Baby Parsons

[Kent67]

Yes, it's that long snout. Very British. Oh, wait a minute, that's not you in your avatar?

OK, sorry, back to the thread. If someone from this forum talked her husband into buying one of these, would that person be crucified?

Whew, I was afraid you were gonna say it was the ears.

As to the question, the answer is that you will find that some people are offended by those who support the trade in smuggled animals that are supposed to be protected. Is it worth it to you? The paperwork may say cbb but unless the ORIGINAL breeding stock was taken from Madagascar prior to 1995, something got smuggled somewhere for them to get here now at $2000 apiece.

 

[Kat77]

Not if they know what there doing. These are not your run of the mill chameleon you see being abused in a pet store.

Sandy seems like a pretty responsible lady though, and I'm sure she could figure out the care and requirements. Wouldn't it be better to have them be purchased by responsible people than have them in the hands of people who don't have a clue?

Edit: Kent does have a point though, and supporting that stuff isn't really the best thing either. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

It's very tempting. And I can tell my husband is tempted too. But there are better ways for us to spend our money right now, than to wade into this somewhat murky world of Parson's.

And, Kat, you weren't around this winter when my husband and I lost those baby Meller's. That still hurts. I wouldn't want to face that situation with Parson's.

 

[Kat77]

It's very tempting. And I can tell my husband is tempted too. But there are better ways for us to spend our money right now, than to wade into this somewhat murky world of Parson's.

And, Kat, you weren't around this winter when my husband and I lost those baby Meller's. That still hurts. I wouldn't want to face that situation with Parson's.

Oh no...that would be terrible. And losing such a rare animal...I see exactly what you mean.

 

[Chuck G]

Don't worry guys, I am going to buy the whole group and might even buy Kat one. Just kidding,I have my hands full wih my group.They do look good however.

 

[Kat77]

Don't worry guys, I am going to buy the whole group and might even buy Kat one. Just kidding,I have my hands full wih my group.They do look good however.

Chuck, I would officially call you my best friend, and might even marry you.

 

[Chuck G]

Chuck, I would officially call you my best friend, and might even marry you.

When is the birthday? I am sure I can come up with something.

 

[Chameleon Company]

Imports from Indo.

Which would mean that they are not "CBB", but rather "I got them from someone who said they were CBB". Anyway, the above poster wins a cigar. Parsons are smuggled to Indo, often gravid, and sometimes just the eggs are smuggled. The eggs are hatched. They pick up phony documentation and end up here. Not the only mis-represented stuff out there that came from Indo. A fool and his (or her) money are easily separated.

 

[Kat77]

When is the birthday? I am sure I can come up with something.

You're silly!

 

[Vibrant Chameleons]

I wouldn't care if they were CH or not, I just wish I could own and care for one of them!

 

[bighutch917]

Fellas are Parson's that difficult to come by? I know that they are no longer imported and was wandering why I never see them for sale via breeders.

I too hope to own one some day!

 

[Vibrant Chameleons]

Fellas are Parson's that difficult to come by? I know that they are no longer imported and was wandering why I never see them for sale via breeders.

I too hope to own one some day!

Nobody has successfully hatched CBB Parsonii in North America to my knowledge. That's why they are very rarely seen for sale.

 

[THECHAMMAN]

if i had the dough i would buy like 3 of em and then give em to someone who has exp w/ parsons here and let em breed or something. I WISH. IF ONLY IF ONLY.

 

[Kent67]

Nobody has successfully hatched CBB Parsonii in North America to my knowledge. That's why they are very rarely seen for sale.

A number of people have hatched C. parsonii parsonii and C. parsonii cristiferum in North America. Ken Kalisch was the first to hatch both subspecies, as is WELL documented in the many articles he wrote documenting all of it, including pictures and incubation regimen.

 

[CleanLineChameleons]

Yep Kent is right, I believe the last cbb parsons were hatched in the US in 1997. I could be off by a year. Ken actually hatched out a few different clutches of Parsonii, his first few had very low hatch rates and his latter ones had very high hatch rates. IMHO there may be one or two Parsonii in the US that are truly legal. Those are Indo imports and if it were me, I would not make such a large purchase without seeing the animals or having someone I truly trust see the animals. Also they are two months old...very young!

-chris

 

[Chameleon Company]

2000-2001, by Ken Kalisch in CA and Donovan Swafford in GA.

 

[OldChamKeeper]

I'm a hard core Parsonii lover and I'm in the market for one still as many here know but I won't buy one of these.

Chris? Have you seen these and what's your take?

 

[Sepioteuthis]

Unless this seller can produce breeding records and CITES paperwork proving that these babies are descendents of legally obtained specimens, then one should not purchase them. It's that simple.

The very fact that people are willing (hell, it seems they’re practically waiting in line) to pay such exorbitant prices for Parson’s Chameleons is precisely why poachers are willing to take such risks to export them illegally.

In my opinion if a species is banned from exportation to protect its survival in the wild, than the keeper community should respect and help enforce this decision by not purchasing specimens of said species.

I mean, it's been 13 years since the last legally exported parsons chameleon left Madagascar. And remember we're talking about a solitary species that has rarely been bred in captivity and has a very slow reproductive cycle (long gestation, long incubation). It's life history alone makes it more sensitive to exploitation then other chameleons. Now add to that it's reputation of being The Most Awesome Chameleon to keep in a cage and a ten times the norm pricetag and you've got a chameleon ready for the endangered species list.

Also consider the circumstances that illegally obtained reptiles are being kept and transported in. What percentage of collected Parsonii do you think survives long enough to make it to the European or American market?

If you’re really willing to invest that much money in this species, give your money to organizations that work to protect Madagascar's unique ecosystem instead.

$0.02,
Suzanne

 

[reyesjoshuacruz]

Formula for species recovery= exportation ban + habitat loss protection

Ardi started this thing and got one part of the equation. but IMO exportation ban without habitat protection is worse then no exportation ban.

Now no one can legally obtain the resources to give breeding a righteous stab.

 

[Sepioteuthis]

Formula for species recovery= exportation ban + habitat loss protection

Ardi started this thing and got one part of the equation. but IMO exportation ban without habitat protection is worse then no exportation ban.

Now no one can legally obtain the resources to give breeding a righteous stab.

Since the export ban is already in place, why not support those that are working on part 2 of the equation.

Just an example of a wildlife conservation taking place in Madagascar:
http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/wherewework/madagascar/index.html