Pros and Cons of a female or male chameleon

[Debbie61]

Hello, Okay so I've had in my mind that if I am to buy a panther or veiled chameleon it should be a male. The main reasons that I prefered a male is because I see that the males have brighter colors and you don't have to worry about egg laying. When I think of females I'm thinking that I may get a calmer more placent animal. Do you have any thoughts or opinions as to which you think would be a better pet. Thanks

 

[glOckcOma]

One Pro about males are that they have far better colors, but I could be wrong I am pretty new myself.

 

[Miss Lily]

Don't be put off of getting a female as a first chameleon. I got a female as my first and she was so lovely! As long as you do plenty of research and make sure she has a laying bin in her viv to lay her eggs in then you should be ok. Females will lay infertile eggs even if they have never seen a male, so it is something to consider. My second female laid her first clutch last week, and the experience is always stressful - a very anxious day at least!

Females should be kept with a basking/hottest spot of somewhere in the low 80's, and feeding should be limited once they get to 6 months. This should encourage them to produce smaller clutches.

Edit - With regard to colouring, female veileds can give the males a run for their money! Here's a pic of my beautiful Amy.

 

[Debbie61]

Hi GlockComa, Thanks. There are some gorgeous males out there.

Thanks Miss Lily, Amy is truly a beauty The egg laying would be a concern of mine. Does it usually include a vet visit?

How are the personalities of female versus male?

 

[glOckcOma]

Wow she is beeautiful, I stand corrected

 

[Miss Lily]

Normally the female will get on with it on her own. However, occasionally things can go wrong - sometimes they encounter problems which do require a vet visit, possibly a shot of oxytocin to help things along. But if they are healthy and the set up is just right, there are no problems.

I now have a male and a female, and although it is typical of veileds to be 'feisty', both mine are very people friendly and are willing to come out and climb on me. They both scratch on their doors when they want to come out. They are all different with differing personalities just like us. My first female was also silly tame - she spent her first 6 months in a reptile shop and was used to being handled and having people looking at her often. I have had Amy since she was 3 months old (she's 21 months now) and she has needed a little more patience and work - out of the two of them she is the one that is more hissy and has more attitude. I think it depends on how you are with them to a large extent. I love mine to bits but respect them at the same time - they always come out on their own terms unless I need to get them out for cleaning/vets visits, etc. I really couldn't be without them, they are both wonderful! Just to further the individuality aspect - Tommy had been passed through 4 other owners before I got him yet he is still so friendly and placid even after all he's been through. The only time he ever shows any attitude is when he is at the vets. He has never once hissed or gaped at me.

 

[Debbie61]

Miss Lily, Thanks again for the insight So apparently it all depends on the chameleon.

I saw a female veiled at our local PetSmart and she was very friendly, had nice color and seemed to be in pretty good health. Of course they had a bubbler in her enclosure with 0% humidity on the guage. I did find an employee who quickly misted her after informing her of the problem. I felt sorry for the poor chameleon, but also didn't want to buy on impulse just to rescue her. I also think that they wanted too much for her, don't know if they would barter on the price.

 

[Miss Lily]

Sadly, pet stores don't always know what they are doing when it comes to chameleons - they are notorious for giving the wrong advice! You've already seen that she had a bubbler and zero humidity, so you don't know if she has been given the correct (if any) supplements. Were her eyes sunken at all? This is a sign of dehydration along with yellow/orange urates.

 

[dreamforthedead]

Remember little girls deserve homes too. You should take notice of what Tiff has said (miss lily) my only chameleon is a girl. She's the sweetest cutest little girl you will ever meet. As long as you give girls a laying bin and privacy when she's ready to lay then you should really have no problems. Boys have awesome colors yes but when the girl's get there adult colors they are little beauties.

 

[Debbie61]

Hi Miss Lily, No the female did not have sunken eyes. She actually did look very good. And yes,(dreamforthedead) girls deserve good homes too Okay so I do have another question. How often to females lay eggs?

 

[pssh]

Females can be very colorful! My boyfriend owns a female who is bright yellow and orange female who gets black stripes when angry. She looks like a tiger! I have a juvi female who has speckles of blue all across her body and on her head. I have an adult female who is a very pretty shade of pink.

 

[Debbie61]

HI Pssh, So it sounds like Females can be colorful too. Great. Now how about the egg laying. I don't mean to sound naive, but how often do they lay eggs? Thanks.

 

[Miss Lily]

My first female didn't lay her first clutch until she was 14 months old, and she laid the second clutch almost 4 months to the day after the first one. Sadly, she died a month after that second clutch. Amy has just laid her first clutch at 21 months of age, so I expect her to lay again in March. I have noticed with both females that between 3 to 4 weeks before they lay they had a 'poorly' day where they looked rather brown and bloated looking.

 

[Debbie61]

Thanks Miss Lily, Interesting information. So what you are saying is that is all depends on the individual chameleon.

Today I saw an ad on C/L for a one year old male veiled. Waiting to hear back for the gentleman that has him for sale. He looks great and he's big.

 

[theresaintucson]

I have a 6 month old female Ambanja-my first chameleon. She is always a lovely shade of peach and has a calm temperament. She likes to be out of her cage. Several members on this forum kindly offered to advise me when or if she lays eggs. I wanted a male when I got her and almost sent her back. Now I can't even imagine that as she is a wonderful pet. Maybe not as flamboyant as male panthers are, but her sweetness is a definite plus.

 

[draetish]

Thanks Miss Lily, Interesting information. So what you are saying is that is all depends on the individual chameleon.

Today I saw an ad on C/L for a one year old male veiled. Waiting to hear back for the gentleman that has him for sale. He looks great and he's big.

Just something to think about when buying an older cham without knowing the owner. Chams get sick but don't show anything until the 12th hour so he may look good now but you don't know how he's been cared for. It would be better to buy one from a member/breeder and know you have a healthy cham to start with. This is from personal experience and I thought I'd share.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/stunning-young-male-veiled-chameleon-75-shipped-50347/

 

[Dawniegirl]

Don't be put off of getting a female as a first chameleon. I got a female as my first and she was so lovely! As long as you do plenty of research and make sure she has a laying bin in her viv to lay her eggs in then you should be ok. Females will lay infertile eggs even if they have never seen a male, so it is something to consider. My second female laid her first clutch last week, and the experience is always stressful - a very anxious day at least!

Females should be kept with a basking/hottest spot of somewhere in the low 80's, and feeding should be limited once they get to 6 months. This should encourage them to produce smaller clutches.

Edit - With regard to colouring, female veileds can give the males a run for their money! Here's a pic of my beautiful Amy.

Miss Lily She is a GORGEOUSSS lil girl, such beautiful coloring

 

[Debbie61]

Theresaintucson, Thanks I know that I would get support from the members here on the forum if I decide to purchase a female. There are alot of people here that offer a lot of good advice. I am still pondering the female veiled at Petsmart.

Draetish, I definately here what you are saying. I did see the veiled that is for sale here on the forum. I just like to see what I'm getting in person and not from a picture. I have done that before and had to send it back to the breeder

 

[jannb]

The little girls are really sweet and deserve a good home too.

 

[Chriskreis73]

I'm thinking about getting my 3 year old son one and don't know what to get a male or female and would like one with alot of colors