Selecting a Healthy Panther Chameleon

We all know that one key to getting started off right with chameleons is to get a healthy chameleons from the start. Today I talk about how to make sure you get the best chameleon possible.

When you start off with anything you are relying on the experience and goodwill of the people who are part of the community to make sure you don’t get a sick or damaged chameleon. But we all know that there are many people out there that are specifically looking for inexperienced people to swindle. Unfortunately, even in the chameleon community. I was shocked when I was getting one of my first panther chameleons to have been sold a chameleon that would die within 24 hours. A little experience later and I realized it was so obviously on its last legs that I was unquestionably swindled by someone who was one of the most visible people in the chameleon community. You know, the kind of person you would think would take pride in building the community. With this lack of morals coupled with some people selling chameleons that just don’t know any better, you can see how it pays to be able to run through your own tests to determine which chameleon to come home with. And, that is exactly what we are going to cover today.

First of all, let’s go over the most common scenario and this is where you purchase a baby remotely from a breeder. In this case you have to trust the breeder because it is easy to doctor up photos or take them from the best angle. And you need to take your research into your potential breeders seriously. I had an entire episode on finding the right breeder. For the sake of this being a complete episode I will remind you that there are breeders who are good breeders, but bad people. There are breeders that have low prices or flashy pictures, but are unscrupulous business people. Beware of falling in love with a picture of the sire (the father of the baby you are buying) so much that you forget to listen to podcasts where the breeder is interviewed, watch how they conduct themselves on social media, and, just generally, see how they are involved with the community. Because they are going to be the ones to pick the baby for you. So you need to make sure you trust them!

When you select a baby you will generally see the father and a picture of the baby. The father gives you a general idea of what the baby may look like. How close the baby colors will be depends on what the female genetics brings to the table. Ask for the lineage and take a look at the bloodlines that went into making the baby you are thinking about. Then realize that all of this research gives you a basic idea as to what the baby will look like. Each baby is different and so will not look exactly like the father.

When you purchase a chameleon remotely you need to do your physical check when you receive the chameleon.

I have seen many different things being sent out and it might surprise you what some people have received. So here is the checklist.

You will be able to see physical damage right out of the box, but internal damage or sickness will be in the coming days. To start the physical inspection put your chameleon on a thin stick. This allows the chameleon to comfortably climb and walk. And, when I say thin stick I mean thin with respect to your new juvenile chameleon. The stick should be the width to where they can get their feet half way to all the way around the stick. This is so they show you how they walk at their most comfortable.

Our first test is to watch them scamper across a stick. You are looking for a firm grip and a confident walk. You want your chameleon to easily hold its body up from the stick and the gait seems confident. A chameleon with metabolic bone disease, which is a lack of calcium, will have weak legs that will bow or not be able to handle the body weight.

Next check each foot and tail for any breaks or sprains. This is much more common in wild caught chameleons that have been pulled from their bushes. If a foot is held limp that is a sign that something Is not good. Check the tail for a break which will show itself as a straight out tail and then suddenly the end drops down. Or is black or limp.

You then want to look in the mouth to make sure there is no swelling along the gum lines. This is a sign of stomatitis, or mouth rot, which is a bacterial infection that is common when there is damage and bacteria start growing out of hand.

And finally, you may see things like bite marks which are gray horseshoe type shape along the back or head. These, in addition to nipped tails, are common artifacts of when babies are raised together. The bite marks usually go away in a couple of sheds, but you have to make sure any cohabitation damage has healed. You may also see gray areas which could be healed burn marks. These will not go away with sheds. If you see anything off that I just talked about, especially if there are open wounds, you need to report it to the breeder and I suggest doing it via text or email. Do not have phone conversations whose content can be recalled differently. I highly suggest you choose a breeder that individually raises their babies. The number of breeders doing this are increasing. This will produce the healthiest chameleon and the reason why I strongly suggest you shop for a breeder based on their husbandry and not just a picture of some very brightly colored male.

Now, out of the box your chameleon will be confused and hyped up on adrenaline. You need to put him in his cage and give him privacy. Then you need to watch for any lethargy or eyes closing during the day. And it never hurts to do a fecal exam just to be safe. Of course, if this is a wild caught then a fecal exam for parasites is the first thing you do as part of acclimation!

That is all if the first time you are seeing your chameleon is once it is delivered to you. Here are your Dos and Donts of getting your chameleon remotely.

Do communicate with the breeder whether by phone or email or social media or whatever. Get to know them and their breeding philosophies. You are seeing if these are people you can click with and get help if you need it

Do pick up your chameleon from the FedEX or UPS hub. The ride in the delivery truck to your front door with 30 stops before hand is the most dangerous and risky part of the entire journey. I always pick my chameleons up directly from the hub. The hub is where the packages come in so they can be distributed amongst the delivery trucks. No chameleon of mine goes on a delivery truck. And if your breeder refuses to ship to your door and requires you to pick up from the hub then this is why. They care about their chameleon. And if your hub is an hour away consider that your chameleon will be traveling that hour+ one way or another. Do you want it to be with a driver who has multiple stops along the way and does know or care what is in the box? Or would you like it to travel in your air conditioned car lovingly placed in a protected area? I know it is inconvenient to get off from work, but I am hoping I don’t have to justify why this is more important to go right than your order of microscope slides from Amazon. Take your kid out of school and make it a special bonding trip.

Do wait until you get home to open the box. I always like waiting until I get home because I don’t need to wake up the chameleon and then have them have to sit in the box for the drive home. Unless your breeder specifically, in the terms and conditions, requires a report at the hub, wait until you get home. That is the safest place to open the box. I know you are excited, but it is better for the chameleon to be able to go from the box directly to its new cage.

Do be obsessive with the safety of your chameleon on the way home. The sun is a killer and if it is shining through the window and is hitting the box that your chameleon is in, your chameleon is being heated even if you have the air conditioning on in the car. Make sure your chameleon is protected from the sun even with all the turns your car makes and the different angles the sun can get into your car. And never leave your chameleon in the car while you make a quick stop for a coffee or a bathroom break. Bring your chameleon with you to ensure they do not get overheated. Obviously, this is more of a danger on sunny days, but I will err on the side of caution and just make a blanket simple statement.

But there are times when you will be able to make a personal selection of a chameleon. Reptile shows and expos are all over so there is a decent chance there may be one in driving distance of you. This will be a gathering of the good, the bad, and the ugly. Many show promoters have started cracking down on the more disgusting elements in the community to avoid being labelled a meat market, but that varies from show to show so you could easily see the most reputable breeder across the aisle from an importer who has chameleons crammed into sandwich containers stacked up on a table. So, there is much variety, but you need to have your wits about you.

To really make a visit to a reptile show productive, research the vendors that will be there. This way you will know who is reputable before you are distracted by the display animals. Be prepared to question yourself as to whether you truly want a little brown sliver of a juvenile captive hatched chameleon compared to the booth across the way that has these amazing looking wild caught adults. The answer is yes, you want the brown sliver. For all the reasons I continually go over in this podcast. Well started captive hatched juvenile panther chameleon from a reputable breeder. Chant that as you walk by the tempting eye candy at the reptile show. Don’t get swayed by adult wild caughts.

If you are able to do the research then you may have a good idea of who to talk to there. But if not, then you will have to make some judgments when you are there. Whether pet store or reptile show, you can plant a red flag on the booth where chameleons are stuffed together in a single cage. Some breeders will put juveniles in the same cage just for the show. This doesn’t necessarily mean they are not a good place to get a juvenile from, though it is a disappointing sign. But absolutely pass up any booth that has a cage full of wild caught chameleons. That is the meat market and you don’t want to be part of that.

If you are planning to go to get a chameleon from a show then make sure you have your set-up all set up and functioning before you go to the show. Assuming that you will get the equipment at the show with your chameleon is a bad plan. You do not know what will be available at the show and your chameleon will be the one that is suffering if you couldn’t find the right cage there. Don’t play that game!

One advantage a reptile show has is that you have the opportunity to do these physical check tests before purchasing. But that is an advantage only if you know what you are looking for. So, review the physical check we went over. And here are some dos and don’ts at a reptile show.

Do research the vendors that will be there and have a general plan as to who you would buy from. You may not know all you need to know about chameleons and you may be bringing your questions to talk with someone in person at the show. But you can definitely do a preliminary check to determine who is going that you can trust their answers. You don’t have to know chameleons to be able to have a feel as to how reputable a vendor is.

Do Not shop on price. Oh, there are vendors that are looking for people like this. They buy cheap so they can sell to you cheaper than the breeders. All they have to do is catch the eye of bargain hunters. Yes, you get that rush of dopamine that makes you feel like you beat the system and saved some money. But that is going to be the highlight of your experience. The chances are that you will have a very hard time contacting them after the show. And if you do end up getting a response, you are not going to get solid information from them. When you buy cheap you are somewhat on your own.

Do shop on quality. In the chameleon world we don’t have a lot of price inflation. The price goes up as to the lineage and the age of the chameleon.

Do not ask to hold the chameleon. If you are very serious about buying and you want to do a physical check then ask for a stick that the chameleon can get on and show you how they run. The booth owner should respect that. The problem is that if they let you hold the chameleon then they have let other people hold the chameleon and those people have been holding reptiles all around the show and exposing these chameleons to various pathogens picked up at other booths. Shows are a scary mixing ground of parasites so anyone selling a captive hatched baby at a show will be very hesitant to allow holding. But they should have no problem allowing you to see the chameleon out of its cage running down a stick. That should give you all the physical visual inspection you need.

Some people will want to hold the chameleon to see how they respond to humans. So, two things on this. First, remember that these chameleons are in a very strange place with sensory overload. Who knows what their behavior will end up being. They may be completely exhausted from dealing with other chameleons in their cage and seeing all these humans faces in their business. Your chameleon may react completely different at home. Second, if you are wanting to test how well the chameleon likes being handled I would just say to just pick another reptile or get a mammal that lives in social groups. Chameleons are not good holding pets! The problem when you use this as a test as to which one has the best personality is that you may select a chameleon who is emotionally spent and physically exhausted or even sick because you misinterpret their passiveness as a positive. A healthy chameleon will defend itself against the scary big strange human. I, personally, look for the most spirited one because I know that is the one that is healthy enough to analyze their environment and actively take up space. Yes, you may get lucky and find a sweet one, but just take into consideration that their personality may bloom forth after a couple days in a much less stressful environment. And, this is a good thing, but it may not be what you are hoping for.

Do Not feel like you have to come home with something. If the right chameleon isn’t there then rest assured there will be other times and the whole of the internet available to find the right one.

Do be obsessive with the safety of your chameleon on the way home. Wait, didn’t we already go over this one? Yes, we did and you get to hear it again. The reason why shows have signs by the exit talking about this is because it still happens way too often. And it is tricky. It is so easy to be comfortable in the car not realizing that the sun is directly hitting the box in the back seat and the greenhouse effect is making the box a dangerous place to be.

Now, all of what I am saying about picking a chameleon from the reptile expo applies to getting one from a pet store. Do the branch walk test. Avoid wild caught. Research into who is selling the chameleon. The advantage of a pet shop over the reptile show is that the reptile shop wants you to be a repeat customer so you will get more personalized attention and they will, or should, treat you like someone they expect to see again.

Getting your chameleon home does not mean our evaluation is over. Whether your chameleon just took a trip with FedEX, went through the process of being imported, was part of the circus at the reptile show, or was in a pet store, they will now be able to settle in and recover. You should expect them to take a little bit of time to explore their new cage, but you are now keeping an eye out for how they are when the adrenaline is gone. Now they will not be covering up sicknesses and so if you notice them closing their eyes during the day you know something is up and may need medical attention. I always give new chameleons a day or two of privacy to settle in. But then I am getting fecal checks done and watching them closely to make sure they are alert and not showing signs of discomfort with standard chameleon waking around. If you notice anything then communicate with the breeder or vendor. Do this in email so there is a written record. If you chose wisely you will have a breeder who will be working with you all the way to ensure your chameleon is healthy. They might even send you a return label if it is determined the chameleon needs to go back to the breeder. Of course, if you bought from the guy with the cardboard sign and the cheapest chameleons there you may not get such service!

These are some basic guidelines for doing a high level physical check of a chameleon you are considering buying. I mostly geared it to buying a captive hatched juvenile. If you are buying a wild caught chameleon the list grows much longer to include checking for external parasites, subcutaneous nematodes, eye damage, and the sorts of things wild caught chameleons come in with. But wild caught chameleons are a whole other ball of wax. Don’t go down that route for your first time!

I know there is a lot to learn when starting with chameleons. And when you start searching on the internet it can get overwhelming with the onslaught of information. Differences in opinion are hard enough, but then you have the people saying if you do it the way other people do it then you will kill your chameleon. Not helpful at all. The Panther Chameleon Podcast was designed to be a refuge from that and to answer the basic questions at the beginner level. This podcast is designed to be listened to from episode one and forward and will answer questions that naturally come up.

When you feel like you would like to explore more of the information out there, the Chameleon Academy has some options for you. Today I will mention the Chameleon Academy Journal which is a digital magazine that comes out every other month. You can check it out by going to the chameleonacademy dot com home page and it will guide you from there. I suggest getting yourself a cup of coffee, relax and enjoy turning pages of a picture filled magazine devoted to chameleons. If you like what you see and want to be notified when the next issue comes out then just sign up for the newsletter and you will get a notice in your email when the next issue is released into the wild.

I hope this special podcast has been making you feel more and more confident in your preparation for becoming a panther chameleon keeper. Thank you for being part of the Chameleon Academy community. It is always more fun with more people! My name is Bill Strand and it is time for me to sign off. Check out that Journal, and I will see you next time.

I hope this review of the issues surrounding purchasing a healthy panther chameleons has been useful. The Panther Chameleon Podcast is part of the Chameleon Academy Outreach. On this Panther Chameleon Podcast, I take on aspects of starting with panther chameleons that will directly benefit a person just starting off. Please note that you have an entire detailed panther chameleon care summary here on chameleonacademy.com.  This has been put together as a free resource to ensure the widest number of people can get a good start with their panther chameleon. If you would like to support this outreach you can do so at the Chameleon Academy Patreon page linked below and that helps keep this all running.

Getting a panther chameleon is a step to an incredible new world and an experience you will remember for your entire life. And I am going to do what I can to make sure it is a great one. If you would like to ask questions about any of this, check the Chameleon Academy home page for the schedule of when I do live interactive sessions on YouTube and Instagram.