I created a monster.

[laurie]

I have done some bad things and one of those was to hold one of my amilobe males almost daily. He would walk out on my arm and later I started putting him in a tree so he could be free in the chameleon room for a while. Zoom forward, if I don't hold this little monster he pouts. He will go to the bottom of his cage and sit. If I hold him his colors turn back from dark to normal or even bright. He loves the tree but now leaves the tree and goes all over the room. Even that doesn't satisify him. He expects to be held and to be allowed free roam. Not one or the other but both. I know holding him is bad (I can read and yes I try to follow the correct husbrarty methods) but I really don't know what to do with Buddy, he has me buffaloed. He isn't content with just being let out or being held, nope this monster demands both. What should I do now????????
Come all or you who say don’t hold your chams, where do I go from here????

 

[Lizardlover]

I have the SAME problem, when my cham is in his cage he turns dark, his eyes almost black, but when i take him out, his colors are amazing....im stumped too :/

 

[jojackson]

Were you feeding him when you first began holding him? Could be hes worked out your a neat source of food and its this he has come to expect?
All you can do is not feed him when you hold him or have him out, he will eventually lose the association with food If this is the case.
If there was never food involved, slightly shorten his (daily?) holding, free roam time each day, then skip a day or two. Get him used to it.

Unless its a problem taking up your time, I wouldnt worry, it dosent seem to stress?
If he pouts, let him. Im sure hell get over it. just make sure he dosent go off his food or stop drinking.

OR...wear an eye patch, and train him to sit on your shoulder!

 

[BocaJan]

OR...wear an eye patch, and train him to sit on your shoulder!

That is funny!

 

[Syn]

OR...wear an eye patch, and train him to sit on your shoulder!

Then they'd have to rename it parrot.

I think it's kind of cute he does that. I wish my cham would be more open to holding.

 

[jannb]

Just let him fee range. My guys hate the cage and have free range of my whole house. Just be careful not to step on him.

 

[nightcrawler]

mine loves coming out of his cage too. there is nothing wrong with his cage and he doesnt hate being in there but he seems to like hanging out on the door and walking around. whenever i open my door he will automatically start walking, or running in some cases, to get out and sit on the door. he doesnt mind being held either and he will use that to his advantage to get on the door. like if i have my hand in there he will climb on it and up my shoulder to get on the door because its more of a direct rout. its neat, but you just have to keep an eye on him because he likes to go up towards the lights and thats when i yell at him and put him back. so really i dont have any advice with what you can do, just that i can relate to it. sorry tho.

 

[Syn]

thats when i yell at him and put him back.

I lol'd irl. So much.

 

[OntarioLizardman]

lol funny story, any pics?

 

[hallenhe]

My guy has been free range ever since he was big enough (~ 5 months; panther). He expects to be picked up in the morning. It does not seem to matter to him if anything "fun" is associated with this (food, going outdoors); he just climbs right on my hand and seems content to sit there. If I try to put him on his plant for a spritzing (or just put him down so I can go to work), he grabs with all four feet and tail, and is quite difficult to be free of. Once he's on his plants, if I come at all in range, he'll reach out and be back on me in a second.

Am I "handling him"? Am I a (moving) part of his free range environment on which he chooses to climb ("Hey, a tall object that puts out heat! Cool!")? - I don't lose sleep worrying about it. I am not returning him to the wild, unnaturally trusting of humans and bereft of natural instincts; he was captive bred and will be with humans 'til the day he dies. I do not grab him, and his climbing on me appears to be by choice. I try not to force attention on him. And, for good things like taking him outside for the sun (or needful things, like taking him to the vet), it is nice to have him ready and willing to go along.

My two cents.

 

[laurie]

Thanks for all the thoughts, sorry Jo but there is no patch in my future! I guess Buddy is just Buddy. I do wish he would stop teasing all the other chams. He is just rotten, he climbs up so they can see him, then after he has that one upset, he moves to another. I "know" I am giving him human emotions but I really think he is bragging to the others that he is out.

 

[dc2ap2]

i have a blue bar that is the same way and allmost seem pissy if i dont let him out and when i do he likes to just roam and check stuff out. i think when handling these guy you need to read what is going on i have 9 now and everyone is not like the last and i mean with everything its just like that. i have cross that i cant hold couse i think it puts way to much stress on him but my blue bar and my new nosy be girl seem to wana be out and dont show any sings of stress