Friendliness between species?

[ChameleonClem]

So i know different chams have unique individual personalities. But on someone elses thread someone said that jacksons would be more likely to be friendlier than vieleds? Is this true?
If you do think its true is there another species thats likely to be friendly?
Just wanting to know because im curious

Trying to learn as much as i can about chameleons.

 

[jpowell86]

So i know different chams have unique individual personalities. But on someone elses thread someone said that jacksons would be more likely to be friendlier than vieleds? Is this true?
If you do think its true is there another species thats likely to be friendly?
Just wanting to know because im curious

Trying to learn as much as i can about chameleons.

There are some species, that on average, are more relaxed than others. But, you can always find a specimen that is in kill mode. I work with a ton of melleri and have never even been slightly worried about a bite. I always said this to keepers and explained they were a laid back animal. But, all of my melleri were from Tanzania. I have got some now that are from Mozambique and the difference is night and day. They will move down a 12' free-range just to come posture in front of me with mouth open.

Yesterday, I was so shocked by one their actions. I feed my guys everyday and just walk in with a bucket of roaches and they come down the branches and eat what I hold out. Well, one of the melleri(Tanzania) was eating and one of the Mozambique just climbed down three or four branches and shot her tongue out and hit the leg of the other. Pulled it into her mouth and proceeded to bite it. I was BLOWN away. I had to physically separate them. I have NEVER seen anything like it. She is now living solo. So you never know. I have had veileds that want to be mad all the time and I've had veileds that will go down as some of the most relaxed animals I've owned. So???

BTW....Janet, @jajeanpierre, is the one that sent me that crazy Mozambique melleri.....it's her fault!!!!! LOL

 

[kinyonga]

I had one male veiled chameleon that would run down the branches after me to bite me whenever my had went in his cage. Trying to get him out of the cage so I could cleannit was always a challenge. I had another that would let me do "anything" to him and not be bothered by it. They are all different...just like jpowell86 said.

 

[ChameleonClem]

There are some species, that on average, are more relaxed than others. But, you can always find a specimen that is in kill mode. I work with a ton of melleri and have never even been slightly worried about a bite. I always said this to keepers and explained they were a laid back animal. But, all of my melleri were from Tanzania. I have got some now that are from Mozambique and the difference is night and day. They will move down a 12' free-range just to come posture in front of me with mouth open.

Yesterday, I was so shocked by one their actions. I feed my guys everyday and just walk in with a bucket of roaches and they come down the branches and eat what I hold out. Well, one of the melleri(Tanzania) was eating and one of the Mozambique just climbed down three or four branches and shot her tongue out and hit the leg of the other. Pulled it into her mouth and proceeded to bite it. I was BLOWN away. I had to physically separate them. I have NEVER seen anything like it. She is now living solo. So you never know. I have had veileds that want to be mad all the time and I've had veileds that will go down as some of the most relaxed animals I've owned. So???

BTW....Janet, @jajeanpierre, is the one that sent me that crazy Mozambique melleri.....it's her fault!!!!! LOL

Thats what i figured, at the most one species might be more likey to be relaxed but it just depends on the individual.
And yikes cant imagine having to pull two part like that! And yes, lets blame janet lol!
When i first got chameleons i housed a baby male and female together and they were super friendly, like dog level (minus petting) . I thought housing them together aided in theyre tolerance but most people think free ranging is the key, which i did alot. They were vieled chameleons.

 

[ChameleonClem]

I had one male veiled chameleon that would run down the branches after me to bite me whenever my had went in his cage. Trying to get him out of the cage so I could cleannit was always a challenge. I had another that would let me do "anything" to him and not be bothered by it. They are all different...just like jpowell86 said.

I definitely agree that theyre all different .
I read that if they go to bite you and you leave altogether theyll act just like the first one you described. Its good to hear of such diversity though, you read so much about people saying to never ever handle them which i dont think is possible for casual reptile keepers. Even fish have to handled eventually! But of course most people who say that, have alot of reptiles or almost professional setups for a mini zoo lol!

 

[jajeanpierre]

There are some species, that on average, are more relaxed than others. But, you can always find a specimen that is in kill mode. I work with a ton of melleri and have never even been slightly worried about a bite. I always said this to keepers and explained they were a laid back animal. But, all of my melleri were from Tanzania. I have got some now that are from Mozambique and the difference is night and day. They will move down a 12' free-range just to come posture in front of me with mouth open.

Yesterday, I was so shocked by one their actions. I feed my guys everyday and just walk in with a bucket of roaches and they come down the branches and eat what I hold out. Well, one of the melleri(Tanzania) was eating and one of the Mozambique just climbed down three or four branches and shot her tongue out and hit the leg of the other. Pulled it into her mouth and proceeded to bite it. I was BLOWN away. I had to physically separate them. I have NEVER seen anything like it. She is now living solo. So you never know. I have had veileds that want to be mad all the time and I've had veileds that will go down as some of the most relaxed animals I've owned. So???

BTW....Janet, @jajeanpierre, is the one that sent me that crazy Mozambique melleri.....it's her fault!!!!! LOL

No, no, no, it is NOT my fault. You had already chosen the crazy one from a photo. I take the blame for Richard and the big hissy, pissy blue one you got. I told you that crazy one was crazy when she ended up driving the bigger hissy, pissy blue one to the floor of the cage and I had to set up yet another temporary cage.... In fact, I think I told you they were all crazy because I had to set up separate cages even for the tiny ones.

 

[jpowell86]

No, no, no, it is NOT my fault. You had already chosen the crazy one from a photo. I take the blame for Richard and the big hissy, pissy blue one you got. I told you that crazy one was crazy when she ended up driving the bigger hissy, pissy blue one to the floor of the cage and I had to set up yet another temporary cage.... In fact, I think I told you they were all crazy because I had to set up separate cages even for the tiny ones.

HAHAHA.......Well, I guess that's the way it went! LOL. The Mozambique melleri are just pissy little things.

 

[jajeanpierre]

HAHAHA.......Well, I guess that's the way it went! LOL. The Mozambique melleri are just pissy little things.

It was the first time I've ever been afraid I might get bit by a melleri.

 

[Andee]

So do mozambique (which is one of the most confusing words to spell even as I am looking at it I should have just copy/pasted it) XD melleri just not do colony stuff? I mean I know @jpowell86 does some colony stuff with the Tanzanian (locale?) but do you do anything with the mozambique with success? Or do you pretty much just keep them all by themselves because they are holy terrors?

 

[absolutbill]

To the OP - I believe it's partly how they were raised from the breeder. I've had 2 veileds, and 3 panthers in about 9 years of keeping chameleons. In that time my first panther wanted nothing to do with me, while the 2nd was the sweetest guy you could imagine. The third panther was a female, and she would switch on and off her fondness for me like a lightswitch. As for the veileds, my first was pretty nasty. My second, who I still have, and is one of the Great Grands, is a good guy though is cage aggressive.

Veileds tend to suffer from this more than other species, I think. Once he's out of his cage to go have time on the lanai he's pretty good. I took him to the vet and warned them about his attitude - he was the sweetest guy for them no matter what they did to him, and made a liar out of me! All in all, I think a lot has to do with how much they were handled by the breeder before you got them, and also how much time and attention you dedicate to them. Free-ranging helps, but it's not possible for everyone to do. I've never had a Jacksons, and have heard they are sweet, but who knows? Good luck with your decision.