Handleing my jackson chem

[Levi]

Normaly my jackson chem would get stressed and turn black if i tried to pick her up. But i can get her to climb on my hand when she is sleeping without changing colors at all and when she wakes up there are little signs of stress. Do you think this would make it all right for me to handle her?

 

[Razzledazzlebee]

Chameleons are not the type of animal which should be handled. Think of it like a fish- beautiful, enjoy, observe and leave her be. If she's showing signs of stress then she does not enjoy being handled...

 

[qdude46]

I mean this in the way possible razzledeazzlebee but that is not at all completely true. Many chameleons can be personable, I don't speak from experience but from the many posts I've seen and the few chameleons I have handled. To get her to trust you, try hand feeding her (especially foods she favors) as she will see you as the giver go yummy treats. Some chameleons are grumps and other are happy to be handled so you'll just have to find how yours is.

 

[amanda509]

Normaly my jackson chem would get stressed and turn black if i tried to pick her up. But i can get her to climb on my hand when she is sleeping without changing colors at all and when she wakes up there are little signs of stress. Do you think this would make it all right for me to handle her?

I would not bother her while she is sleeping, unless she is sleeping during the day, which is bad. Otherwise, it takes time for chameleons to not stress while being handled, and some never come around, while others are like puppy dogs. It all depends on your chams personality. How long have you had her? If its not long, leave her alone for a couple weeks, period. If you have had her awhile, try teaching her to hand feed, then she no longer sees your hand as a threat and won't get stressed...you can work with her from there. Free ranging (with supervision at all times) is also another good way to help because chameleons are less stressed when they do not feel confined.

 

[FlChamMom]

I would keep working with her on hand-feeding and trying to get her to walk onto your hand. My panther comes willingly to me now (launches himself actually) but it took a month of hand feeding and holding my hand out until it went numb before he did. I had another panther though who would rather bite my hand than take a feeder from it. He stayed in the cage- more as the "enjoy and observe" cham. I never try to interact with my cham if I observe stress colors though, better to try later.