roger11489
New Member
any friendly types out there ? or maybe the offspring of a friendly set of parents? is this even possible?.... to breed a pair of friendly mature chameleons, to have a better chance of getting friendly offspring?
are there any friendly chameleons?
- Thread starter roger11489
- Start date
Monties1982
Avid Member
Some chameleon species tend to be more aggressive than others, but even the ones that are less aggressive to keepers are still very shy. Their disposition does vary by individual, though, so I suppose it might be possible to breed chameleons to be friendlier, but it would take several generations. People also usually pick chameleons based more on how they look, so currently most selective breeding is based on appearance.
warpdrive
Avid Member
I have to agree with the above posts.
With that said, I got my first panther at 6 weeks old and he has been living in my living room since I got him.
While at first I didn't allow many visitors to my home, I did slowly let people in to visit.
As always with some people, they just have to stick there face right up to the cage to look at him...
Well, silly Splat would then come from where ever he was in the cage to greet them at the front door.
It seems that he has always been curious of new people and at times I swore he looks at strangers more then they watch him.
He has even been known to walk right onto a total strangers hand while freeranging.
He has no fear of anyone.
I'm so glad I didn't listen to all the people and put him in a quiet room. He would then be as shy as my female.
Instead he is not my "show pet", but instead my roommate.
Harry
With that said, I got my first panther at 6 weeks old and he has been living in my living room since I got him.
While at first I didn't allow many visitors to my home, I did slowly let people in to visit.
As always with some people, they just have to stick there face right up to the cage to look at him...
Well, silly Splat would then come from where ever he was in the cage to greet them at the front door.
It seems that he has always been curious of new people and at times I swore he looks at strangers more then they watch him.
He has even been known to walk right onto a total strangers hand while freeranging.
He has no fear of anyone.
I'm so glad I didn't listen to all the people and put him in a quiet room. He would then be as shy as my female.
Instead he is not my "show pet", but instead my roommate.
Harry
roger11489
New Member
so people only go for looks ?
wow even in the reptile world people only know how to be superficial ...
do you know which kinds are the least aggressive?
how young should my first chameleon be?
i'm leaning towards getting one as young as i can find, some reptile show/expo thing is coming to town two weeks. im hoping to get one there.
Matt1851
New Member
superficial? Chameleons are not "friendly" animals, now not trying to stear you away from buying one but they really are not an animal that you can be friendly with. Even if you get your cham or any cham it might seem friendly to you but in its head its probably going "omg omg please put me down". yes chameleons also crawl out to peoples hands and might sit on them but thats usually due to the fact that they want to get to another point in the room and they see you as a taxi. What im getting at is and what all will tell you on these forums "Chameleons are look at Reptiles" if you want one for holding and being friendly i would strongly suggest a Bearded dragon or a leopard gecko.
Monties1982
Avid Member
I would suggest a Jackson's chameleon. They're good for a first chameleon and usually just shy toward keepers. They're also one of the more commonly kept chameleons, so it would be easy to find one. 3 months old is probably the youngest you'd want to get. My first chameleon was a Jackson's and he was pretty easy going and not at all aggressive toward me.
roger11489
New Member
cool, thanks alot everyone for answering so quickly.
so lets take a vote!
which kind of chameleon should be my first?
a) Veiled
b) Panther
c) Jackson's
d) other--(PLEASE NAME)
Matt1851
New Member
well like monties said if you want a cham that will be less aggresive id go jacksons but if your into color id go panther
roger11489
New Member
um... when i spoke with the pet bazaar keeper he said jacksons were tougher to keep (meaning delicate) and recommended a veiled since he considered them to be "hardy"
now out of these two species, which is more aggresive?
thechameleon
New Member
maybe you should consider buying a pygmy. it's cheap, it's less agressive and it doesn't take a lot of space
. but the problem is, they are mostly sold as wild caughts and they could carry parasites. so if you can find a cb pygmy, they can make great pets
Brad Ramsey
Retired Moderator
The veiled would be more aggressive, but a much better choice for a first time chameleon.
There are ways to have interaction with chameleons that are very rewarding that don't involve handling, such as hand feeding.
If you want a reptile that is comfortable spending more intimate time with you ... chameleons aren't really on the short list.
-Brad
There are ways to have interaction with chameleons that are very rewarding that don't involve handling, such as hand feeding.
If you want a reptile that is comfortable spending more intimate time with you ... chameleons aren't really on the short list.
-Brad
eppcheck
New Member
This...pretty much. Although I love chameleons and currently work with both panthers and veileds they are not the handling/friendly type. It's the species nature to be hostile/timid towards other people and things. You'll occasionally find the odd ball that will allow handling which I usually associate with curiosity more than being friendly. When you choose a chameleon there will be no way for you to know if it will have that kind of personaility. Unless, you spend enough time before hand getting to know it.
To answer your question though, I would say panther. I haven't had experience with a jackson before though. One of my panthers is very "friendly" and loves to venture outside his enclosure. Veileds are notorious for being agressive and hostile especially females.
Miss Lily
Chameleon Enthusiast
My first female veiled live in a specialist reptile shop until she was 6 months old. She was extremely 'people friendly' as she was used to people looking at her and was handled regularly.
Amy is a little more temperamental but can still be bribed with food (being a female she is permanently hungry!) She is not stressed when out - her colours stay the same and once she is out of her cage she is fine and will happily walk from hand to hand or sit on my shoulder.
Tommy was passed around a lot before I got him - I am his 5th owner and he is the sweetest, calmest chameleon you could ever meet! He bangs on his door when he wants to come out and I only have to stand in front of his cage to look at him and he comes down from wherever he was and will wlak out onto my arm! He is just completely loveable! Interestinlgy I think he is a clutch mate of my first female - if not, then he is definitely a sibling from the same breeder.
Amy is a little more temperamental but can still be bribed with food (being a female she is permanently hungry!
) She is not stressed when out - her colours stay the same and once she is out of her cage she is fine and will happily walk from hand to hand or sit on my shoulder.Tommy was passed around a lot before I got him - I am his 5th owner and he is the sweetest, calmest chameleon you could ever meet! He bangs on his door when he wants to come out and I only have to stand in front of his cage to look at him and he comes down from wherever he was and will wlak out onto my arm! He is just completely loveable!
Interestinlgy I think he is a clutch mate of my first female - if not, then he is definitely a sibling from the same breeder.
VeiledOwner87
New Member
i've never owned one, but my girlfriend's friend has one, and a few people around here, say that senegals are pretty docile. they dont mind being handled too much. its hard to get jacksons around here aswell so i'm not to sure. veileds are jerks lol, my little girl will only come out onto my hand if i have food. my gf's male veiled is a buttmunch and ALWAYS hisses at me. but she has a female who is an absolute sweetheart, so its give or take on veileds, i love veileds though. im not sure about a panthers attitude so i will not say. but if your very sneaky and slow and gentle, a pygmy shouldnt mind lol. so in my opinion. other for sure.
just keep in mind that every animal is different. some may have been treated wonderful where they came from. they may have been just objects to the petstores. then it all comes down to you. but even your most amazing gentle care could not rewind the hands of time in an animals mind. their all pretty timid and cautious by nature, and good or bad past experiences in their lives will make all the difference
