Where can i buy a Parsons Chameleon?
- Thread starter BatCity93
- Start date
camimom
New Member
SO they what.. got a cheap cham and painted the parsons stripes on them??? lol
I find that highly suspect.
BatCity93
New Member
LOL I'm flattered Snake! I have only got two and no females currently. If you are considering working with Calumma parsonii they are the most high maintenance species of chameleon I have ever worked with. They only seem to be available in the states once every couple of years and when they show up they go expensive and go fast.
wait i don't seem to understand, can someone fill me in, i know they go for about 2,000 - 2500$ but why are they only a couple of years? and how can i get a clue as to when they will be available, or again where can i get a little guy when they are available?
pssh
Avid Member
Well, they are very rare because they are not legal to import from Madagascar. They become available every few years when they are imported from European breeders or when some get imported as "cb" but almost always are illegal and have fake papers, and then every once in a while someone will sucessfully hatch a clutch and the babies will go for a lot of money. Be aware that you could end up with one that was poached and is fueling the black market trade for them if you are not careful where/who you buy from.
SSimsswiSS
Avid Member
I can PM you when some become available. But you really need to know what your getting into, before a purchase. They need space, and food variety to thrive. And they drink alot of water. Your two best times to find one is in late fall, and early spring. So save up your funds, and be patience.
BatCity93
New Member
yeah, i'd be very interested in hearing form you when they are available, i currently own a panther chameleon, so i will have some experiences with chameleons, but that does not mean i will not do my homework on this species of chameleons, thanks ill be anticipating a reply, and of course i will have patience.
Ferdy Timmerman
Member
In my opinion, absolutely not. You will only support demand for the species within the reptile keeping business. Same goes for showing photo's etc. if you ask me.
Check out this page: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/172896/0
Their wild population is decreasing, and ongoing habitat loss will only make it worse. As long as the decrease goes on, it is irresponsible and selfish to want one for yourself.
BatCity93
New Member
Not really, what i would like to do and the way i see it as, is if i could help breed these magnificent creatures, with every new born i can put out for the people who would care for them, it would mean that it is one less Parson's chameleon not taken out from the wild.
robmd1
Avid Member
that is a great thing to strive for an you say you have 1 panther chameleon? but at the same time readin just that post makes me think you need to do alot more reading on them before you concider it as breeding parsons isnt something as easy as breeding a panther chameleon and will take you years..
not impossible some have been at it awhile its just not something you jump into until you know what your getting into...
Kent67
Retired Moderator
Anyone who gets Parson's chameleons with the expectation of breeding them is throwing away money. People with 20+ years experience working with 20+ species of chameleons find it very difficult to hatch them with any consistency. Many people with TONS of experience have been trying to "figure them out" since the late 1980's with no significant progress. I agree with Ferdy. Get something else that doesn't have to be smuggled (all Parsons for sale were either smuggled or their parents were, which is still illegal.)
BatCity93
New Member
i understand, i wouldn't breed them any time soon, hell maybe in a few years, im the kind of person that plans for the future, not for right now. but yeah, i only learned about this animal just yesterday, i just wanted to know why they went for so much.
Video Master
New Member
My understanding on them also is that the eggs incubate for about 2 or more years.
ChamMan7
Established Member
When you say "I wouldn't breed them anytime soon..." i dont think you realize that parsons are not like panthers. You dont throw them together when a female is showing nice, obvious, receptive coloration. There is an extremely long process and lots of interactions and "natural mechanisms" involved in these animals successfully breeding.
The money involved in getting a Parsons is not what has caused very little of them to be produced, it is the instances above that pose the problem. As someone else has said, people have worked with them for 20 or more years and not produced them consistently, and there is a reason for that.
Lots and lots of help and TLC from Mother Nature is needed, which is why its better for people interested in this species to put their money into advocating for habitat conservation, somehow, or to find a way to support them in the wild.
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
And some breeders lucky enough to even get a clutch find out they never develop or all die after that 18 month to 2 year wait! Heartbreaking!
ISA my Veiled
New Member
There is a waiting list? lol You are talking to a BEARS fan here!!
Oh goodness!! lol Go Packers!!
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
I'd agree for this and many other species. Fueling the demand for this species even by producing a few tantalizing cbb young for those who have to have a status animal is a big part of their overall problems. Yes they are magnificent animals, yes they are beautiful, big, blue and all the rest, but they are one of many poster children for rainforest loss and worldwide crashing ecological diversity. Those small populations still hanging on in the wild ARE breeding there...let them get on with it in peace. No one is going to be releasing captive-produced parsoni to the wild any time soon so that isn't a legitimate justification for exporting them.
There are other chams just as intriquing and better suited for captive keeping who could benefit from attention by dedicated breeders.
ChamMan7
Established Member
Exactly, and all that one person buying a parsons is going to do is fuel the demand for something that is much, much better off in the wild. If populations are completely healthy, then collecting a few animals from the wild for captive breeding programs is one thing, but if they are breeding better in the wild than in captivity... they should just be left there.
Just my opinion, especially if one person with very little experience (not speaking to the OP, but anyone in general) buys a parsonii on impulse, for a big, beautiful display animal, all that is going to do is fuel demand and even further decrease the wild population which is already decreasing.
OldChamKeeper
Chameleon Enthusiast
Please take this the right way, I'm not putting you down.
I have kept and worked with Parsons for years up until 96'. There is no chameleon more unique and fascinating than a Parsons. I was successful I getting a few clutches without the females dying afterward but unable to get the eggs to hatch. That despite knowing the one guy who had hatched them back then.
The parson is very labor intensive.
Do not try your hand at such a rare and $$$$ animal until you've spent some years working with other giants, I'd suggest a Mellers to give you a taste of such a large egg laying Cham species. If you master that species, you'd have a basic understanding to work with when it comes to a Parson's and even then, a Parsons is a whole step above that.
I have kept and worked with Parsons for years up until 96'. There is no chameleon more unique and fascinating than a Parsons. I was successful I getting a few clutches without the females dying afterward but unable to get the eggs to hatch. That despite knowing the one guy who had hatched them back then.
The parson is very labor intensive.
Do not try your hand at such a rare and $$$$ animal until you've spent some years working with other giants, I'd suggest a Mellers to give you a taste of such a large egg laying Cham species. If you master that species, you'd have a basic understanding to work with when it comes to a Parson's and even then, a Parsons is a whole step above that.
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
Just so sad to keep getting closer but not quite make it!
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