I want your opinion

[moody232002]

one of chameleons loved being handled but only when she wanted the interaction so it was always guided by her needs,my new one is tolerating hands in his enclosure and has mostly stopped hissing and trying to bite,i'd love to get him hand tame but if he doesn't i'm happy to just sit and watch his antics,the main reason i want to hand tame him is for any occasion that i need to get him to the vet

 

[laurie]

At one point in time I did handle my chams, now I feel guilty when I take on out to put them in the free range area. And they are doing better health wise and color wise since I leave them alone. I have a could of veiled who would have taken a bite any time a hand was offered! Consider the chameleons needs forst not yours. I had to do it and so should you.

 

[Rocky]

i dont ever get my chameleon out, while I kinda feel bad about it because it almost seems like i'm not giving him attention I know its best for him and he is really enjoying himself now

When i was taking him out about 3-4 times a week he would be stressed out for about 5 minutes then he would start to color up and walk around on me and whoever was around and seemed to enjoy it. But now I dont take him out as much and he is still showing his yellows/turqoise blues and seems happy.

I have a veiled btw

 

[Sneak]

My brother in law had one about eight years ago that was like a python, didnt bite but you never knew if he liked to be handled or not. Didnt run away or hiss or any of that so it was out of the cage all the time. It was about six and a half before it died.


The one I have, I can tell he doesnt want to be handled so I treat him like my fish and just watch what he does which is cool. He does hand feed though which is awesome and plenty enough interaction for me. Some people are way more against handling then I seem to be even though I dont handle mine. Some people give the advice rec'd and then do the exact opposite. I have noticed on alot of forums that people who are against handling chams, have tons of pictures posted with them doing just that...handling them. If it doesnt stress them, what is the real problem?

 

[Brad Ramsey]

It does stress them.
No chameleon wants to be handled, regardless of what you perceive or what anyone tells you.
They want to be left alone and do much better when kept this way.
In regard to pictures, it is necessary to occasionally handle an animal you are responsible for, in order to inspect it or move it for cage cleaning, etc. This is a good time to get pictures as well, and in many cases this is exactly when those pictures occur.
Taking an occasional picture in no way compares to handling a chameleon every day for an hour.
The advice given here should encourage superior care and have the well being of the animal as it's foremost purpose.
Stories about chameleons who seem to enjoy watching t.v. on the owner's lap every night, etc. are not helpful to this end.
Regardless of any advice given, some people are just going to do what they want. In my opinion, this compromises their credibility.

-Brad

 

[addicted]

I end up handling my cham nearly every day, but I don't take him out.

When I come to give him his crix and his morning mist, he will climb out, he's actually there waiting most times.

So the handling is just to put him back in after I'm done misting. I simply put my hand in front of him, he climbs on willingly, then I put my hand into his enclosure and he climbs back onto a vine (sometimes not so willingly)

He's now 9 months old and this is just a recent behavioral development, pretty much the first 7 months that I had him, he didn't really want anything to do with me, and I was content just to watch and take care of him.

In my opinion, to own a cham, you have to be perfectly content with the idea that your cham may 'hate you', and just be happy to be able to observe him.

If he wants to interact with you, bonus, but it should still be done sparingly.

 

[sandrachameleon]

NO CHAMELEON "LOVES TO BE HANDLED"
anyone who thinks it does it just failing to recognise that they are in fact causing stress to their chameleon. That a chameleon climbs on a person or tolerates handling should never be interpreted as a good thing.

 

[honeybee1985]

My cham hates being handled so I don't. To be honest I think you did get the wrong pet if you wanted something to play with. They are very pretty and interesting to look after but they aren't social animals. Maybe get a sugar glider? They are pretty cool exotic pets and love to bond.

 

[jhappe]

How do you know that a chameleon that eagerly climbs onto a persons hand(they seem to clearly understand that it isnt a threat) doesnt enjoy getting out of the cage and getting a different view other than the mini enviroment you have made? My panther always goes for my hand when I stick it in his cage and I hold him for a bit and usually take him to a tree in the front yard if the weather is right. Now my veiled hates to be handled and I can see that my presence stresses him so I keep my interaction with him to a minimum. If the chameleon calmly comes to you and is relaxed than I dont see the problem, but if it is clear(chameleons can show emotion like no other animal on earth) that they are frightened and upset you should leave them alone. The one guy said his friends who was handled all the time lived for 6 1/2 years... I could be wrong but I think that is a pretty long time. People shouldnt be so dramatic about it, like "Put it high up in it's cage and leave it alone or it will die. K thnx."

 

[honeybee1985]

How do you know that a chameleon that eagerly climbs onto a persons hand(they seem to clearly understand that it isnt a threat) doesnt enjoy getting out of the cage and getting a different view other than the mini enviroment you have made? My panther always goes for my hand when I stick it in his cage and I hold him for a bit and usually take him to a tree in the front yard if the weather is right. Now my veiled hates to be handled and I can see that my presence stresses him so I keep my interaction with him to a minimum. If the chameleon calmly comes to you and is relaxed than I dont see the problem, but if it is clear(chameleons can show emotion like no other animal on earth) that they are frightened and upset you should leave them alone. The one guy said his friends who was handled all the time lived for 6 1/2 years... I could be wrong but I think that is a pretty long time. People shouldnt be so dramatic about it, like "Put it high up in it's cage and leave it alone or it will die. K thnx."

Simple answer...we don't know. Only the chameleon knows whether or not it likes interaction. They all have different personalities so I guess you just go with what your cham likes, but if it doesn't like handling (which most don't) then stay away. I don't think there's anything wrong with being over-cautious with a pet. Just shows you want to do the best for it. I wouldn't call any of the replies on here "dramatic"...

 

[jhappe]

"Put it high up in it's cage and leave it alone or it will die. K thnx." is a bit over the top. And as i said i understand that if the chameleon doesnt want anything to do with you then leave it alone, handling is clearly stressful in those situations. You said "Simple answer...we don't know." but i think that the color and other signs of aggression are good indicators of if you are stressing the animal or not. If it is always so stressful then why would an animal walk into the situation so calmly, cooperatively and on a consistent basis?

 

[BocaJan]

I hope Turtle is reading these replies.

 

[summoner12]

ya see this is how i really want mine to be like. I just dont know what to do to get him to do that.

This is like buying a Ferrari to mow your lawn...... It just won't do it.

 

[honeybee1985]

"Put it high up in it's cage and leave it alone or it will die. K thnx." is a bit over the top. And as i said i understand that if the chameleon doesnt want anything to do with you then leave it alone, handling is clearly stressful in those situations. You said "Simple answer...we don't know." but i think that the color and other signs of aggression are good indicators of if you are stressing the animal or not. If it is always so stressful then why would an animal walk into the situation so calmly, cooperatively and on a consistent basis?

Yes they are good indicators and we could sit and debate this for hours, some people (before you take offense I'm not implying you're one of them) can misinterpret the sings chameleons give off when stressed etc. I read a post on here a short while ago where the person thought the fact that the cham crawled on to him/her then closed it's eyes and seemed to go to sleep meant the cham was really relaxed and at ease. The replies soon told the person that it was in fact preparing itself to be eaten. I'm just saying some people may think that "leave it alone or it'll die" is true.

 

[summoner12]

NO CHAMELEON "LOVES TO BE HANDLED"
anyone who thinks it does it just failing to recognise that they are in fact causing stress to their chameleon. That a chameleon climbs on a person or tolerates handling should never be interpreted as a good thing.

Brad, is there any way to give Negative reputation points for comments i perceive to be bad/harmful advice?

Sorry to say... but there isn't....

We just need to be positive and give constructive advice rather than a beat down. People who have no rep, have no rep for a reason LOL

 

[Rixon]

mine hates to be handled and even more so since i had to leave him at the vets when he fractured an ankle. i agree with each one is unique some may like to handled and others dont, sma egoes for most animals but some are more social than others. I used to have corn snake (she died last year just before her 13th birthday) that loved sitting on my shoulders and i got another one for x-mas that bites when ever i try to get it out.
If you want a pet you that you hug and take for walks and play with get a warm blooded animal, that'll be a good start.


On a seperate note i saw this:

Stories about chameleons who seem to enjoy watching t.v.

grimlock will quite happily watch tv whilst perched on his branch facing the tv. one eye on my and one on the tv.

 

[viaje]

I'd like to add something that I'm surprised hasn't come up.

You see often on here, people posting "my chams pacing by the door of the cage" or "scratching at the front" and everyone only says one thing- that they need a bigger cage.
You've decided that your cham is eager to be on your hand. Why does no one assume that the chameleon could just see the hand as an escape from an inappropriate cage?

And, for arguments' sake, several months ago I was at a speaker event where I was lucky enough to hear from FL Chams, and he announced to the room that he's had a favorite breeder who he gets in the morning, and the lizard would calmly sit on his shoulder while he fed and examined the animals. Sometimes he would have his little friend out for several hours because there wasn't a lot of people around to stress the cham, and as he put it, he is after all, just a "big warm tree."
I wanted to add this, because FL Chams is certainly an experienced and successful breeder, and I wouldn't think twice about asking their opinion.

 

[addicted]

...Sometimes he would have his little friend out for several hours because there wasn't a lot of people around to stress the cham, and as he put it, he is after all, just a "big warm tree."
I wanted to add this, because FL Chams is certainly an experienced and successful breeder, and I wouldn't think twice about asking their opinion.

I'm glad you added this, I agree

 

[Sneak]

And, for arguments' sake, several months ago I was at a speaker event where I was lucky enough to hear from FL Chams, and he announced to the room that he's had a favorite breeder who he gets in the morning, and the lizard would calmly sit on his shoulder while he fed and examined the animals. Sometimes he would have his little friend out for several hours because there wasn't a lot of people around to stress the cham, and as he put it, he is after all, just a "big warm tree."
I wanted to add this, because FL Chams is certainly an experienced and successful breeder, and I wouldn't think twice about asking their opinion.

I gurantee you he doesnt handle all his chams, and I also gurantee you he wouldnt handle that one if he felt for a second that he was stressing him out. That is all I was saying in my post. Rule of thumb is only that. He is also an expert though and would see signs that some of us less experienced keepers may not notice so that comes into play as well. I was just giving an example of two different chameleons that I have come in contact with. Hopefully, the one wanting to down grade peoples reps wasnt refering to me. I dont handle my cham but only because I know he doesnt want me too. If he didnt mind it, I would do it more often than I have too. Thats an opinion, not advice.

 

[jhappe]

I'd like to add something that I'm surprised hasn't come up.

You see often on here, people posting "my chams pacing by the door of the cage" or "scratching at the front" and everyone only says one thing- that they need a bigger cage.
You've decided that your cham is eager to be on your hand. Why does no one assume that the chameleon could just see the hand as an escape from an inappropriate cage?
QUOTE]

I have him in a very large, well planted cage that meets all the requirements that i have seen on any major breeders website(FLchams, Kammerflage Kreations....). If my cage is "an inappropriate cage" then so is yours because im sure you have met all of the same requirements that i have. Like i said i have another cham in the same conditions that does not come to me so I leave him alone. My whole reason in posting on this thread was to point out that every cham seems to be different so people shouldnt be so definitive in telling others that they should never handle their chameleons or they will die.