i want a chameleon

[Carlton]

Although i fully agree that Chams should only be handled rarely.

I believe that it is truely upto the cham itsself. Flo (12 month Panther female) love it when i wonder into the room, she gets straight up from the branch and wanders down onto my hand!!!

however, on the other hand a couple of my others are very 'showy' and will only come to you if you approach them......

I suggest you do a LOT of research and consider weither this species is for you

IMHO, the better way to think about what a cham "wants" or not is to remind yourself what is important to its survival...food, light, heat, water, territory, mates. It's behavior evolved around understanding these things. The list doesn't include sophisticated social behaviors that a species living in groups or herds needs. They don't care for a mate or young. They lead solitary lives except for mating. Other animals are a food item, a threat, a mate, or a competitor. It is just the way they are wired. Humans are social and we desire and need interaction with others...human or animal. We are curious and like observing new things. We live in groups so can learn how to tolerate or understand other beings.

Sure there are captive bred chams who are very tolerant of a meddling human in their territory. Sure they can learn that a human often arrives with treat foods, and that they aren't about to be eaten. It doesn't mean they "like" us. They have learned that we fall into a new category on the instinctive "other animal" list. I don't think any particular strain of cham has been domesticated nearly enough to be social. Frankly, if they were you might end up with a cham so calm it doesn't even fire up colors. Wouldn't that be disappointing!

 

[draetish]

IMHO, the better way to think about what a cham "wants" or not is to remind yourself what is important to its survival...food, light, heat, water, territory, mates. It's behavior evolved around understanding these things. The list doesn't include sophisticated social behaviors that a species living in groups or herds needs. They don't care for a mate or young. They lead solitary lives except for mating. Other animals are a food item, a threat, a mate, or a competitor. It is just the way they are wired. Humans are social and we desire and need interaction with others...human or animal. We are curious and like observing new things. We live in groups so can learn how to tolerate or understand other beings.

Sure there are captive bred chams who are very tolerant of a meddling human in their territory. Sure they can learn that a human often arrives with treat foods, and that they aren't about to be eaten. It doesn't mean they "like" us. They have learned that we fall into a new category on the instinctive "other animal" list. I don't think any particular strain of cham has been domesticated nearly enough to be social. Frankly, if they were you might end up with a cham so calm it doesn't even fire up colors. Wouldn't that be disappointing!

I agree to some degree. However, yes they have natural instincts that no one can take away. If they are wild caught then handling would be more stressful then a captive bred and hatched cham that has not experienced preditors in the wild and have been around humans their entire life.

 

[JaxyGirl]

Triton, My Jackson's definitely tolerates being handled..can't say that he likes it but he doesn't seem to get stressed about anything. He free ranges in my living room with my two cat's...which he will gape at if they get too close and then he'll go on his merry way. But, he doesn't gape at me...so he definitely recognizes me..so who knows what he is actually thinking but I do know that there is some sort of thought process going on if he recognizes me, climbs on my hand, eats by hand and moves around the house like he owns it...because he does...LOL!

 

[Carlton]

I agree to some degree. However, yes they have natural instincts that no one can take away. If they are wild caught then handling would be more stressful then a captive bred and hatched cham that has not experienced preditors in the wild and have been around humans their entire life.

Yes, I agree...should have included that!

 

[hondataeg6]

I actually have never handled my Sambava, when I bought him I just took off the deli-cup lid off inside th cage and set the cup in down, and left the room. I removed the deli-cup once he was asleep. Till this day I have never tried to handle him. I read somewhere that chameleons live longer if their not handled at all. I clean his cage when hes asleep so I wont stress him out. I made a cage for him so I can putting outside for a while when the temp. is nice, but I have not used it because I dont know how to take him out with out stressing him out...

 

[morpheon]

I'll clear up a few things:

1) It is so far impossible to determine if a chameleon loves being handled or not. I dare anyone to give me true scientific facts about it. The problem lies in the inability of the human to isolate only ONE reason for a behavior like "jumping on someone's hand". If we could, then we'd be able to say that chameleons love it.

2) It doesn't mean that chameleons don't love being handled, it means that WE DON'T KNOW. Since we don't know, most breeders prefer to reduce handling as much as possible, just in case! So if you care for your chameleon, you'll handle it as less as possible, plain and simple.

3) I agree with those who BELIEVE (ie not a fact) that in the future, when the next generations will be not worth counting anymore (F1000, F2000), chameleons might end up like dogs and cats. They might actually love being handled, and by that time we might be able to prove it scientifically.

4) What Draetish said in this thread is also right: she taught some of you how to make chameleons associate your hand to something positive, such as food. This means that no matter if "chameleons loves being handled or not", seeing your hand would mean less stressful. How much less stressful i don't know. Nobody knows. However, the smaller improvement is still an improvement! And that means less stress (did i say NO stress at all? no!) when you take them in your hands for any reason, including taking them outside, going to the vet, or just for your personal fun.

Hope this helps.

 

[Carlton]

I actually have never handled my Sambava, when I bought him I just took off the deli-cup lid off inside th cage and set the cup in down, and left the room. I removed the deli-cup once he was asleep. Till this day I have never tried to handle him. I read somewhere that chameleons live longer if their not handled at all. I clean his cage when hes asleep so I wont stress him out. I made a cage for him so I can putting outside for a while when the temp. is nice, but I have not used it because I dont know how to take him out with out stressing him out...

I think it is a good idea to teach a captive cham that human hands are not to be feared for this reason. Chances are, someday you would need to handle him so some experience would make it easier for him. When we say "handle" most of us mean pretty basic coaxing onto a human hand or a perch, carrying him somewhere else, releasing, and later returning him to his cage. A great way to teach him to accept your hand is to hand feed him special favorite feeders.

To pick him up and move him to a basking cage is simple unless he's really reactive. Place your hand in front of him at foot level. Put your other hand slowly behind him and nudge him forward so he climbs onto the hand he's facing. Let him hold you and don't cover his back or head. Carry him wherever you need to and let him climb onto a branch on his own.

 

[Leedslad88]

IMHO, the better way to think about what a cham "wants" or not is to remind yourself what is important to its survival...food, light, heat, water, territory, mates. It's behavior evolved around understanding these things. The list doesn't include sophisticated social behaviors that a species living in groups or herds needs. They don't care for a mate or young. They lead solitary lives except for mating. Other animals are a food item, a threat, a mate, or a competitor. It is just the way they are wired. Humans are social and we desire and need interaction with others...human or animal. We are curious and like observing new things. We live in groups so can learn how to tolerate or understand other beings.

Sure there are captive bred chams who are very tolerant of a meddling human in their territory. Sure they can learn that a human often arrives with treat foods, and that they aren't about to be eaten. It doesn't mean they "like" us. They have learned that we fall into a new category on the instinctive "other animal" list. I don't think any particular strain of cham has been domesticated nearly enough to be social. Frankly, if they were you might end up with a cham so calm it doesn't even fire up colors. Wouldn't that be disappointing!

I Agree.....

However, the more the cham is 'tolerant' of the human then the less stress it causes. I did not at any point say that handling them was fun. However, it is wrong to say that when a cham scurrys down the tree onto your hand you would be a fool to harshly pull your hand away.

I agree with the post above, that although the cham should not normally be handled, it does CB chams good to be used to this and familirise itself to being handled should the worse happen thus creating less stress!!!

For example hand feeding!

 

[JaxyGirl]

I Agree.....

However, the more the cham is 'tolerant' of the human then the less stress it causes. I did not at any point say that handling them was fun. However, it is wrong to say that when a cham scurrys down the tree onto your hand you would be a fool to harshly pull your hand away.

I agree with the post above, that although the cham should not normally be handled, it does CB chams good to be used to this and familirise itself to being handled should the worse happen thus creating less stress!!!

For example hand feeding!

I agree with the above...but I have to say that I do think handling my cham is fun and he seems to enjoy it also. I know there isn't any scientific evidence to that fact and the word is still out whether this stresses my cham or not. But he doesn't seem to be stressed nor does he have stressed coloration when he is out and about Free Ranging.

 

[hondataeg6]

I think it is a good idea to teach a captive cham that human hands are not to be feared for this reason. Chances are, someday you would need to handle him so some experience would make it easier for him. When we say "handle" most of us mean pretty basic coaxing onto a human hand or a perch, carrying him somewhere else, releasing, and later returning him to his cage. A great way to teach him to accept your hand is to hand feed him special favorite feeders.

To pick him up and move him to a basking cage is simple unless he's really reactive. Place your hand in front of him at foot level. Put your other hand slowly behind him and nudge him forward so he climbs onto the hand he's facing. Let him hold you and don't cover his back or head. Carry him wherever you need to and let him climb onto a branch on his own.

I dont literally hand feed him, but as soon as he see's me putting a super on the screen door he almost snatches it off my hand but if I try to put my hand in any closer he gets all pumped up and starts to threaten my hand... And I really dont want to know how it feels to get bitten by a chameleon.

 

[JaxyGirl]

Triton pretty much hand feeds all the time. He does recognize me when I come in the room and I can tell when he's hungry and looking for his goodies..LOL!

 

[SpinyFranky]

Triton pretty much hand feeds all the time. He does recognize me when I come in the room and I can tell when he's hungry and looking for his goodies..LOL!

My Sambava is the same!

I feed using a deli cup to hold the roaches, IF HE SEES THE DELI CUP AT ALL he will run to the feeding perch and start aiming the tongue.

My Ambanja however prefers to eat when no one is standing near, but with my Sambava I dont even get a chance to stick my hand in the cage before the little piggy is doing the chameleon reach (two feet holding on, two feet reaching for the food, tongue ready to shoot) and about a second after that the roach is gone and he is happily crunching away.

all chameleons are different in their own regard, some prefer to be left alone and some will tolerate (and for those of us who think so "like") to be handled.

Some gape and hiss if you walk by, and some come running for food. Some thing your hand is the chameleon devil come to take him away, and some think its the feeding hand, and some think its a person they trust and will climb onto.

Ive been bitten by a veiled, (didnt hurt) and my Ambanja would probably bite if my finger got into his mouth somehow... but my finger has been in my Sambavas mouth (he snagged me along with the roach onetime) and he simply held his mouth open without biting at all, and gave me a second to remove my finger. He then did a huge chomp on the roach.

The point is, they are all different, yet all loveable. even if they dont know what love means or is.