Female Panther Chameleons have a flat tail base immediately following their cloacal opening. Their rostral appendage is not as developed as a males’. Females tend to be about half the size of a male as adults, and their coloring is drastically different (see next question).

Female Panther Chameleons are pastel orange, peach, purple and pink with a tan to brown base and some banding along their bodies. They often have a small splash of color on their cheeks and body. When receptive, females exhibit a stunning array of colors including yellow, blue, purple, pink, or even orange. However, their hues tend to be more pastel compared to the solid shades seen in males.

In captivity, female panther chameleons live between three and six years. In the wild, it is quite rare to see an individual live longer than two or three years due to predation, extreme weather events and harsh conditions. We are still learning what the ideal husbandry is for female Panther Chameleons, so they are living longer today than they were even five year ago.

Absolutely! Female Panther Chameleons indeed change color for communication purposes, mirroring the behavior of males. When receptive, females exhibit a stunning array of colors including yellow, blue, purple, pink, or even orange. However, their hues tend to be more pastel compared to the solid shades seen in males. These colors typically appear across their cheeks and body. Another significant color change occurs when they are gravid (pregnant). Their resting colors darken, and upon encountering a male, they may turn pitch black and open their mouths wide to signal their pregnancy.

Female Panther Chameleons tend to be less territorial and more food motivated. This means it is often easier to establish a positive association between you and their food. They do not have a psychological need for a human friend, but they tend to be more docile pets than male Panther Chameleons. There are defensive females - they just have fewer reasons to be oriented that way.

No, all chameleons need their own living space. Females do not engage in combat like males do but they do establish a hierarchy. Most captive environments do not provide enough space for each female to attend to her needs. So female Panther Chameleons housed in groups will often live shorter lives due to illness, stress and complications during egg laying. Even the most dominant female will be negatively affected due to her need to constantly maintain her dominant position without an opportunity to rest.

Females tend to be between 50 and 70 grams and 10"-12" head to tail when they are full grown, or roughly half the size of a full grown male Panther Chameleon.

Yes - female Panther Chameleons will lay infertile eggs. This is highly temperature and food dependent. If you do not plan to breed your female, you can regulate her clutch size and frequency with lower temperatures and fewer food items. The goal should be to limit it to 20 eggs or less.

A female Panther Chameleon can lay anywhere between 10 and 50 eggs with an average clutch size being near 25 eggs. We shoot for 20-25 eggs per clutch and if any of our females lay more than that we reduce her feedings/temps. Large clutches should be avoided because they will shorten your female’s lifespan.

A gravid female Panther Chameleon will refuse a male by gaping her mouth and turning pitch black. At rest, she will often have darker hues of purples and darker barring than normal. The sides of her body will start to show visible egg outlines as she gets further along and is ready to lay her eggs.