Does looking cause stress?

[Kevin b]

Just got a chameleon looks really healthy, but my family members would like to peak at him every 3 hours. Would this cause a lot of stress? They only look at him for 30 seconds. He is a veil too.

 

[Andee]

It depends, when did you get him?

 

[Kevin b]

Not long ago 2 days. So I am suspecting that we are stressing him out? Right.

 

[jamest0o0]

Peeping at him every few hours for 30 seconds is fine. Stress is a problem when they can't escape it.

 

[Andee]

Idk James.... it depends on the amount of foliage he has in the cage... honestly if they are just looking at him during it and doing nothing else as far as care or something I would feel a cham would be uncomfortable unless he had enough foliage to escape comfortably.

 

[jajeanpierre]

@Kevin b It depends.....

If you have a good set up with lots of cover, looking shouldn't be a problem. If you have enough cover, you might not be able to find the chameleon.

However, staring directly at a chameleon is what a predator does before it grabs its prey. Believe me, they know when you are looking directly at them. One way to mitigate that stress is to look at them out of the corner of your eyes or look at the tail, not their eyes. Avert your eyes. That applies to all animals, by the way.

 

[jamest0o0]

I just meant assuming all else is fine, looking for that length of time should be np. For all that we try to stick by in nature, no one brings up the fact these guys(panthers) gladly flaunt themselves out in the open in nature

 

[jamest0o0]

Of course I think they need plants and hiding spots, but im rethinking the need to densely stuff a cage.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Of course I think they need plants and hiding spots, but im rethinking the need to densely stuff a cage.

Again, it all depends. One thing about a densely packed cage is that it is more humid. Low humidity is a major problem with captive chameleons.

 

[jamest0o0]

No you're right. I should be clear. I just meant, they seem to like having open spaces along with hiding, humidity, etc still in place

 

[Andee]

Densely stuffed cages are I think more necessary for younger chams than older chams. Generally younger chams tend to be more... anxious and constantly looking for some place to hide, which makes total sense to me.

 

[jamest0o0]

Yeah that does make sense