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If so, how big are they at 8 months old. Thanks.

a good book can be purchased about jacksons, parsons, veileds, and panthers titled "Car and Breeding of Chameleons; Panther Chameleons, Jackson's Chameleons, Veiled Chameleons, and Parson's Chameleons"

well if u are thinking about getting a parson's mabye u should consider this... unless it is a captive bred parsons-- please leave this species alone........

they are so rare and precious that a line must be drawn with herpetology and the exporting of native animals;;; this is one of the few species that needs more support than any other

not only is it about the second largest chameleon, but it weighs the most out of all the chameleons....

if u were just asking i would think 10-15 inches sounds about right....?

Is this an assumption or a statement made from first hand insight? According to the reference material: IUCN – The World Conservation Union 1999 Status Assessment of Chameleons
in Madagascar by Lee D. Brady and Richard A. Griffiths the following was stated -- "Density estimates for C. parsonii have never been published. However, Brygoo (1971) considers that it is 'not rare' within its range and Bloxam (in: IUCN/SSC Trade Specialist Group et al., 1993) has described the species as 'locally abundant'." Also Francois Le Berre made the following statement on the adcham list back in 2000: "This summary seems to start from the assumption that all chameleons are living in primary forests. Not true. Even C. parsonii as an example is living in coffee plantations in Fianaranstoa." Also, it has been stated, not that long ago, by a couple people on adcham who reside in Madagascar that C. parsonii parsonii are locally abundant. So with that in mind, if they can adapt to disturbed forests as Francois and others have reported, then there are certainly other species in more dire need of attention then C. parsonii parsonii. On the other hand, C. parsonii cristifer is a different story since its range is small and population densities are reportedely low but I doubt either of you were referring to this subspecies?

yes i was referring to C. parsonii cristifer....

well parsons do not seem to do well in captivity... as it said in the book in the prevous post.

i personally believe this is one chameleon species that should be kept wild and limited to madagascar!

It was mentioned to avoid WC specimens. In January 1995 CITES stated that "The Standing Committee recommends to all Parties that they suspend imports, from each State listed below, of specimens of the species indicated for that State until it has implemented the relevant primary or secondary recommendations of the Animals Committee: ...Madagascar Coracopsis vasa, Chamaeleo spp. and Phelsuma spp. (except P. laticauda, P. lineata, P. madagascariensis, P. quadriocellata, Chamaeleo lateralis, C. oustaleti, C. pardalis, C. verrucosus)"
(http://www.cites.org/eng/notifs/1995/833.txt, 9/28/2003). This technically stopped the export of legal C. parsonii from Madagascar into the US. The CITES World Conservation Monitoring Centre recorded that between 1986 and 1996, 17,712 C. parsonii were exported from Madagascar (Abate, Ardi (2002): The fate of Wild-Caught Chameleons Exported for the Pet Trade. Chameleon information Network, 41: 15-18). Resent published data estimates that there are approximately 100 WC C. p. parsonii currently alive in captivity that were imported prior to CITES recommending their exportation be ceased in 1995 (Abate, Ardi (2002): CHAMELEONS in Context. Chameleon information Network, 45: 26-38). At the very least, that would make each of these 100 animals 8 or 9 years old and most are probably older than that. As a result, I tend to think that as long as you watch out for smuggled animals, the few C. p. parsonii specimens that are around shouldn't be recent WC.

Regarding their care in captivity and their past history, it should be noted that prior to the CITES recommendation, C. parsonii would sell for as little as $100 each in the US markets, often less than the price of F. pardalis at the time despite the significantly larger number of F. pardalis being imported. As a result, a large percentage of these animals found themselves in the hands of keepers who ultimately were not experienced enough, dedicated enough and could not provide for the needs of these animals in captive conditions. I have personally talked to people who used to keep this species prior
to the CITES recommendation only to finally release them into the bayous of East Texas because their dog didn't like them. I have heard many reports of people who used to keep these animals in terrible conditions often saying that they wanted a Panther chameleon but this is what the store had available. In addition to the poor quality of their final destination (the inexperienced keeper), due to their value in the market at the time, the exporters did not treat them well at all. These animals were not held in the value they are today and were treated poorly as a result. With so few of these animals ending up in the hands of experienced, dedicated breeders in the condition needed for survival, it is no wonder that relatively so few managed to survive over the next few years. It is highly unfortunate that so many C. parsonii died as a result of carelessness but the fact that 100 are still around 9 years later speaks for the dedication of those who were able to care for these animals properly. These animals are definitely not for everyone and require very specific environments that not all are able to replicate or can afford to provide. As a result, they should only be kept by those willing and able to do so.

Their rarity was brought up as well. While this species has been recommended for CITES app I status, more recent studies by the IUCN, funded by CITES, reported C. parsonii (bother subspecies) with a current population estimate of a minimum of 3,862,400 and a maximum of 37,465,280 animals in the wild (Brady, L.D. and Griffiths, R.A. 1999. Status Assessment of Chameleons in Madagascar. IUCN Species Survival Commission. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.). With regard to C. p. cristifer, when I was in their habitat, they seemed locally abundant in the protected parks I found them in. As mentioned, C. p. parsonii are noted by a number of individuals for occuring in coffee groves. None of the previous statemens are in any way an indication that anyone but the most dedicated however should even attempt to work with C. parsonii as mentioned before.

Hope that helped to clarify some things...

Chris
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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/

Well, I really just asked how big an 8 month old is supposed to be. I have always wanted to keep a parsons. I have been keeping and breeding f. pardalis for quite some time now, and am confident that I can successfully keep one. I've done all the research and have the optimal conditions (at least in captivity) for keeping one. If anyone with experience keepign a parsons can offer any advice, please do so. thanks.

Well, as for keeping the first hurdle will be finding anyone willing to sell an animal to someone who won't be set up for breeding or who has not kept that species before. The few folks who might even have one to sell will be quite picky about its future. As for experience with other species, they will be looking for keepers who have kept a wide variety of the fussier ones...imports, montane species, and those who have greenhouses or free range setups probably. Then, you'll need to cash in that CD, mutual fund, or IRA to buy it! I'd say you are looking at about $1800 or more just for the animal. Then setting up the huge space for it is another investment.