Not sure what i'll do yet. My kids really wanted a male, we saw this baby's father at the reptile show here and thats how we decided to get a male, so we'd prefer to have a male, but not sure i want to give this one back. We dont handle it much since its still young and very shy, but it's become part of the family.
Juvenile without colors yet
- Thread starter Cham997
- Start date
I understand... I am sorry for the bad news. I know how it is when you have kids and they have their heart set on something specific.
Maybe 2 chameleons are in your future.
As she matures you will have to start cutting back her food. By about 6-7 months she should be getting about 5-8 small feeders each day. At about 7-8 months you want to slowly reduce by cutting down feeder amounts so that she is on a feeding schedule of 3 days a week with 3 feeders. You want them to be on this schedule by the time they are 9-10 months old.
You will not ever want basking to be over 78-80 for her. Very important for females because as she ages she needs this temp no higher at basking to help control the amount of eggs she produces.
A lay bin should be added as a permanent fixture by the time they are 6 months old so they get used to it and it does not cause stress.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/laying-bin-set-up-educational-video.77225/
We (breeders) can tell if they're male/female immediately when they hatch. I could see this was a female from the first picture you shared, and if they're still saying to wait at this point, I'm sorry. They're not a breeder.
Jpeff
Chameleon Enthusiast
Seen people he taking about on insta. Don't think they care if send out wrong sex more of money thing
i never said who the breeder was, so not sure how you came to that conclusion.
Well, there's really only two options: money or ignorance. Take your pick. I have sent out over 1,000 Furcifer pardalis over the years and I have never been wrong on gender, including my very first clutch.
or it could have been an accident, we are all human after all. I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt.
Can accidents happen? Yes absolutely, but in this hobby a good breeder with experience does not make mistakes like this. They can tell right out of the egg what they are looking at with gender. A new breeder may very well have difficulty with telling gender in hatchlings. And then there are "breeders" that sell anything even if it is not the right gender. We have seen it time and time again in the forum unfortunately.
My concern is the fact that your breeder wants to wait another month before they talk further with you about the error... In another month your 5 month old female will not be a 6 month old male. I very much hope they at least refund the portion you paid for a male vs a female.
Yeah, one can forgive the initial mistake, but a 5 month old female is what she is. Any hobbyist can see at this point - it doesn't take specialized skills to sex this animal.
Unless your me, I need specialized skills to feel confidant
In all seriousness though, I thought female from the moment they posted the pic but I never feel 100% comfortable with younger panthers unless I can see the tail base.
MzLaurie11
Avid Member
Hello and welcome! So sorry about this. I am more concerned about your kids. You see the lifespan for a female panther is 2-3 years where as the males average life span is 4-7 years. Also females dont have color variations like males. At aboit six months they settle into a tan to peach color. Wheteas the males are spectacular. Plus females can have life treatening complications with egg bound issues that may result in high vet bills. whatever you decide, the folks here will help you. I just hate seeing your kids getting real attached only to lose her in a few years. The death of any pet is tramatic especially for kids. Oh this breeder knew what he was doing knowing you have never had one before. Dont worry if u decide not to keep her, he will keep her and mate her or sell her. whateverbyoubdevide is the right decision!
Quick update, the breeder agreed its definitely agree that its a female after seeing more pictures. He was totally willing to work with me and we ended up trading my female for a male that is a couple months younger. As much as i wanted to keep both, i just don't have the space and time for two. The kids are very excited, as they were starting to wonder when the beatufil colors were going to come in. New cham is home and eating well and drinking, seems very happy. Everything worked out well. Thanks for all the replies and help.
jcarlsen
Chameleon Enthusiast
That looks like a male based on coloration and the bulge at the tail to me. Did the breeder tell you the locale?
He said Ambilobe
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