Recommendations for Intermediate+ Species

[Earthworks]

hello I will start by saying I have around 15 years experience keeping herps but trimmed my collection down significantly during several moves, school, and a job change. I'm now in a comfortable and permanent situation now and looking to get back into chams, I have kept and bred Furcifer pardalis, Trioceros melleri (only a single individual for several years no breeding), and Trioceros jacksonii. I really want to acquire/keep Calumma parsonii but have heard they are quite high maintenance even on the chameleons scale and so am inquiring to you chameleon gurus whomever you may be what a good alternative would be with as close to the same care/requirements as the Parsons as possible but perhaps a bit more forgiving (if only marginally so) and with slightly less space reqs. Call it a test run but with a species I'm sure I'll enjoy in it's own right as well.

Thx! -Ryan

 

[Earthworks]

lol yup i was typing in the dark and misspelled header...sigh.

 

[bobcochran]

A pair of parsonii cristifer are just advertised in the classifieds. Not only are they a bit larger than your average Panther or veiled, their care is similar to parsons, not to mention the price is similar too!!

 

[distortionz]

If you want to get a pair similar to parsonii and don't want to blow the $3000 budget on a pair go for O'shaughnessy.

They are beautiful chams and being they have been coming in the u.s. again over the last year the price has dropped.. You can get a pair of wc for about $800..

I'd like to get a pair myself eventually

 

[distortionz]

And the o'shaughnessy only grow to be about the size of an adult panther.. But everyone says care is nearly identical to that of a parsonii.

 

[Earthworks]

Thx very much for the suggestions, I shall research those with relish.

 

[leedragon]

make sure that you have contact with someone who actually had this species before you get them.
being wild caught and sensitive as columns are thing can easily go south and it would be good to have someone to consult in this matter.

 

[nick barta]

make sure that you have contact with someone who actually had this species before you get them.
being wild caught and sensitive as columns are thing can easily go south and it would be good to have someone to consult in this matter.

I know a guy….He just got a WC pair, and would be a great source of information. PM me if you decide to get them, I will ask him if he wants to mentor.

CHEERS!

Nick

 

[Earthworks]

thx! i am likely a few months out from an actual purchase but looking to be informed as possible, though I do believe I have settled on the culumma genus