Parsonii questions

[chameleonkev]

In December I'm joining that special group of parsons owners, ive done my research or what I can on the species as the information seems to be very limited, I just have a couple of questions so if anyone can help it I'd be great full

1. Do you supliment the feeders an if so with what an how often? I've not came across anything mentioning supliments so I arnt sure what the deal is with them

2. How much misting per day do they require? Ive read a couple of different things and the most common is around a hour per day, 30 mins in the morning and three more threw the day at 10 mins each, correct or not?

I'm sure I will have more questions but for now I would just like to get these strait, thanks

 

[chameleonkev]

No one with any help at all?

 

[Texas Ranger]

There are a lot of things that come in to play with your set up and how much natural sun light ect. That judges the way you supplement parsonii also age/size, lighting . Gutlaoding is the main part of a parsons supplementation and there are a lot of different ways that people have supplemented them with good results no one way being better or worse right or wrong IMO. As for misting its all on humidity in the cage is on how you will set up your misting times parsons like it super humid but not wet. Them being wet all the time is not good and were a lot of people make mistakes its the humidity you are trying to control . Most of the parsons keepers I have talk to about including mine do not use mistings as there water source they like a dripper and I use a auto dripper 8 hrs. A day and he drinks like a fish this helps so he can get all the water he needs and wants without keeping the cage completely wet all the time.

 

[Montium]

Good luck in your search. If you are unsure of the basic husbandry requirements for them I would re-think your purchase. There are very few of them out there.

 

[chameleonkev]

There are a lot of things that come in to play with your set up and how much natural sun light ect. That judges the way you supplement parsonii also age/size, lighting . Gutlaoding is the main part of a parsons supplementation and there are a lot of different ways that people have supplemented them with good results no one way being better or worse right or wrong IMO. As for misting its all on humidity in the cage is on how you will set up your misting times parsons like it super humid but not wet. Them being wet all the time is not good and were a lot of people make mistakes its the humidity you are trying to control . Most of the parsons keepers I have talk to about including mine do not use mistings as there water source they like a dripper and I use a auto dripper 8 hrs. A day and he drinks like a fish this helps so he can get all the water he needs and wants without keeping the cage completely wet all the time.

There wouldn't be any natural sunlight for 5 months of the year as I'm from the uk so it isn't walm enough and humidity won't be a problem my Cham room is quite high, I have read they drink a hell of a lot and gut loading my feeders isn't a problem as I do it anyway for my panthers and it's not basic husbandry I no for a fact that Ive got plenty of experience and am capable to look after this species, I will also be going threw everything with the person I will be buying the cham of, it just doesn't hurt to also find out other keepers methods as there the ones with the experience and I'm sure everyone who owns them had to start somwhere

 

[Texas Ranger]

There wouldn't be any natural sunlight for 5 months of the year as I'm from the uk so it isn't walm enough and humidity won't be a problem my Cham room is quite high, I have read they drink a hell of a lot and gut loading my feeders isn't a problem as I do it anyway for my panthers and it's not basic husbandry I no for a fact that Ive got plenty of experience and am capable to look after this species, I will also be going threw everything with the person I will be buying the cham of, it just doesn't hurt to also find out other keepers methods as there the ones with the experience and I'm sure everyone who owns them had to start somwhere

Ok well I will be more then happy to shear and help you with the way I would supplement your new baby but I need basic info like the set up, bulbs used ,temp high and low ect.

 

[bifidus]

I am misting mine 2x daily (with hand sprayer) just for half minute - minute. I have about 60-70% rel humidity in room. It is enough. During that misting get foliage around chameleon completely wet, plenty drips everywhere. If they want drink more, they simple need more "drive with tongue" around. I personally believe than one misting could be enough, but safe is safe. I am sometimes one day out and after my return they need more time to stop drinking (if I am longer out my wife care about animals but one day is no problem). Under normal condition they drink just from few leaves (I need observe it from distance because if I am close they will not start) after one day pause they drink few minutes.

There is one exception. During and day after shedding I mist always when it dries (in about 2 hours). They drink way more during that period. Do not worry they will find enough water on foliage instinctively. Even in Madagascar are lot of days without rain.

I wholehartely believe 30 minutes of spraying is nonsense. Mine starts drink EXCLUSIVELY when "heavy raining" stops (they have closed eyes during it like every chameleon), do it ALWAYS after spraying (when they have enough just from 1-2 leaves) and there will be no more water on foliage after 30 minutes of sprayind compared with 1 minute (by hand spraying). Just you will have more water on floor.

Outside I am using "dripping bottles" because it is convenient but inside hand spraying is optimal - you can control your animals as well. Many "force" animals to drink from dipper but simple if you have many animals it will be too much time. Drips on leaves this is what they have in nature as well.

 

[chameleonkev]

Ok well I will be more then happy to shear and help you with the way I would supplement your new baby but I need basic info like the set up, bulbs used ,temp high and low ect.

I don't have him/her yet but it will be around 6 months old,I'm housing it in a Xl repribreeze untill march then it will be in a huge out door enclosure untill September but for now il be using a t5 12% bulb is its filtering threw mesh and just a 25w basking bulb with will give a basking temp of around 80 witch I understand to be right,I arnt sure wether to winter the Cham or not

 

[GabeCastro]

Congrats on your new cham

You must be anxious! I know i would be. I don't think I would be able to wait that long to get a Parsons haha!

Good luck on your research though, Maybe send JannB a PM for some help, I know she has 2 gorgeous parons that she can maybe help you out with

Here's a list of some Parsonii Members on this site w/ heavy experience. Maybe send them a PM aswell.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/species/experience.php?taxa=189

Good Luck and be sure to update us with pics! Even if you don't have him yet

 

[Thezillaman21]

I don't have him/her yet but it will be around 6 months old,I'm housing it in a Xl repribreeze untill march then it will be in a huge out door enclosure untill September but for now il be using a t5 12% bulb is its filtering threw mesh and just a 25w basking bulb with will give a basking temp of around 80 witch I understand to be right,I arnt sure wether to winter the Cham or not

how long have you been keeping chams?

 

[chameleonkev]

Got my first when I was 17 so 6 years but it's over these past 18 months when I didn't have to worrie about paying the bills that I've been breeding them An expanded my collection past two at any one time

 

[chameleonkev]

I am misting mine 2x daily (with hand sprayer) just for half minute - minute. I have about 60-70% rel humidity in room. It is enough. During that misting get foliage around chameleon completely wet, plenty drips everywhere. If they want drink more, they simple need more "drive with tongue" around. I personally believe than one misting could be enough, but safe is safe. I am sometimes one day out and after my return they need more time to stop drinking (if I am longer out my wife care about animals but one day is no problem). Under normal condition they drink just from few leaves (I need observe it from distance because if I am close they will not start) after one day pause they drink few minutes.

There is one exception. During and day after shedding I mist always when it dries (in about 2 hours). They drink way more during that period. Do not worry they will find enough water on foliage instinctively. Even in Madagascar are lot of days without rain.

I wholehartely believe 30 minutes of spraying is nonsense. Mine starts drink EXCLUSIVELY when "heavy raining" stops (they have closed eyes during it like every chameleon), do it ALWAYS after spraying (when they have enough just from 1-2 leaves) and there will be no more water on foliage after 30 minutes of sprayind compared with 1 minute (by hand spraying). Just you will have more water on floor.

Outside I am using "dripping bottles" because it is convenient but inside hand spraying is optimal - you can control your animals as well. Many "force" animals to drink from dipper but simple if you have many animals it will be too much time. Drips on leaves this is what they have in nature as well.

I've been told a long mist in the morning is needed as somebody I've meet has a pair and he says in the morning has drink for over 20 minutes strait and recons they spend about 40-50 minutes a day alone drinking and as for humidity the room is around 60-70 and shoots up during misting

 

[chameleonkev]

Congrats on your new cham

You must be anxious! I know i would be. I don't think I would be able to wait that long to get a Parsons haha!

Good luck on your research though, Maybe send JannB a PM for some help, I know she has 2 gorgeous parons that she can maybe help you out with

Here's a list of some Parsonii Members on this site w/ heavy experience. Maybe send them a PM aswell.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/species/experience.php?taxa=189

Good Luck and be sure to update us with pics! Even if you don't have him yet

Yes thanks, I have seen that these people keep them but I've never really spoke to them much apart from replying to threads so didn't want to pm

 

[rsepiphyte]

When i had my pair i kept them in a spare bedroom that i had fixed up with branches attached to tables. The room had a very large window which gave plenty of light and in the warmer weather i attached perches to it for some natural sunlight. My two learned to drink out of syringes and drank every 2 days for me. I never misted nor measured humidity. They ate varied insects and small pinkie rats which they took from my hands. (thawed frozen ones) although on occasion when a friend of mine had live pinkies they ate those readily. This was a wild caught pair that i found at a reptile show in Columbus Ohio back in 1989. I kept them for 3 years and then sold them. I thought they were easy to keep, very mellow and laid back. Funny, i never kept thermometers around or mechanical devices such as humidifiers or misters. I just watched the chameleons and learned to respond to their needs based on activity levels, color ect. My pair free roamed. I miss those unmarried days! LOL! Best of luck with yours. Slainte' Ruth

 

[bifidus]

When I mist minute than is plenty of water on foliage and will stay there more than 1 hour. If I will mist 2 hours there will be no more water on foliage. So parsonii can drink how long it likes (they see water drips on foliage).

Thirsty are imported animals. They often drink "hours" I remember it still well. But animals those have constant water supply do not need lot of time. Large adults need more time like hatchlings, but my personal opinion is that animals those are drinking long are kept too warm. I have them normally at 20-23 celsius or so, at night 17-18 (they will get even colder periode if I will prepare them copulate at moment I have small ones). Ok, when they are in summer out there is often over 30 (they are in tree shaddow but still) but outside there is bottle dripper (it drips about 3 hours). I do not see them "oxidate" so long bellow it.

I have had 2 pairs years and copulating and laying (I never hatched them) but I was never misting them 30 minutes. Just intense, one minute or so until is everything gets completely wet. In the morning and in the evening. Outside that is different because it rains naturally and if it does not I am giving there always dripping bottle. But I do not think they drinks more like comparable melleri.

 

[Olimpia]

OP, feel free to send Jann a message, she is a super sweet lady and will absolutely answer questions. I can tell you thather parsonii rooms are air conditioned, she has a dripper running all day, and has misters that keep the humidity high. It really does feel like a true cloud rainforest in there. I believe anything she does was recommended to her bby one of the top chameleon vets in this country and by others who keep parson's.

 

[chameleonkev]

OP, feel free to send Jann a message, she is a super sweet lady and will absolutely answer questions. I can tell you thather parsonii rooms are air conditioned, she has a dripper running all day, and has misters that keep the humidity high. It really does feel like a true cloud rainforest in there. I believe anything she does was recommended to her bby one of the top chameleon vets in this country and by others who keep parson's.

Yes I've seen her threads many times and I'm doing something very similar next to the conservatory, I think I will pm her then an il blame it on you when I pester her with a million questions lol

 

[Olimpia]

Yes I've seen her threads many times and I'm doing something very similar next to the conservatory, I think I will pm her then an il blame it on you when I pester her with a million questions lol

Lol Go for it! Tell her to yell at me if she gets annoyed but she is very sweet.

 

[chameleonkev]

I've just sent her a message