Expo vs. Reptile Shop vs. Online

[jc31]

I'm new to the boards and I've been doing some research on purchasing my first Cham. I'm trying to find out the best place to purchase my pet. I have a local reptile pet shop that doesn't seem bad and has good reviews. But, I've read good things about buying online and there's a reptile expo coming up in 2 months locally. Each have its pros/cons.

Does anyone have any recommendations? I'm basing my decision on the following

1.health of Cham (nosy be)
2. Reputation of breeder (being a resource for future questions/cust. Serv.)
3. Price...I've heard you can strike up a good deal at expos

Thanks

 

[junglefries]

If you are personal friends with the pet store owner, maybe. I have several around here who I would trust to purchase one from. Expos, scare me. The chams are out of their natural habitat for a whole weekend sometimes. That is a lot of stress. Online, from a reputable breeder, seems to be the best route. Just remember, you get what you pay for.

 

[SaintJimmy]

I love going to the expos and seeing all the reptiles out. Some of the reptiles such as the geckos or frogs actually are just chilling around, no real issues, but the chams, you can see, which is sad, sometimes they are visibly stressed to the point of rubbing their nose raw on the tiny cage they are provided for the viewing pleasure of the humans.

There are always a few stalls that don't do this, such as Aquazamp who always provide a full sized cage and stuff for their chameleon, as well as have a misting system go off to advertise, but nothing is wrong about their setup really.

But some people shove their animals with each other in tiny cages, even the adults, which can cause fights between them and stress.

I like the shows personally because you don't have to wait for shipping, you can see the animal where it is, etc. Plus maybe you can strike up a deal.

I like ordering because usually there is a health guarantee and if it isn't healthy, you could return it. But it takes forever for the animal to get there.

Anyway, either way, there are disadvantages.