Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How hard is it to keep these chams? I've kept veilds but they are entry level chameleons. I've kept green tree pythons and other exotic species of snakes so I can get conditions right. What about breeding? What size enclosure would I need? I really like the mellers so I'm tempted to go get some but need to do the proper research first! Thanks in advance,

John

>>How hard is it to keep these chams? I've kept veilds but they are entry level chameleons. I've kept green tree pythons and other exotic species of snakes so I can get conditions right. What about breeding? What size enclosure would I need? I really like the mellers so I'm tempted to go get some but need to do the proper research first! Thanks in advance,
>>
>>John

John,

These are considered advanced level chameleons. Ch. calyptratus is not a good introduction to these species.

Ch. melleri are vitually always wild caught. Many do not seem to adapt well to captive conditions. You can read more about them here: www.chameleonnews.com/year2002/nov2002/nov2002index.html In general most of the specimens hatched in captivity are from gravid imports and they still don't seem to fair too well. My opinion is there chameleons need very large enclosures. I would not house them in anything less than 7' tall x 3' x 3' and they still would prefer more.

C. parsonii is a very rare and expensive species. They require large enclosures like Ch. melleri. They are notorious for being problematic feeders and as adults many find them prone to various illnesses. They have extreme hydration requirements (I run almost 5 gallons of water through their misting system a day) creating difficulty with drainage. They are probably the most difficult chameleon to breed with very few successful breedings and an uncubation time of up to around two years.

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/
Captive Chameleon Bloodline Tacking Database - http://www.chameleondatabase.com/

Thank you for the info!

John

In addition to the articles Chris mentioned, there is a more recent article on free ranging a trio of melleri that will give you ideas for how large a space they would prefer, and also a pretty high powered forum dedicated to melleri on YahooGroups. They have some caresheet info in draft too. I've had melleri for several years at a time. They are my favorite species, but I found they controlled more of my house and life than other herps ever did. EACH animal required about 20 minutes of direct low volume hand spraying once or twice every day to stay hydrated at least until they were well established (can take months depending on their initial condition). Some tolerate other animals in their space if free ranged but others can seriously injure each other by fighting.

Yeah, expensive is right. Don't Parson's go for around $1800-$2000 a piece?

$18-$2200? Is that true? That's pretty nuts. My vet had a female parsons once apon a time. It was HUGE! They really look amazing. I would really like one in a few years down the road. Just need to find a good Parsons breeder. Hopefuly there'll be one in my area five years from now!