Do you think my kids could handle it?

[Jewel]

Chameleons in general don't like to be touched, handled or even looked at. They want to be left alone all the time. If you buy a baby (never purchase a chameleon that is under 2 or 3 months old) then they will get accustom to you handling them when you clean out the cage etc. but as they grow older then they will start to hiss at you to try to scare you away. Some do tolerate you handling them but they never will like it and it will cause them unnecessary stress. They are animals that should be admired and not touched. I do have one veiled that loves to be taken out of the cage and sits on my shoulder but this is very rare and he came a abusive home and is not in the best of condition which is probably why he is like this.
Ask as many questions as you want, it is best to know as much as you can before purchasing a chameleon.

 

[MWheelock]

Scarlett,

I didn't really want to get involved in this discussion, but I think some things have not been said.

I commend the questions that you have asked and no doubt believe in the intelligence of your children. That being said, there is a real difference between intelligence and experience. Chameleons are not a starter reptile. You can read all you want about them, but there are husbandry issues that are not altogether intuitive. I am also troubled that your children will be in charge of this reptile, but you are the one asking questions on the forum instead of them.
I do know there are a few exceptional young herp keepers on this forum that now keep chameleons (mostly on their own). With few exceptions, I believe most of them started with another species. Something like a bearded dragon, or leopard gecko come to mind. These species are social, more tolerant of handling, and more forgiving about husbandry mistakes...

An example- I had an 12 week old bearded dragon come into my clinic 4 weeks ago for inability to move its back legs and intermittent seizures. It could no longer eat on its own. They were feeding the wrong food, the UV lighting was too far away and their supplements were wrong. This animal was severely hypocalcemic. The owners changed the husbandry and had to hand feed for 3 weeks. It only started eating on its own a week ago.
The real shame was that they had read a husbandry book on bearded dragons, but had interpreted the information in it all wrong.

Now, multiply those potential issues by 10 when dealing with a chameleon. Issues like misting (not as easy as it sounds), insect keeping (you willhave to breed them, because if you don't your pet store provider will leave you in the cold at some point) heating, and the logistic of all of them are quite complex. Why do you see a lot of kids buying chameleons? The pet shops minimize their care. Even though chameleons can live >6 years, most of the ones kept by kids last <1 year.

I'm sure you are going to hear what you want to hear. However, most of what you are hearing on this forum is that chameleons are stressed by handling. Some tolerate it more than others, but very few if any like it. They are display animals that you pamper and then watch from afar. They are not interactive pets. They not only are expensive to establish intitially, they are more expensive to maintain.

If you are really interested in seeing if your children are ready for athis kind of commitment. 1) Have them maintain a cricket, roach and superworm colony (all staples for chameleons) for a couple months. If they are able to do this without issue and are able to create the habitat that allows breeding and propogation of all of the colonies, I would me more convinced that they could handle taking care of a more advanced level of reptile, though I would still start them out with something requiring less humidity, lighting and heat issues. I fear they will they will get bored and not be willing to spend the appropriate to do this necessary chore.

If they are really ready, the worst case scenario would be that you would have a stable supply of food for your new pet.

That's my two cents...

I hope you will reconsider whether you are doing this for the coolness factor, or whether the concern for appropriate care is highest on your children's list.

Matthew Wheelock

 

[Scarlet]

Hello, everybody! I bring some good news. My husband and I have been researching very much about chameleons, and have decided that the best choice would be to get a Jackson's chameleon. My kids have not held it whatsoever in the past week we have kept him, but they love him to death. Every time it seems we feed him crickets he almost grins, walks up to us, and once crawled up our arm. He is doing WONDERFUL and we even gave him a vet check after purchase. We have been up to date with his care. His eyes are not swollen whatsoever, he has not had any accidents, he is in good shape, etc. Thank you VERY much for helping me with the choice! As many of you have said, I am still involved and helping my kids. We mist him about 2-4 times every day and he is already eating over 15 crickets a day. We love him so much!!!!!!!

Thank you VERY much with the support and opinions?,
Scarlet

 

[titan501x]

Go for it. i bought my chameleon on a whim, i hadn't even considered getting a chameleon before i bought mine, and my chameleon is very healthy almost 4 months later. I'm 15, i barely have the wages to take care of all my pets, but i figure out a way, and so far, my parents have not helped me except for driving me to the pet store. my chameleon is definatly the most time consuming pet that i own. But they are very rewarding!

 

[ChromaChameleons]

Scarlet:

Thats terrific news. I'm glad to see you and your husband are involved with the little guy. It is a lot of work, but the experience for your whole family will be tremendous.

Your kids are lucky to have such wonderful parents.