Is it possible to guess future coloring in baby age?:)

[EatYellowSnow]

Hi guys,

I am picking a panther chameleon (Ambilobe) tomorrow, I was told the batch is about 3 months old by now. I would like to ask if theres a way to tell how they will look once they mature; more specifically, what should I be looking for to pick one who will have nice and strong coloring? I have seen some grown Ambilobe pardal chameleons in pictures and so far I cant tell if theres a real difference between their coloring patterns (i.e. if each one is specific) or if its rather just a matter of the right age, and of course mood Should I be looking for anything specific or just pick one who seems strong and big enough to be healthy? Should there be an obvious "bulge" under his tail by now (3 months old)? I was given a female one before and told its "probably a male" so I am a bit nervous. Thank you very much for your advice and please excuse my english

 

[carol5208]

It can be real hard to tell how they will turn out and they are forever evolving in the months when they start to develop colors. Sometimes they look like the sire and sometimes they do not. If you buy from a reputable breeder, most of them know if it is male or female and are pretty accurate with that. When I got my Sambava, I have to say he was kind of an ugly ducklying. Had a little bit of blue and some red dots and he just exploded with color and turned out gorgeous. As long as you know the locale, Ambanja, Ambilobe etc you will atleast know what colors to expect but there is really no way of telling how much of one color or another. I would just pick the one you like and go with that.

 

[Seiryu]

By 3 months, they should be showing a bit of color. If the breeder can't tell it's a male or female by this age, I would suggest not getting one from them.

The 1-1.5 month range is the "tricky" age where some can look like the opposite.

I agree with Carol, there is really no way to tell what kind of color it will have other then (for the most part) if it will be red barred or blue barred. If both parents were blue bars, most offspring will have blue bars etc. Although there is a chance at having red bars.

One of my babies at 8 weeks, was already showing heavy blue with yellow. By 3 months if they are at the correct size (taken care of well) you should be seeing blues, yellows, greens and maybe reds.

 

[EatYellowSnow]

Thanks a lot. I am hoping for a blue bar, so I will be looking for one

 

[Carlton]

Well, think of it like Christmas...you may have a hint about the package but won't really know until you open it! One of many many things I love about chams is how individual their coloration is regardless how much we try to breed them to some sort of standard. Plus, so many things affect their coloration at any one moment in time, and it's always changing!