Docile?

beanersmysav · 01-19-05, 01:32 PM

Are their any chameleons who like to be handled or tolerate it without showing any stress? My girlfriend has wanted a Chameleon for quite some time before she owned anything and I told her from what I hear it's quite difficult, I gave her a ton of care sheets on different species etc and read up on them myself and she sees that they cant be handled she isn't too interested in them anymore, but she wanted me to ask if their are any that tolerate handling? She is a great keeper and because of the minimal amount of animals she keeps (3 leos and 1 frog) she likes to make them her best friend basicly.

She's got Leos so I don't see why she doesn't just stick with things like that which she's got unbelievably tame. When I had them I didn't have the time to hold them like she does and they ran all over the place, and to this day when I try to hold them they do the same but she can hold all three at once and they wont move.

galad · 01-19-05, 02:24 PM

Well what made the most sence to me is what Dank7oo had said in anouther post. All chameleons are different, some tollerate handling well and others do not. Sometimes it depends on the species but alot of the time its the individual chameleon and his/her mood.

When you first aquire a chameleon they should be left alone for at least a week to let them get used to their surroundings. If the enclosure is up to snuff after this time you should notice your chameleon being a nice bright colour. Weekly handling with a younge chameleon can tame it. BUt if the chameleon being handled turns a really dark colour when taken out, handling is way to stress full and should only be done when needed.
There are other cases like my male panther that didnt mind being handled when he was younge, but as he started getting older he started getting mad at me for going near him. This is also common in male veiled chameleons. Ther two female panthers I have kept were fine with handling even when reaching maturity. Males and their testostrone lol.

As for species jacksons and panthers tend to be more docile then veilded but again it all depends on the chameleon. If you are buying a male it is a real gamble.
But I myself prefer to see the chameleon in his enclosure with all the vines and leaves. Watching him walk around stalking prey is way more entertaining to me then have him crawl on my arm. I myself really dont see the point in handling reptiles all the time. Not like they do tricks or anything, but thats just me.
I prefer to leave them be most of the time and observe their behavior from the other side of the room. Man do they do some funny stuff.

well if you even made it this far. lol. thats my opinion on handling chameleons

p.s you asked why she doesnt just stick with loes. Well im sure every other person related to a herper is asking the same thing.
They are like lays you can never have just one! lol

peace

ws

beanersmysav · 01-19-05, 02:51 PM

Hey, thanks for the info. I guess if she still wants one I'll have to bring her to a breeder and see if they have any that they handle or know tolerate handeling. I cant totally agree with not handeling them although I don't often handle my reptiles but it's nice to bring them out and to get used to you especially with my Sav, and RTB who are large animals and wouldn't want to have a bad temper for my safety.

Quote:

p.s you asked why she doesnt just stick with loes. Well im sure every other person related to a herper is asking the same thing.
They are like lays you can never have just one! lol

Yeah I hear that as you can tell
.
.
.

peterm15 · 01-19-05, 02:51 PM

i myself have a veild and i can barely walk colse to the cage and hell hiss... but my teachers son has a cham (dont know what kind) and he loves to be held.. supposedly it will reach for you if you walk by and will sit on your shoulder during dinner.. so it depends on the indivudal cham.. id say its less than a 50-50 chance in gettind a handleable one...

beanersmysav · 01-19-05, 10:07 PM

Yeah I've only seen mean ones myself but there's such a selection at the shows I go to I figure 1 out of the 100-150 has to be good tempered but I'll have to see

Thrush · 01-20-05, 12:32 AM

My panther's still young 6 1/2 months, but he shows no problems with being handled. I guess I'm lucky, and I hope he stays that way as he gets older.

galad · 01-21-05, 03:27 PM

yea my nosy be was the same way when he was younger. But now he wont let me touch him. Hes not really aggressive as far as trying to bite or hissing. He just runs away when i try to touch him.

As far as handling goes to each their own I geusse lol

peace

ws