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Why is a parson chameleon so expensive? Are they easy to care for? Please help.

I have never owned a Parson's, so I am just regurgitating what I have read: Parsons is a large species that require a large living space. They don't breed as often as other chams, and their gestation is longer.

They are a threatened, borderline endangered specie. They are also extremely difficult to maintain in captivity. There has yet to be a confirmed, verified claim of true captive breeding. So far, all claims have apparently turned out to be captive hatches from WC gravid females.

Not enough is known about their requirements. They are totally dependent on old growth rainforest in Madagascar and their habitat is shrinking quickly. I believe they are already listed in Appendix 1 with CITES. This means no cross border traffic of any kind without massive documentation and permits.

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Warning: this product may contain traces of nuts!

nerd is selling some captive bred offspring right now although i do not know if they came from a wild caught female

>>They are a threatened, borderline endangered specie. They are also extremely difficult to maintain in captivity. There has yet to be a confirmed, verified claim of true captive breeding. So far, all claims have apparently turned out to be captive hatches from WC gravid females.
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>> Not enough is known about their requirements. They are totally dependent on old growth rainforest in Madagascar and their habitat is shrinking quickly. I believe they are already listed in Appendix 1 with CITES. This means no cross border traffic of any kind without massive documentation and permits.
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>>Warning: this product may contain traces of nuts!

Sorry but your information is totally incorrect. Calumma p. parsonii have actually been bred into second generation captive bred and born babies now. C. parsonii have not been exported legally as wild caught animals since 1995 when CITES recommended a ban on their export from Madagascar. They are currently listed on CITES Appendix II. The only chameleon listed on Appendix I is Brookesia perarmata. There is a proposal to put C. parsonii on Appendix I but this proposal has been in the hands of the CITES authorities for quite some time, revisions have been made and it has never been approved and who knows when or if it ever will be. There are also published reports that show your statement regarding their required habitat are in fact false (see link below).

In reality, C. parsonii are as expensive as they are for a combination of reasons. The demand far exceeds the supply of C. parsonii in captivity. There are a number of causes of this. First, although many were imported prior to 1995, most went into the hands of unqualified keepers who were not keeping them correctly. These animals died after the ban on their export went into effect. In addition, their eggs hatch in 16-24 months and relatively few clutches have been successfully hatched when compared with the number of animals that were lost to those who did not care for their animals correctly. While they are a relatively long lived species, they require specific environments. Particular attention to their hydration and variation in the diet are required for their successful management, let alone breeding.

Attached is a photo of my CBB yearling female C. p. parsonii.

Chris

Status Assessment of Chameleons in Madagascar

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Chris Anderson
parsonii_hoehnelii@hotmail.com
Chameleon Care and Information Center (CCIC) - http://www.geocities.com/ccicenter/
Chameleons Online E-zine - http://www.chameleonnews.com/

that is one most inpressive parsons!

my buddy here in ottawa is gettin 2.2 parsons in ... and even though my mom wont let my have any cham over 24 inches head to tail, she is going to let me raise a babe if she can get any to hatch
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Jason
f2.pg.briefcase.yahoo.com/dank7oo
1.0 maroantsetra panther chameleon
0.2 dwarf panther chameleons
jsinger_jimt@hotmail.com