Big, Beautiful Parson's Chameleons

Out of all the chameleons in the world, the Parson's Chameleon is said to be the largest when it comes to weight. They reach the size of a house cat, and the tail can stretch to be longer than the body. These large reptiles are native to eastern Madagascar, and are very popular among collectors due to their size and also the wide appeal of the chameleon's appearance.

These brilliantly colored lizards are characterized by their grey or brownish colorings as juveniles, but the colors and patterns change depending upon the different life stage they may be in. Dark banding runs diagonally across the thick body of this chameleon. In adulthood, colors that are present include greens and blues. Some males can exhibit orange eyelids and even yellow or white lips. A dorsal crest is sometimes present in males, as well as two rostral appendages. They look like two tiny horns.

The natural habitat for this amazing reptile is low and mid-altitude rainforests. They seem to have a preference of being near moving water, and are very often found next to streams. They are very seldom if ever seen on the ground, instead preferring the canopy of trees and the security and prey they provide.

The Parson's chameleon is an omnivore, munching regularly on small lizards, birds and perhaps even small mice when it's looking for a meaty meal. Other items on the menu for this bruiser include leaves, flowers, and also many different kinds of fruits. For a water source, many owners choose to use some sort of drip system.

Chameleons are notorious for not drinking from standing water, preferring to take their hydration as it drips from leaves or trickles from a waterfall. Like other chameleons, the Parson's chameleon can extend its tongue to one and a half times its body length to capture prey.

Perhaps mostly because of its size, the Parson's chameleon seems to be popular with people who keep reptiles. It is a particularly slow moving specimen and may appear to be a bit lazy. This should not, however, fool you into thinking you can house this chameleon in a smaller sized cage. It still needs plenty of room to roam about. Room- sized cages that offer plenty of hiding spots seem to make the Parson's chameleon happy.

When it comes to home habitat, the Parson's chameleon has requirements that are similar to other chameleons. They need things to climb on, preferably live vegetation. They prefer the temperature to be on the warm side, up to 85 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and not dipping below 65 degrees at night. Humidity should be on the high side to mimic their natural habitat in the wild. We recommend 80 to 100 percent humidity levels.

Cages should be constructed from sturdy materials. No glass or plastic, as it doesn't allow for any air exchange within the cage. They live in the trees - they need plenty of ventilation. Parsons are a solitary creature and will exhibit signs of stress when they are subjected to overcrowding, and with Parsons, two's a crowd unless it's time to mate.

Breeding males will actually butt heads to try to establish who is more dominant. The females only breed once every two years. They can lay up to 25 eggs. The eggs incubate for an incredible twenty months.

Knowing what to look for when selecting a Parson's chameleon can help with your enjoyment of this fascinating reptile. Remember, the life span of these guys can be over six years. Check to see if the skin springs back when it is lightly pinched. If not, the chameleon is dehydrated. Also look to see how active it is. A reluctance to climb or even move about could be a sign that the reptile is not very healthy. Another point to look for is eyes that are constantly open. Chameleons are said to never close their eyes in the daytime.

As with any exotic, the best way to keep the Parsons Chameleon healthy is to maintain a habitat that resembles his native habitat as closely as possible. Learn about his geographical area and have the enclosure ready before you purchase your Parsons Chameleon.

How to Care for a Pet Monkey

First and foremost it should be noted, that most of you are not cut out to be monkey owners. Now this is not slander on your ability as people, it is merely an observation that the average person does not have the time nor the commitment that is required to properly care for a monkey. A comparable example to a pet monkey, is caring for a toddler an entire lifetime.

To the brave few who feel they are up to the task, I salute you and encourage that you read on.

Research

This short guide is a great start to obtaining the information that you would need to begin caring for your first pet monkey, but far from complete. You must do extensive research, scouring the internet and books, for all information you can gather. To take this one step further try reaching out to an actual monkey owner to see what methods they use which you feel will be transferable to your monkey. Do the majority of your research before obtaining your monkey as this could be as this could be the decision maker into whether or not you are up to caring for a monkey.

Obtaining a monkey

The only legitimate and safe way to obtain a monkey would be to buy one through a breeder. Although the tricky part is sometimes locating a breeder which is near to you and is not asking outrageous prices, while on the topic of prices, always look at the going rate of the breed of monkey you are going for, as anything under that price is more often than not going to be a scam. Some breeders have created their own websites and advertise through that platform, others use pet listing sites, regardless as to where you find your breeder always ask them for proof of previous clients, I also always advise that monkeys be picked up from the breeder, for the safety of the monkey.

Time and Commitment

I feel as though this point needs to be reiterated again and again, owning a monkey is a lifetime commitment which during their infancy requires 24/7 attention with some needing such attention all the way into adulthood.

Diet

As much as we love to believe the stereotype, monkeys eat a lot more than bananas. They require a specific balanced diet, which cannot consist of human food alone. Their sugar intake must be monitored at all times, too much sugar in the monkeys diet can lead to diabetes, in turn would require insulin shots and an awful standard of living for the primate. A recent introduction into a monkey's diet, which has become a regulation of sorts, is monkey chow. A mixture of certain fruits, nuts and insects. Monkey biscuits are also needed for the growth and development of the primate.

Living Environment

For the safety of the monkey, you will need a cage. As the intelligence of the primates comes into effect, being in a house 24 hours a day they will begin to unlock doors, windows and cabinets, this will put their safety highly at risk. The USDA recommend a minimum size for the cage, it is however advised that you are to acquire something larger, to what extent is at your discretion, just remember monkeys are very active animals and need a lot of space to play. They also need a large amount of mental stimulation, ensure to fill their cages with toys, trees and plants. Without mental stimulation, the monkey will become bored, which can lead to aggressive behavior.

Remember this is only a short guide to get you started, DO YOUR RESEARCH.

The Magical Childhood With the Adorable Monsters

As a daughter of a forest officer, I had plenty of privileges. For starters, I had a zoo. Yes, I literally had a zoo as my playground!

My father used to be a Zoo Director at Padmaja Naidu Himayalan Zoological Park. I loved that place with all my heart. It could be a childhood illusion but I think we had the best house in Darjeeling. From the French windows in my parents' room, we could see the entire Kunchenjunga range. From my room, which my sister and I used to share, we could see the garden with its beds of bright red poppies in the spring and summer on one side and a jungle, which probably only had jackals, from the other. Even though I knew from the beginning that I would have to leave this magical place - my very own Narnia - someday, it did not stop me from being friends with the diverse animals that lived there. And of course, I had my favourites too.

The zoo campus was my fortress. I surveyed it everyday, stopping to admire the beauty of the clean and green environment that came alive with the chirping of exotic birds and the roar of Siberian tigers. Everyday, the zookeepers and the guards would tell me stories and happenings that went on in the zoo. Trust me, it felt exactly like being in the fairy tale of Narnia. Only these animals did not speak English.

My favourite anecdote was one where the leopard broke a visitor's umbrella. Some tourists got excited after they saw the leopard. But they were soon disappointed when it wouldn't act in a way a carnivore is supposed to. I guess they expected it to be growling and inflicting fear on passersby. So they poked it with an umbrella until the leopard got angry and snatched the umbrella and broke it. After that incident, Achilles (mispronounced as Ac-chilis by the zookeeper) became my favourite leopard.

I also enjoyed playing with the fluffy looking snow leopard. Each time I was near his cage, he used to mirror my movements. If I ran, he ran. If I walked, he walked. At times, he used to hide and watch me from the corner of his eyes and then surprise me by suddenly jumping out of his hideout. Sometimes, under supervision, I even stroked the back of his furry ear. I could say that he really enjoyed it by his throaty purrs.

I used to love how I had found secret hideouts in the zoo. On every holiday, if we were not out on a family getaway, I would walk all the way up to the Siberian Tigers enclosure, which was at the far end of the zoo. And even though they were not very friendly, I enjoyed looking at them. I was also very jealous about the fact that they had a nice looking cave where they could nap.

I did not like the deer family and mountain goats too much because they spent all their time eating. Nonetheless, I did make a friend. A little mountain goat called Pooja Bhatt. I gave the goat this name since it had a cute little fringe that was sported by the popular actress. However, I'm not sure if the goat was even a female. But I loved feeding it grass and it definitely had a big appetite.

Like I said, there were plenty of advantages of being a zoo directors' daughter. One of them was being able to play with and care for the cute and helpless looking cubs that grow up to be majestic yet fearful looking creatures.

The tiger and leopard cubs were extremely cute. If you kept a stuffed toy right next to them, you wouldn't be able to tell them apart, until the real one moved. It's funny how everyone is so scared of these carnivores. Each time a cub was born, we would wait excitedly for it to grow up and play with us. Sadly, cubs abandoned by their mothers did not do very well despite all the warmth and nourishment we tried to provide to simulate the care it would have got from its mother. It was heartbreaking to watch them die. When you looked at the scared and shivering cubs with their wide-eyed innocence, you forgot that when they grow up, they could kill you with a casual flick of their paw across your face.

But if I had to pick a favourite, then it would definitely be the bear cubs, Sunny and Mani. I don't remember how they ended up staying in the guard room outside the house when they were first brought to the zoo hardly a month old, but I do remember them biting the bottom of the wooden door with their moderately sharp teeth.

I wouldn't say we had the best garden but we did have some nice looking poppies, petunias and fuchsias among a few others. However these adorable yet destructive pair of cubs hardly took half an hour to ruin our gardeners' hard work. But how could we be mad? These cuddle worthy cubs never let us get angry with them by being so lively and funny.

My memories about my stay at PNHZP have faded a little over the years. But what I still remember and will never forget is that I only had friends and no enemies. I had a good day everyday. I was in Darjeeling a little while ago and made it a point to visit the zoo. The place looks much grander now. But sadly, it's no longer my Narnia. I saw Sunny again. He is old now and of course, didn't remember me. But that doesn't matter because I have the best memories of him and they will always stay with me.