Licking cham

[ChameleonsTree]

I just added a new female ambilobe to my breeding colony. She is about 4 months now and sweet as can be. She at least 60 minutes of misting a day so shes not thirsty but she has this odd behavior giving my hand a little lick each time she climbs on. Has anyone ever seen this before?

 

[dodolah]

I just added a new female ambilobe to my breeding colony. She is about 4 months now and sweet as can be. She at least 60 minutes of misting a day so shes not thirsty but she has this odd behavior giving my hand a little lick each time she climbs on. Has anyone ever seen this before?

my guess is she thought that you are a big tree and since the water drops/ squirts from your hand... she must thought that she can lick you to get water.

this is a pure speculation, though..

 

[Chameleonboy]

i agree try giving him some water when he opens his mouth and see if he/ she likes it

 

[christyo2o2]

giving you kisses!

 

[ChameleonsTree]

i agree try giving him some water when he opens his mouth and see if he/ she likes it

She's not thirsty...as i stated she gets more than enough water throughout the day.

 

[ChameleonsTree]

giving you kisses!

You know its almost like a weird little greeting of hers.

 

[Will Hayward]

Pheromonal olfaction?

 

[Dean Pulcini]

Shes testing the temperature of your hand as if it were a branch.

 

[ChameleonsTree]

The first few times i saw her do it i thought oh god shes thristy and i would go run an extra cycle of the misters right away but then i would see her doing it even when their 20 minutes of misting had just ended.

 

[Chameleonboy]

i guess dean is right

 

[Brad]

Pheromonal olfaction?

I have seen panthers do this on branches. I always assumed it was to test for moisture or something similar to what Will suggested.

 

[ChameleonsTree]

''Many animals, including most mammals and reptiles, have two distinct and segregated olfactory systems: a main olfactory system, which detects volatile stimuli, and an accessory olfactory system, which detects fluid-phase stimuli. Behavioral evidence suggests that these fluid-phase stimuli often function as pheromones, although pheromones can also be detected by the main olfactory system. In the accessory olfactory system, stimuli are detected by the vomeronasal organ, located in the vomer, between the nose and the mouth. Snakes use it to smell prey, sticking their tongue out and touching it to the organ. Some mammals make a face called flehmen to direct air to this organ.''........ok i looked this up in response to will's answer but she doesnt touch the area between her nose and mouth she just does a little lick on my hand and thats it.

 

[Kent67]

Reptiles, as well as many other animals, leave chemical markers where they've been. She's just tasting to see if any other animals of her species have been on your arm. Why would they need to test a branch for temperature?

Oh, and that quote is talking about touching an organ that is inside the mouth, not outside between the mouth and nose. It's also known as the Jacobson's Organ.

 

[bucky]

Well,ive noticed,my chameleon walks around his enclosure,and randomly licks a vine I dont think its bad.

 

[PardalisGirl]

She's testing you for scent hormones.......

Panthers use their tongues to detect the scent/hormones left by other chameleons. They have glands in their mouths that can process whatever they pick up on their tongue. Male Panthers leave a trail of scent every where they go. They have a line of pores under their tail that leaves a trail of scent. They also leave secretions from their vent on branches and surfaces. My guess is that females also leave a scent of some sort where ever they go. Even if it is just tiny traces of poop from the vent area. I think your Panther is just checking who you are for sure every time you get her on your hand.