I really want a chameleon but...

The sites Im seeing are scaring me by repeating the same ting over and over again "chameleons DO NOT like being handled." I dont like that. About 8 years when I was about 10 i had a chameleon but I dont remember much and my mother took care of it mostly. Here's the point Im getting at, if I handled him a lot as a baby would he grow up would he be playful at an older age also? Not even playful really, i just dont want him hissing at me everytime i try to hold him. Also, does gender matter? are females more effectionate or better in any way? and the biggest thing, what kind of chameleon? I had a veiled before but i dont know the others so i cant compare it to. I know theres panther ones but i dont know the benefits or anything about them. are there other kinds? jacksons? I dont want one's with horns by the way.

So heres my questions simplified...
•If I constaly handle my cham will it be less stressed when i handle it at an older age?
•Better for handling, male or female?
•Best species or handling? (price is not an issue)

You absolutley do not want to handle your cham all the time. Some chams tolerate it better than others and maybe some adults don't mind it but I feel that juveniles and babies are most defintly terrified of a human picking them up. Do research

Dustin2524 said:

The sites Im seeing are scaring me by repeating the same ting over and over again "chameleons DO NOT like being handled." I dont like that. About 8 years when I was about 10 i had a chameleon but I dont remember much and my mother took care of it mostly. Here's the point Im getting at, if I handled him a lot as a baby would he grow up would he be playful at an older age also? Not even playful really, i just dont want him hissing at me everytime i try to hold him. Also, does gender matter? are females more effectionate or better in any way? and the biggest thing, what kind of chameleon? I had a veiled before but i dont know the others so i cant compare it to. I know theres panther ones but i dont know the benefits or anything about them. are there other kinds? jacksons? I dont want one's with horns by the way.

So heres my questions simplified...
•If I constaly handle my cham will it be less stressed when i handle it at an older age?
•Better for handling, male or female?
•Best species or handling? (price is not an issue)

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Obviously there is a reason all those sites say not to handle chameleons.

Dustin2524 said:

The sites Im seeing are scaring me by repeating the same ting over and over again "chameleons DO NOT like being handled." I dont like that. About 8 years when I was about 10 i had a chameleon but I dont remember much and my mother took care of it mostly. Here's the point Im getting at, if I handled him a lot as a baby would he grow up would he be playful at an older age also? Not even playful really, i just dont want him hissing at me everytime i try to hold him. Also, does gender matter? are females more effectionate or better in any way? and the biggest thing, what kind of chameleon? I had a veiled before but i dont know the others so i cant compare it to. I know theres panther ones but i dont know the benefits or anything about them. are there other kinds? jacksons? I dont want one's with horns by the way.

So heres my questions simplified...
•If I constaly handle my cham will it be less stressed when i handle it at an older age?
•Better for handling, male or female?
•Best species or handling? (price is not an issue)

Click to expand...

To answer your question, no. Chameleon's are solitary, territorial animal's. They don't like being handled, they prefer to be left alone.

And to that end some dont even like to be watched let alone handled

There is a difference in handling and "playing" with your chameleon. Handling is meant as being able to put your hand in the cage to bring the cham out to get some sun outside or maybe go to an exercise area you have set up for him like a free range and the cham not freaking out. If you are wanting to hold your chameleon like a puppy and take him for car rides and constantly "holding" him, then a cham is not for you.

haha I get that theres a reason they say it but I just want to be sure that its still possible to hold them over a year old and they won't instantly hiss and bite. And could you guys possibly help me with my other two questions also? And i dont plan on holding it ALL the time, like how some ppl always have gerbils or other animals on them 24/7. Just like an hour every other day or maybe a little more, is that a lot?

draetish said:

There is a difference in handling and "playing" with your chameleon. Handling is meant as being able to put your hand in the cage to bring the cham out to get some sun outside or maybe go to an exercise area you have set up for him like a free range and the cham not freaking out. If you are wanting to hold your chameleon like a puppy and take him for car rides and constantly "holding" him, then a cham is not for you.

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exactly, the first one is what I am refering to. If i wanted somethingt o play with that much then I would get a puppy, i want something that i could just have chillen on a plant right next to me while on the computer or doing work.

A chameleon is not going to be "cuddly" in the way that a lot of warm furries are - that said, some tolerate handling better than others, and there are ways to help accustom one to handling. There can be good, valid reasons for handling a cham - transporting the animal outside or to a porch for real sunlight, bringing it to the vet if necessary, weighing and measuring it to ensure it's growing properly and healthily. Some chameleons will readily climb on people and appear to seek interactions - in some cases, a valid argument can be made that they just want to get out of their cage, and would climb anything, or that they're stressed/uncertain, and are following instinct to seek the highest perch; in other cases, I'm not so certain.
If you want to interact with a chameleon, get it to associate you with good things (treats, trips outside). I originally coaxed mine onto me by holding one arm extended to him, and holding a cricket or superworm in the other hand, at about the elbow of the extended arm. He could see the bug, but had to climb on to get it, and he did so readily. After a couple months, he would climb on whenever I would extend my arm to him.
The important thing is to remember to do things on the animal's terms - if your chameleon is "friendly", great; if not, do not force your attentions on it. By and large, picking up a chameleon has to involve the chameleon holding on to you, not the other way around; most do not like to be engulfed in a hand (too like a predator coming in from above) and are not too keen on being petted.

Dustin2524 said:

haha I get that theres a reason they say it but I just want to be sure that its still possible to hold them over a year old and they won't instantly hiss and bite. And could you guys possibly help me with my other two questions also? And i dont plan on holding it ALL the time, like how some ppl always have gerbils or other animals on them 24/7. Just like an hour every other day or maybe a little more, is that a lot?


exactly, the first one is what I am refering to. If i wanted somethingt o play with that much then I would get a puppy, i want something that i could just have chillen on a plant right next to me while on the computer or doing work.

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I would recommend getting a bearded dragon, they are affectionate and like company. They are really cool too!

draetish said:

I would recommend getting a bearded dragon, they are affectionate and like company. They are really cool too!

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Arnt they big though? and fast? i want something that doesnt need to be constantly caged. arnt they a little vicious too? haha

I don't think it matters whether you get a male or female chameleon or which species you get..it really depends on the chameleon. Some chameleons, no matter how much you work with them by hand feeding etc. they will never get used to handling. Other chameleons, however, seem to like coming out of the cage(when the owner enters, they come to the front of the cage and climb out on their hand).

My main point is that it can be done to have a chameleon that tolerates handling and seems to enjoy it, but you never know until you get a chameleon and learn its boundaries. You have to respect its boundaries, so if you end up getting a chameleon that doesn't like being handled, you have to respect that. If you get a chameleon that does tolerate hands, great! But that still doesn't mean you should handle it all of the time. I would say an hour out of the cage at one time is too much unless its outside or in a free range.

some babies love being handled( walking around on you and where ever you are siting) but when the reach sexual maturity can instantly over night become agressive hissing and striking at you. i do not recomend a cham for you. if you want a lizard that you can stress and torture into being almost puppy like get a savannah monitor. that you can (but also shouldnt) handle till you get bored of it with out too much damage to the animal. i have several chams and love them all. i only handle them alot after a shed to check them over, clean out cage, take them to the free range tree, take them out for sun. people ask me all the time go get one of your lizards show it to so and so i reply no. i keep them in my bed room to reduce the extra movement that does go on in my house hold. they dont like new people. its just my bf tristan and 2 dogs that are around them. i get enjoyment from my chams by seeing what new colors they come out with, funny pictures i take, e mailing pics to family and friends, and watching them sleep.

maybe you need to spend some time with an experienced cham owener and their chams before even concidering the research needed to have a happy healthy cham

PS my panthers bite at me all the time and i never tried to break them of the habit...they have been doing it sice they were 4in stv snout to vent in length
it breaks my heart when they stress that way.......so ask your self whats more important......
the cham being happy healthy and an undisturbed living piece of art?

Or the amount of fun you have forcing the cham to like being held and eventually waking up to a dead cham laying in the bottom of the cage cause it was just simply miserable and gave up trying to live the stressful life you chose to inflict upon it day after day for month after month..... "i may be dead but at least i have some peace and privacy" says your dead cham

Dustin2524 said:

Arnt they big though? and fast? i want something that doesnt need to be constantly caged. arnt they a little vicious too? haha

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Some of my chams maybe get handled once every 6 months for a serious cage cleaning-and that is more than enough for them!

They do need to be caged constantly-I am not sure what you mean here? Maybe you need a dog?

Bearded Dragons are rarely mean, and don't stress when you handle them. They are big-you need at least a 40 gallon tank for one, but for a Veiled you will need a cage that is 2X2 feet by 4 foot tall.

Courtney said:

Or the amount of fun you have forcing the cham to like being held and eventually waking up to a dead cham laying in the bottom of the cage cause it was just simply miserable and gave up trying to live the stressful life you chose to inflict upon it day after day for month after month..... "i may be dead but at least i have some peace and privacy" says your dead cham

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Pretty harsh but true i guess. I'm looking into bearded dragon but still reallyyy want a chameleon

You won't know till you get one what the personality will be. My panther loves to crawl out in the afternoon and hang out on my head and then happily goes back to his enclosure. My veiled hates to even be looked at, let alone be handled. But I love them unconditionally because I just wanted to have chams.
If you want a cham, by all means get one, but they will not bend to you, you have to bend to them and be prepared to follow the majority of advice and don't handle them. If you are looking for a reptile playmate, water dragons are lovely and dog like, you can take them around with you and handle them a good amount of the time. Good thing you did come here and are doing your research, no question is a stupid question!

Dustin2524 said:

Pretty harsh but true i guess. I'm looking into bearded dragon but still reallyyy want a chameleon

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OK, turn the argument around. If you are set on a chameleon you'll need to be ready to take what you get and enjoy your particular cham's personality. Not all of them are nasty or stressy. We are just trying to prepare you for what COULD happen. There are things you can do to increase a cham's tolerant:

Try to select an older juvenile cham rather than a tiny hatchling. It will be a bit sturdier for a newbie and its personality may be showing by then. You would have a chance to pick out a mellow one.

Remember that most aggressive cham behavior is bluffing and posturing. You have to learn to decode their visual messages and that takes time. Showing stress can be a simple color change. A true bite won't be serious, just startling. I've handled a lot of chams and have been bitten very rarely.

Have the cage and setup ready and running so the transition is easy for both of you. The less you have to fuss around the cage fixing things that are not working the better. Chams don't like change. Do your daily chores on a routine if you can. Set lights and misters or whatever on timers. Makes it easy for everyone. Provide a lot of hiding cover in the cage. If you have trouble finding your cham it is about right. Routine helps the cham learn what to expect. Don't put the cage near a lot of house activity or within view of other pets.

Teach your cham that you are not a predator and a source of treats. Offer favorite food insects by hand. If there is a nice bright warm window for trips outside the cage, your cham will learn that a trip on your hand to a favorite spot is a treat.

Accept that a cham will be a display animal primarily. Occasional handling as described in the other posts is OK. Carrying a cham around as you do something else, go outdoors, in the car, showing off at parties, isn't going to work.

Beardies are super fun, very social, enjoy interaction with their owners, are curious and smart. Well bred socialized ones don't bite (never met one that did). They are fast, so you wouldn't want to take one outdoors without a harness. It wouldn't be great to have one living loose in the house unless your house is constantly pretty hot. They are desert critters and need warmth and full sun basking under lighting. Keeping it loose in a cooler house would cause health issues unless it has a place to spend time warming up and basking. Also, you'll be feeding it live insects, pinkies, fruits and veggies. You'd have to clean up after it as they don't go in one spot. They need space, but you can easily build a terrarium for one.

If I was going to pick a herp for a social pet it would be a beardie hands down. If I was going to pick a herp for a beautiful visual display, a cham.

i have a 3.5 month old panther and when i take him out he dosnt really appreciate it but once hes out he dosnt want to go back in! it all really depends on the chameleons personality. im not saying they are all like that and yes they dont like to be handled but you just gotta kinda get lucky when you get one :\

Thanks a lot guys, all the responses really shows how great of a forum this is (ill admit it, im shocked ). I cannot live with the constant knowing or wondering if my animal does not like being out or held. I dont want to take any risks or chances where it might be antisocial. You guys helped A LOT and I', going to look into a bearded dragon, any negatives i should know first? haha

Honestly a lot of reptiles are stressed by handling. Even bearded dragons are subject to it but they are much much more tolerant to the stress involved than most chameleons are. If you do really want a chameleon you could get lucky and end up with a very friendly one. I've seen some people on these forums saying that their chameleon comes out willingly to them with no problems and maybe even likes? to be handled, and others saying that the chameleon tries to bite their hand off and flare up when they have to go in the cage for any reason. Any animal can be friendly or nasty, it doesn't only apply to chameleons. Just think about that for whatever animal you decide to purchase.

You might consider buying a chameleon from a local pet shop [if you can find one]. I was concerned because my grandson wanted one and i knew he would want to handle it. We were able to at least take the cham out of his cage to see how he would react. He was a little stressed but didn't react violently. I assume from being in the store he was more used to people. Cost more than mail order [$100, maybe 6 months old, very healthy]. He's still not happy at being picked up,, unless it feeding time then he runs to your hand. Good experience at the store they were very helpful. D&J Reptiles in Massapeqa, Long Island.