. I think he will appreciate more later on down the road.

 

[jpm995]

Chams to me are harder than most lizards. Vieled gets the nod over Panters because their 100's of dollars cheaper to buy.

 

[RobinLewis]

Thanks for all the good info, We have a show coming next mont in SC and we will go see what we can find