parsons cham

So. I really am interested in this species and really want to learn about there care. Because if i come accross one I WILL own it janns new one got me all fired up. So wat are some recommended care sheets i can study? Any parsons owners have any special tips relating to this speices. And of course pics are always very welcome!

I don't think there are any prepared "care sheets" for Parsoni, because the few people who are lucky enough to have one have cared for many other chams for years. Most of the information they gathered through experience with other species. Except, you'll have to expand the usual sizes of habitats, the size and amount of larger feeders, the amount of water for this big cham. A full adult melleri would be a comprable species to house, but even then Parsoni are still not the same.

i think you can't keep those things because I've heard that they're for very experienced keepers only which i think you should keep easier chams first then moderate chams and then hard chams and then expert only chams hope this helps

Adam Harrelson said:

i think you can't keep those things because I've heard that they're for very experienced keepers only which i think you should keep easier chams first then moderate chams and then hard chams and then expert only chams hope this helps

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no cham is hard to keep, they are just different.

parsons require lots of space, lots of water. big food, and hibernation times.

the problem with them is mainly their sheer size. people who keep them, practicaly give them an entire room in their house.

camimom said:

no cham is hard to keep, they are just different.

parsons require lots of space, lots of water. big food, and hibernation times.

the problem with them is mainly their sheer size. people who keep them, practicaly give them an entire room in their house.

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It is not just space,water and there size of food they are way different to keep and are a lot harder to care for and keep right there are issues that arise that are way different then other chams and you also have to learn there habbits and work for the parsonii not have the parsonii work for your habbits. There is a list a mile long that are things that are way harder that you do with parsons that you dont do with the norm. cham

Texas Ranger said:

It is not just space,water and there size of food they are way different to keep and are a lot harder to care for and keep right there are issues that arise that are way different then other chams and you also have to learn there habbits and work for the parsonii not have the parsonii work for your habbits. There is a list a mile long that are things that are way harder that you do with parsons that you dont do with the norm. cham

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well i meant its not like its a fragile tihng that you look at it wrong it dies.

once you understand your cham and its needs, you fall into a care schedule.

all chams are hard at first. but as you learn it, it becomes 'easier'.

They must hibernate? They can't be tricked like most? Lol. I've been reading about other keepers and there incredibly interesting chameleons! I'm not all for owning one soon. but a room would be exactly wat I would give it! There's something I just love about there look! and the fact there giants of course.

Adam Harrelson said:

i think you can't keep those things because I've heard that they're for very experienced keepers only which i think you should keep easier chams first then moderate chams and then hard chams and then expert only chams hope this helps

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Love your comment

Personally, I dont see a lot of difference between the husbandry of parsons and panthers. The temps in Parsons are a few degrees lower, the hydration/humidity must be a lot higher and of course the cage must be bigger when they grow. Everything else is pretty similar. I think people are put off by how "hard" they are to look after, but is not hard!

Benton1576 said:

Personally, I dont see a lot of difference between the husbandry of parsons and panthers. The temps in Parsons are a few degrees lower, the hydration/humidity must be a lot higher and of course the cage must be bigger when they grow. Everything else is pretty similar. I think people are put off by how "hard" they are to look after, but is not hard!

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Other than the high humidity, huge cages there is the feeding that is unique for Parsons. The first couple years my baby Parsons ate everything and grew a lot. Once they are a mature adult size they seem to become much more selective about their food. Most of the time if a wide variety of food is not offered Parsons chameleons can be very quick to become bored about their food and go without eating much or go on flat out on hunger strikes. Currently my male wont eat Gray Bird hoppers however will devour Green Bird hoppers and ask for seconds and thirds. When they are healthy and thriving they are not "difficult" to keep. However if something is out of balance with them they can go downhill fast more than most other chameleons. This is what I have noticed from my Parsonii.

Motherlode Chameleon said:

Other than the high humidity, huge cages there is the feeding that is unique for Parsons. The first couple years my baby Parsons ate everything and grew a lot. Once they are a mature adult size they seem to become much more selective about their food. Most of the time if a wide variety of food is not offered Parsons chameleons can be very quick to become bored about their food and go without eating much or go on flat out on hunger strikes. Currently my male wont eat Gray Bird hoppers however will devour Green Bird hoppers and ask for seconds and thirds. When they are healthy and thriving they are not "difficult" to keep. However if something is out of balance with them they can go downhill fast more than most other chameleons. This is what I have noticed from my Parsonii.

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lol, my Panther are the same too, sometimes they will eat anything, other times theyre no interested and I have to change feeders for a while. I thought this was common in most chameleons and so forgot to mention feeding.

reptilover said:

So. I really am interested in this species and really want to learn about there care. Because if i come accross one I WILL own it janns new one got me all fired up. So wat are some recommended care sheets i can study? Any parsons owners have any special tips relating to this speices. And of course pics are always very welcome!

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I couldn't help but notice in your signature that you have some of the easiest and most forgiving reptiles available in the trade all excellent to learn the basics of reptile keeping.

I am not an expert in reptiles but have quite a bit of experience keeping very fragile animals alive and you may be the same.

I would just like to point out people very often keep forgiving animals and assume they are prepared for more temperamental animals. You quite literally need to be somewhere between a biologist and an animal whisperer to keep some of these delicate alive in captivity.

I really don't know if a Parson's is that difficult but they are so rare in captivity that if you're not one of those super experienced with delicate chameleons most keepers would not like to see you own one.

But as I'm sure you know money talks and if you can foot the 3 to 4 grand to get the animal and the set up I'm sure you can find one and give it a go!

Benton1576 said:

lol, my Panther are the same too, sometimes they will eat anything, other times theyre no interested and I have to change feeders for a while. I thought this was common in most chameleons and so forgot to mention feeding.

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See what you think when your babies are adults. It seems food selection, for me, is even more the case with adult Parsons compare to other chameleons. You may not want to say that prematurely, then a couple years later state your chameleon is more difficult to feed, much more than adults of most other species.

Motherlode Chameleon said:

See what you think when your babies are adults. It seems food selection, for me, is even more the case with adult Parsons compare to other chameleons. You may not want to say that prematurely, then a couple years later state your chameleon is more difficult to feed, much more than adults of most other species.

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This may be a good place to ask... Aside from the feeding issues how sensitive is a Parson's to other environmental issues such as incorrect temperatures, Dirty enclosures, Not enough outside time, Bad UVB light, etc?

What is a minimum good enclosure size?

Are they sensitive to the point they will become ill and require veterinary care more often than say a Panther?

Personally I believe that even if they are as difficult as a Panther an inexperienced owner shouldn't have one simply because intermediate and new keepers consistently kill their Panthers and while it is wrong to place a value on one life over another a Parson's is much more rare in captivity and it is a much bigger shame when inexperience kills one.

DanSB said:

I couldn't help but notice in your signature that you have some of the easiest and most forgiving reptiles available in the trade all excellent to learn the basics of reptile keeping.

I am not an expert in reptiles but have quite a bit of experience keeping very fragile animals alive and you may be the same.

I would just like to point out people very often keep forgiving animals and assume they are prepared for more temperamental animals. You quite literally need to be somewhere between a biologist and an animal whisperer to keep some of these delicate alive in captivity.

I really don't know if a Parson's is that difficult but they are so rare in captivity that if you're not one of those super experienced with delicate chameleons most keepers would not like to see you own one.

But as I'm sure you know money talks and if you can foot the 3 to 4 grand to get the animal and the set up I'm sure you can find one and give it a go!

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I know nothing about Parson's other than what I have read. It was commented earlier that they are not hard once you know their needs. I do not nessasarilhly disagree and have no experience with Parson's with which to conform or deny this but some of the plants I have in my plant collection have reputations of being extremely difficult to keep in cultivation. Even amoung carnivorous plants, some of the ones I am growing very very successfully have a reputation of being hard. Despite my success would I call them easy? Hell no. I have figured out how to make them happy and more importantly, I have figured out how to keep it that way. What makes them "hard" is not meeting their requirements. Cephalotus's requirements are not that hard at all: lots of light, allow the soil moisture to fluctuate and use a very airy soil. That's about it. What makes cephalotus hard is it can be very very unforgiving of mistakes. You have to understand its needs and nature to grow it properly. I suspect these "advanced" chameleons are probably the same way. Its not so much that meeting their needs is hard it is that mistakes propagate quickly.

Again, speaking from no experience and just speculating based on my experience with other "difficult" things

AllFallDown said:

I know nothing about Parson's other than what I have read. It was commented earlier that they are not hard once you know their needs. I do not nessasarilhly disagree and have no experience with Parson's with which to conform or deny this but some of the plants I have in my plant collection have reputations of being extremely difficult to keep in cultivation. Even amoung carnivorous plants, some of the ones I am growing very very successfully have a reputation of being hard. Despite my success would I call them easy? Hell no. I have figured out how to make them happy and more importantly, I have figured out how to keep it that way. What makes them "hard" is not meeting their requirements. Cephalotus's requirements are not that hard at all: lots of light, allow the soil moisture to fluctuate and use a very airy soil. That's about it. What makes cephalotus hard is it can be very very unforgiving of mistakes. You have to understand its needs and nature to grow it properly. I suspect these "advanced" chameleons are probably the same way. Its not so much that meeting their needs is hard it is that mistakes propagate quickly.

Again, speaking from no experience and just speculating based on my experience with other "difficult" things

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I think I've figured it out. If I can keep some pygmy Sundew plants alive and have been growing roses well for a long time would you, as someone who is a very experienced Carnivorous plant person be excited to see me buy a King Sundew? You know to read the tells when a plant is having trouble and how to correct care quickly from tons of experience so there is a better chance that this rare plant will not live on in my care than yours.

I suspect it is the same way with rare chameleons, and Parson's in general. Sure I could go buy one and keep it now and there is a good chance I would do very well and keep it alive and possibly breed it. But I don't have the experience many others do with Chameleons and if there is a problem I might not have as good of a chance of doing the right thing as more experienced keepers would. If I kill my senegal from doing something wrong it would be sad, I would learn, and grow. if I kill a Parson's from not being experienced enough I have just significantly impacted the captive gene pool.

camimom said:

no cham is hard to keep, they are just different.

parsons require lots of space, lots of water. big food, and hibernation times.

the problem with them is mainly their sheer size. people who keep them, practicaly give them an entire room in their house.

Click to expand...

Before i got my chameleon everything I read said they were super hard to take care of and ONLY for people very experienced in keeping reptiles. Never had any at that point, but all i really wanted was a chameleon!

So i read, a lot. Got everything I needed. and I think my chameleons are doing fine.

I think they're only "Difficult" because they require quite a bit of money put in to them, time, attentiveness, and caring. But once you've got all that it's not very hard at all.



Side note: Seeing all the parson's on here is making me jealous, too. I want one. But living in BC we can't get roaches, which might make them harder to care for. (any insight on keeping parsons without roaches is more than welcome )

DanSB said:

This may be a good place to ask... Aside from the feeding issues how sensitive is a Parson's to other environmental issues such as incorrect temperatures, Dirty enclosures, Not enough outside time, Bad UVB light, etc?

What is a minimum good enclosure size?

Are they sensitive to the point they will become ill and require veterinary care more often than say a Panther?

Personally I believe that even if they are as difficult as a Panther an inexperienced owner shouldn't have one simply because intermediate and new keepers consistently kill their Panthers and while it is wrong to place a value on one life over another a Parson's is much more rare in captivity and it is a much bigger shame when inexperience kills one.

Click to expand...

I have not had problems with Parsons and enclosure lighting. However their skin is known to be much more sensitive to direct light especially when compare to sun worshiping species such as Panther and Velieds. As well they start to negatively respond to high temperatures that some household temperatures (even with swamp coolers) may exceed (and even with an ac room there is problems keeping the humidity high that is necessary). I do not provide basking lights for mine.

As for a minimum enclosure I would recommend an enclosure size that allows them to cruise their cage and the Parsonii still keeps a healthy appetite and drinks a lot. I have got two enclosures for my Parsonii. One is a 4X2X2 elevated long enclosure (is a small enclosure) that I feed and water my male when I'm at classes at UC Davis (Horizontal space is much overlooked with chameleons species more than vertical space). I think an enclosure should be big enough for your Parsonii to make his or her rounds. However for the most part other then watering and most of the feeding he free ranges in a giant ficus. His main home is in my greenhouse and is about 7x7x3.5 foot in length and he is definitely at his best when he's in this enclosure.

I only take my Panthers to the vets if I have got a problem. With my Parsons I have a check up done twice a year. Once before hibernation and once after hibernation. If you have had problems with hungers strikes watching a Parsons for the first couple times going through hibernation for 3-4 months is hell.

I do not consider Panthers a difficult species. I actually recommend them as starter species to new chameleon owners.

Finally something to start potential keepers off with.

If Parsons are easy to take care of, why have we not seen captive breeding at the same level as Panthers and Velieds? Or fertile clutches for that matter to begin with?

Kmw said:

Before i got my chameleon everything I read said they were super hard to take care of and ONLY for people very experienced in keeping reptiles. Never had any at that point, but all i really wanted was a chameleon!

So i read, a lot. Got everything I needed. and I think my chameleons are doing fine.

I think they're only "Difficult" because they require quite a bit of money put in to them, time, attentiveness, and caring. But once you've got all that it's not very hard at all.



Side note: Seeing all the parson's on here is making me jealous, too. I want one. But living in BC we can't get roaches, which might make them harder to care for. (any insight on keeping parsons without roaches is more than welcome )

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i completely agree.
I keep 3 species of chamaleon, and everything i had read (before joining this site) said they are so hard to keep, they dont live long, etc.

I dont think chams are hard, i think they are special. they have needs that when met properly, they will do just fine. you simply have to take the time to learn them.

as with most things, i have fallen into a routine with my chammies. Once you know what you are doing (and how much it all costs) i dont think they are that hard.

DanSB said:

I couldn't help but notice in your signature that you have some of the easiest and most forgiving reptiles available in the trade all excellent to learn the basics of reptile keeping.

I am not an expert in reptiles but have quite a bit of experience keeping very fragile animals alive and you may be the same.

I would just like to point out people very often keep forgiving animals and assume they are prepared for more temperamental animals. You quite literally need to be somewhere between a biologist and an animal whisperer to keep some of these delicate alive in captivity.

I really don't know if a Parson's is that difficult but they are so rare in captivity that if you're not one of those super experienced with delicate chameleons most keepers would not like to see you own one.

But as I'm sure you know money talks and if you can foot the 3 to 4 grand to get the animal and the set up I'm sure you can find one and give it a go!

Click to expand...

you are correct I do have alot of hardy forgiving "beginner" reptiles and I did that half on purpose. The other half is because I really like them.. i have a red tail boa i havent added to that list. But one thing that everyone notices when they walk into my room is that every single animal in every single enclouser is PERFECT. I spend no less than 3 hours a day In that room and 6 or so hrs on days off and weekends.. sometimes just staring and enjoying . And I'm looking at harder species because I've come to realize I'm not as interested in the animal as just a pet, as I am creating the nominal environment and watching.the animal thrive to its full potential. So I got a chameleon. And again I wish there was s little more challenge to it. an animal that really challenges me. With feeding options caging.size. ways to make all aspects of.the climate perfect while its sitting.near an enclouser that's opposite climate yet still perfect.

My turtles and ball pythons I've had for about 10 years now, one gecko was one i fell inlove with at an.09 rep. Show, the other gecko was a neglected rescue, red tail boa was my dream since a child. The veiled was an animal I love to watch and wanted a challenge. I think I'm ready to move on and my new dream had become a parsonii and I garentee no less than 1 year studying and prep.

My red tail I waited 9 years to get so I could grow bigger than it does. Now at 250 lbs 6' 3" and space to build a 9'x4'x4' enclouser I bought one!

So in conclusion I have beginner reptiles but I will never over estimate my abilities to keep and allow set animal.

P.s. I don't like the term care sheet . I used it mainly to be led in a direction of reaserch that has been identifed as accurate and hopfully written by a memeber. Something somone one here would back up.. cause i trust u all.

P.s.s. to date in my life I have lost ONE guinea pig to infection. I have treated
Several illnesses in several animals with vet help and on my own. And that one guinea pig (mercedes) is the only animal I've lost before old age got them. I consider that a little accomplishment