Arched/ cat like posture

snitz427

Chameleon Enthusiast
It was super nice out today. Took Charlie out for the first time, just for a few minutes as I am super paranoid about hawks and rabid seagulls snatching him up.

He has basked in the sun beams from an open/screened window this winter (on mild days), but never actually outside. I kept him in my open hand and he arched his back like a scared cat. He had no interest in climbing higher, as he usually does. It was as if he was in total awe, but at the same time keeping himself half tucked into my hands.

Never saw him do that. Didn’t seem afraid, maybe just overwhelmed? Anyone see that posturing before?
 
Oh and to clarify - he and Clarice will have a screened outdoor area once the weather warms up... I just won’t let him out unprotected as there are lots of hawks and osprey in the area.
 
Yea he seemed both nervous and excited, but that was a new behavior from my guys. Just curious if was some tribal mating dance or a defensive move. Thank you!
 
I'm currently trying to ease mine into being used to the outdoors, so he can have an outdoor cage a few hrs when summer kicks in and he behaves the same way. I guess going from enclosed ceilings to sudden open sky would be pretty overwhelming! Once he is in the screened area it might help his nerves some?
 
yea it'll be a month or two before my guy can come out but he probably just saw something he didnt like.
 
Oh and to clarify - he and Clarice will have a screened outdoor area once the weather warms up... I just won’t let him out unprotected as there are lots of hawks and osprey in the area.
Osprey are not a threat. They are fish eaters. The hawks on the other hand ,you should worry most about the Cooper hawks. They are snipers in the trees. A small cham is a tasty treat for any raptor. If it gets just 1 they will keep coming back. I have dead pigeons to prove it.
 
Osprey are not a threat. They are fish eaters. The hawks on the other hand ,you should worry most about the Cooper hawks. They are snipers in the trees. A small cham is a tasty treat for any raptor. If it gets just 1 they will keep coming back. I have dead pigeons to prove it.

Osprey are a threat to me when I’m paddle boarding! I nearly fell in a few times when they dive bomb me from the pilings hehe
 
They are territorial for sure! Glad they didnt get you. I've handled a few at a rehab center. I love them but they stink like fish and are super oily.
 
Could he have just been maximizing his surface area to get more rays?

I wondered that, but he usually does the exact opposite and throws his belly flat on my hand. I wish I had my camera - the look on his face was ... kinda sad, actually. He looked overwhelmed, and to think of animal who is so overwhelmed by being outside is kinda depressing!
 
Osprey are a threat to me when I’m paddle boarding! I nearly fell in a few times when they dive bomb me from the pilings hehe
I guess that means I should stop feeding the osprey when paddle boarders are around.... or just stop feeding them :unsure::unsure:
 
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