Buying a Cham from PetsMart ?

[CasqueAbove]

So this may sound odd, but I am thinking of getting a Veiled Chameleon from PetsMart. I an really just looking to diversity my genetics. I know veiled, diverse genetics, LOL

But this is the point. I have been looking for a while and I end up with
1 ) a big distributor, where more and more I am seeing "Domestically Produced" Come on, you mean wild caught in Florida.
2) FLChams, while they look good I want just natural colors and patterns, plus buy the time I pay shipping I am in over $100 easy.
3) The next Reptile show. But this is where I got the two I have now. I fear I may just end up with relatives.
4) PetsMart $60 and probably as much diversity as I can realistically expect. Tho I am sure these are mass produced, if I get a baby it is likely captive bread.

As a bonus I do not want translucent. Well I don't think. Does any body have the origination of the trans? Is is just very inbred as I suspect.

 

[Lennoncham]

No to petsmart. Yes to @jannb i think she may have some?

 

[Beman]

Well. I do not have specifics for you. But what I will say is my boy is a petco boy. His lack of breeding shows in his less then colors. Also with his size. He is just barely 16 inches from tip of nose to end of tail. It does not mater to me because he will never be bred but if your looking for breeding quality then I would take a pass.

 

[Lennoncham]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/hammy-ivy-baby-veileds-pre-sale-until-5-10-20.174666/

 

[JoXie411]

The trans morph was discovered in the 90 early 2000. Only a few where found in the wild of Yemen, there where collected and then breed into the pet trade. They think it’s a generic morph because a lot of translucent have underline heath problems. My female veiled who is low translucent has a defect in her esophagus and has reproductive issues but that one may be due to poor husbandry with old owner.

as for Petsmart you may be getting a cheap veiled but your risking getting one with parasites. My veiled male was $60 then an emergency vet visit due to coccidia a month later. Then a year later finding out he still had it. What an expensive veiled he’s turned out to be.

@jannb has a few boy and plenty of females that need good homes

 

[Thehippie]

yeah I would stay away from petsmart, you're likely going to find a chameleon that's probably been inbred, has health deficiencies or some infection may that be parasites or bacterial problems or some other form of problem from those chain stores... their distributors are much more concerned with making the next few bucks than the actual genetics that go into their breeding from what ive seen.

going to a reputable person like @jannb who like joxie said I think still has some babies to go to good homes, or someone from a smaller breeding facility that you know is very reputable and has good reviews, would be the best option imho since she is known to be a good breeder with a good reputation at hand from many who have bought from her. a cham from her is significantly less likely to have a problem that a chain store cham may have.

often times reptile show chams are ok too as long as they come from a reputable source and they seem to look fine at the show but I would be wary of the sellers as some aren't as good as the others. I wouldn't worry they're related as long as youre buying from a different distributor than the first two.

 

[CasqueAbove]

Well this solidifies my thoughts. It is not the cost. I would pay $$$ for pure wild, like that is gonna happen.

@jannb are beautiful for sure, but I am actually looking for a more plain natural look.

@JoXie411 So them coming from the wild is kind of my thought.
First, I do not understand genetics that well at all.

I feel like there could be some good wild genes within the trans. If starting with trans, and only bread non tras babies, could you add diversity that way? Like could the be reverse engineered to more natural genetics?

I am not really starting a breeding project per-say, I am only looking to produce small numbers 10, 20 a year, so probably only keep 5 - 10 eggs per clutch. If I were to go the trans route I don't think I would be big enough to achieve it even if it were possible.

 

[Highway61]

No to petsmart. Yes to @jannb i think she may have some?

^ ^ ^ No brainer

 

[CasqueAbove]

So still unsure here lol.. So First I am aware of the various petsMart issues. The thing is actually on the inbreeding. When we have these high color animals they are inbred , at least with veils as the gene pool is so small. This is not necessarily bad, it is just not what I am looking for.
This is the problem, everybody has bread for these color traits, so it is hard to find natural looking.

One of the things I see on FLChams is these odd shaped casks. There are two things I am looking at the shape of the crest, and the spikes along the spine.

 

[JoXie411]

You can try reading this thread about the trans gene it’s a good read and really breaks things down. I need to find the other sources I read about trans it’s been sometime since I read them

https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/genetics-how-do-they-work-rather-long-post.77190/