Similar species: Greater size and the presence in the male of two large rostral appendages distinguish this species from most large chameleons. O'Shaughnessy's chameleon C. Furcifer species altogether lack occipital lobes, have less sharply triangular heads, and differ in colouration and patterning.
Mid- and low-altitude rainforest and forest edges, exhibiting a particular preference for areas alongside forest streams. Parson's chameleon tends to avoid dense primary rainforest, and is most often encountered in areas with a degree of disturbance. Diet: Varied, and possibly omnivorous. Animal matter taken includes lizards, birds and invertebrates; anecdotally, the species may also feed on fruit, flowers and leaves. The discovery by Takahashi that wild Oustalet's chameleons will take fruit supports these accounts..
Breeding biology: Females lay clutches of eggs, each 22 x 10 mm in diameter. These are laid in the ground, in a hollow excavated 30 cm deep following gestation lasting up to five months. Incubation in this species is extended days , and appears to be reliant on seasonal changes in temperature.
Life cycle: Captive studies suggest that Parson's chameleon reaches sexual maturity at years of age, later than any other chameleon species that has been studied.
Lifespan: Over six years, which is unusually long-lived for a chameleon. A good long soak of 10 minutes will hydrate one for the day. Personally I have a little set up with branches and fake pants that I place in a shower three times a week. I then let each Parson soak for 25 minutes. My Mist Kings are set for three daily 5 minute sprays and another five sessions that only go off for a minute each.
That's all the water my current set ups can handle and not cause issues in the house. If you as a keeper can build a drainage system that would allow more water, go for it.
But if you are limited to how much water you can spray as a first time Parson keeper go with the multiple 5 min mistings daily and additional short mistings supplemented with a few long soakings in the shower. You want to handle your pet right? Well there you go, a few times a week you get to handle your Parson as you put it in the shower.
Like this. Q- What about Humidity and Temps? A- Parsons are pretty forgiving. There are those who disagree, I don't listen to them and the fact my animals thrive is all I care about so they can go pound sand. The thing most people fail to think about actually is air flow. Stagnant air combined with humidity and certain warmer temps will lead to a respiratory infection.
As for temps, I've kept mine outside at 90F and they just use the dense foliage to stay comfortable. I do turn on misters and if they need to drink, they drink. As for humidity it is pretty arid in SoCal so figure that one out. I don't let my animals stay outside if temps are getting down to 55F.
Now indoors, the day temp in their cages has a nice gradient going from 75 up to 88F. You, as a keeper, providing this gradient is important, it lets the animal regulate its own body temp. How you provide that gradient is on you.
My humidity goes up and down during the day. Right after the misters kick on the humidity goes up and will be in the high 70's and then drop down to as low Having potted plants with semi damp soil helps create a gradient in humidity too.
In areas around a plant with damp soil the humidity is higher than areas away from the plants. So the lesson here is that with some planning and understanding of your equipment and your foliage you can easily create acceptable temperature and humidity gradients for your first Parson as long as you have enough room to do it in.
Q - I hear I need a huge variety of food items! A- To start with, all chameleon species do better with the biggest variety of food items you can give them as a keeper. To say one MUST have a large variety is simply bull. Keep this in mind, the bigger the predator, the bigger the prey items. I have seen first hand that Parson's eat vertebrates. I've been talked down to by some people over the years insisting they don't eat them if given a choice.
Well, they're wrong. I've seen Huge Parsons stalk after day geckos, anoles, and coming running for a mouse fuzzy just as fast as they want a mantis, a choice roach, or a hawk moth. If it fits they'll eat it. I am NOT suggesting people do this, but before old Hormone lost his teeth that beast blew outta the air and ate a few hummingbirds courtesy of my father who thought it was cool despite my protests about parasites. The point is they hunt for appropriate sized prey items and they eat everything.
Or so you think. You see every Parson chameleon is different in its eating habits. Some are easy to feed. So will go on a hunger strike from hell. Some will eat from your hands, others won't eat until they see you leave the room. Just as their habits vary so do their preferences.
I've had some that won't eat a roach and others that will only eat a roach. If I put the same food items in a hanging feeder in front of her she won't touch them.
Personally I make sure my animals have two steady food sources Orange head roaches and jumbo super worms currently that I powder up with supplements.
I do make the effort to obtain other food items. Stick insects are good, other types of roaches, large horn worms or silk worms, maybe a mantis, or a gecko, or a fuzzy. What I don't do is stress over having a constant variety so huge it is prohibitive to keep. Q- What about medical care? A- What about it? If you can't afford to take a pet to the Vet then don't own one.
Considering these animals and their set up cost more than most dogs I would hope a person owning one has enough forethought to look up and find a good Herp vet prior to owning one. The sad truth of keeping any chameleon is that at some point you will need some type of medical help.
The difference between your chameleon living and dying can come down to whether or not your vet is experienced with chameleons, or instead just says "they see reptiles". I was very lucky in my early years to meet a wonderful Vet who was more than happy to teach me about basic reptile medical care while I taught him about equipment and environmental factors. Whenever a customer came in with a sick reptile, I sent them to him. Whenever he had a sick reptile come in, he sent them to me for the right gear.
I saw first hand how good he was with reptiles, but even he hated working on a chameleon "because you don't have a lot of room or time to work with. You need to be able to take your critter in when it needs it. If you can't do that, don't buy one. Also don't give me that crap about "My animal will be fine, I've got the perfect set up blah blah blah" because all your animal has to do is fall and you end up with a vet visit like this He fell.
Nothing more. Busted his middle horn well into the base and despite a solid attempt by a great herp vet and having an owner more than capable of caring for his rehab, he died. Crap happens with any pet you keep, be prepared for the occasional vet visit and even if your Parson is healthy take in a fecal sample once a year and have it checked for parasites. Personally I give my animals a dose of Panacur once a year three doses at two week intervals as a routine.
Q- Do I have to let my animal go through brumation? A- No. I've kept Parsons for years without letting them go into that semi hibernative state. Same with tortoises. I've kept tortoises for years that never hibernated and thrived. It's just about providing them the environment they need to stay active. So, that synopsis: 1 - Always set up your habitat first and make sure everything is working before you buy that Parson. A size of 48"L X 48" H X 24" deep is fine for a young solo animal up to about g, That fact right there will help a lot of you getting your first Parson.
Don't go bonkers on the size of the cage. One bulb should be a plant light and another a UVB bulb. Use your head when deciding that. Put the fixture on a timer and give the animal hours of it daily. None of this " I'll use a hand sprayer for now" crap. Make sure you know how much water your set up can handle before doing this. You should set the timer to give long mistings at 5 mins each with additional mistings set for 1 minute throughout the day.
I don't mist at night. If you have a set up that lets you just turn the water on for however long you like, more power to you. I keep my animals indoors at F using a gradient. The Quad fixture puts out a ton of heat so it is warmer up top and gets cooler down below. My Parsons just go where they feel comfortable. Providing that gradient is my job as a keeper. How you do it is up to you, you just need to have it. Night temps stay above 55F outside but indoors my animals are never below 70F.
This is the reason why they will never go into brumation. I let it fluctuate. I don't stress over it. The Mist King and damp potted plants tend to give them enough Humidity from my experience. Just make sure you have some air flow going through the cage in some capacity.
I offer food daily. They don't always eat daily. Sometimes they'll eat five days in a row and then not want anything for a day or two. I try to use hanging feeders but also cup feed from my hand. I do not free range any insects in their cages. Panther chameleons are primarily insectivorous, meaning they obtain their nutrients from consuming a vast range of insects.
Chameleons are mostly diurnal. Meaning they will be found foraging for food and eating during the daylight hours. How often chameleons eat depends on many factors, including the age of the chameleon and the availability of food. Chameleons are lower in the animal food chain, and so they have many natural enemies who consider them to be a vital delicacy.
Examples of organisms that predate on chameleons include snakes , birds, and mammals like monkeys. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. Animal Cells Prokaryotic Cells Vs. Eukaryotic Cells Amphibians Vs. Reptiles Anatomy Vs. Physiology Diffusion vs.
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