Hi Rebecca!!
The three best "starter" (because once you get one - you can't stop LOL) chams are the Veileds, Panthers, and Jackson's.
Veileds have a reputation for being crabby - but it can really be an individual animal thing. I have a male veiled who is more like a dog - while my female would prefer if I didn't exist! Veileds are more forgiving with their husbandry - but the females are egg machines and special consideration needs to be given to their temps and diet. For your first - I'd definately go with a male of any species (Jackson's are live-bearing so that isn't so much of a concern).
Jackson's are mellow. Agressive Jackson's are pretty rare. You do need to be more careful with your temps, humidiy and water as they are a montane species. They are more sensitive to oversupplementation - so you have to watch that. I love their colour and the horns. Of the three species - I think their temperment is best.
For an overall cham, though, I'd go with a male panther. I find the panthers to be more active - they are fast, too (for a cham).
The colour possibilities are vast. Husbandry is pretty basic. With handling they do seem to settle down easily. But - there are always individuals that break the rules.
I'd go over the species profiles on
www.adcham.com and
www.chameleonjournals.com - they are both excellent sources of information.
Jaylyn