AmandaS
Retired Moderator
Observing up-close, and handling are 2 different things.
Southwest Florida wild chameleons
- Thread starter gabeswfl
- Start date
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
You have come to the absolute wrong place for advice/help with your plans. This is a place where we care about and respect the lives of chameleons and promote responsibility in all aspects regarding them. You are obviously interested in none of those things and at this point you have become a troll. I wish you the best in not getting shot.
Thatwizard420
Chameleon Enthusiast
Dont put them back. Call your Florida fish and game department so they can safely relocate them.
So, just to play Devil's Advocate...
I catch geckos and anoles all the time on my lanai and let them outside so my cats don't get them. It may be a bit stressful for a moment, but if the animal is healthy it shouldn't be an issue. I have seen tons of pictures from researchers holding wild animals so they can get a photo and generally it isn't frowned upon.
Having said this, I would much rather observe animals without handling them when possible. As for where to find them, good luck. If you research long enough there are some clues out there to help you locate their invasive range, but as stated, no one is going to give up the locations. It's kinda like keeping your favorite fishing hole a secret...
I catch geckos and anoles all the time on my lanai and let them outside so my cats don't get them. It may be a bit stressful for a moment, but if the animal is healthy it shouldn't be an issue. I have seen tons of pictures from researchers holding wild animals so they can get a photo and generally it isn't frowned upon.
Having said this, I would much rather observe animals without handling them when possible. As for where to find them, good luck. If you research long enough there are some clues out there to help you locate their invasive range, but as stated, no one is going to give up the locations. It's kinda like keeping your favorite fishing hole a secret...
PoseidonTheChameleon
Chameleon Enthusiast
Better maybe, but still not right. You do you dude
O.K., I just couldn't help myself...
JuniorC
Avid Member
???
nightanole
Chameleon Enthusiast
Sorry to say, but i dont think invasive species get safely relocated. Just google what they do to the iggies and tegus
I think you are right @nightanole ...they get put down sadly.
I guess I am still in the minority that doesn't think Iguanas are invasive here in Florida. There is plenty of evidence that they arrived here on their own. People just don't want them eating their plants and stuff. 
nightanole
Chameleon Enthusiast
I guess I am still in the minority that doesn't think Iguanas are invasive here in Florida. There is plenty of evidence that they arrived here on their own. People just don't want them eating their plants and stuff.
It would be fine if they did that. They utterly destroy coastlines/ponds/lakes with the burrows. They completely ruin "dog walk ponds" etc with the constant poop both in and out of the water. Unfortunately once and iggy pop moves in, its soil erosion and poop city. They are still trying to figure out how in the world they grow in population so fast.
Thatwizard420
Chameleon Enthusiast
Coyote Peterson Lied to me!!Sorry to say, but i dont think invasive species get safely relocated. Just google what they do to the iggies and tegus
I don't know how they got there for sure...but I hate to see animals put down just because they end up somewhere else...but then I kill bugs that invade my house and sometimes my yard.I guess I am still in the minority that doesn't think Iguanas are invasive here in Florida. There is plenty of evidence that they arrived here on their own. People just don't want them eating their plants and stuff.
AmandaS
Retired Moderator
That chameleon does not look nearly as happy as Steve does.
Also, rescuing and relocating (from lanai or other location. Lol) are not quite the same idea as "catch and release". ?
Ridick
Member
There is a lot of Veiled and Oustatlet chameleons that are wild, living in Florida, basically the whole south, lake Okeechobee being the cut off area if you will, people catching them all the time, but they also get shot at all the time as they are usually farmed, but you can find them, and anyone who knows, won't tell you as it's a lucrative business, you can read about the illegal farming, and yes, If you catch one, even just for picture, you cannot released back to wild again. So you don't wanna take a picture, but make some money, good luck but be seriously careful. You can youtube it if you don't believe me.
PabloTheCham
Chameleon Enthusiast
Really?? Getting is killed is stressful to chams? Who would've thought.
CrazyMango
Member
I agree with the first sentence... besides the Chill out. Catching fish is very inhumane if you think about it from the fish perspective. You get a sharp object lodged in your jawbone and get dragged with that sharp object to a point where you can't breathe(land), and then you get let go, having a scar in your mouth for the rest of your life or maybe even missing a part of your mouth. So, it is like catching fish. If your not catching something to eat, don't touch it. For all we know, chameleons could have been dogs or humans. Your taking advantage of nature for your enjoyment. So for arrogant people like you, think about the other side. Your stressing out the chameleon. I know your a kid because I am and I used to do that stuff, but hold off on the arrogance on this forum. We have to appreciate nature how it is. If you're going to look for chameleons, don't touch them and just observe from a distance. Then maybe you'll find the real beauty of nature. Or maybe your just trying to act hard in front of all these people on this forum. Well, they don't care. Trust me, I speak from experience, I hurt someone and I apologized, and feel very bad. That's not how you gain respect. You will learn over the years just like I have. I don't know if you're christian or not, but if you are, look at nature from God's perspective. It's perfect. Every grain of sand on a beach sifts with rhythm. Every chameleon hits targets with extreme precision. And ants are able to hold together hundreds of thousands of members without turning against each other, working in unison. LEAVE. NATURE. ALONE. I don't know if you already did this, but watch yourself next time you do something like this. try to see it from 3rd person. See what God sees. You may think I'm making a big deal out of this, but this kind of thing is all over our fallen world. Even some of our beloved pets are caught from the wild, and roughly handed, such as the chinese water dragon. I can't stress this enough to all of you. LEAVE. WILDLIFE. AND. NATURE. ALONE.
CrazyMango
Member
I didn't wanna sound like an A**hole saying that^^. Also, I want to add that if you still want to catch them, at least relocate them somewhere where they are native if possible. For you, probably not, so you should leave that to bigger organizations. Remember, the reason those chameleons are there is BECAUSE of humans in the first place. If we had left nature alone, the earth would be totally balanced by itself, without our help. Just think of the time and money saved on conservation purposes around the world if it weren't for the certain people who import species from around the world and release them where they don't belong.I agree with the first sentence... besides the Chill out. Catching fish is very inhumane if you think about it from the fish perspective. You get a sharp object lodged in your jawbone and get dragged with that sharp object to a point where you can't breathe(land), and then you get let go, having a scar in your mouth for the rest of your life or maybe even missing a part of your mouth. So, it is like catching fish. If your not catching something to eat, don't touch it. For all we know, chameleons could have been dogs or humans. Your taking advantage of nature for your enjoyment. So for arrogant people like you, think about the other side. Your stressing out the chameleon. I know your a kid because I am and I used to do that stuff, but hold off on the arrogance on this forum. We have to appreciate nature how it is. If you're going to look for chameleons, don't touch them and just observe from a distance. Then maybe you'll find the real beauty of nature. Or maybe your just trying to act hard in front of all these people on this forum. Well, they don't care. Trust me, I speak from experience, I hurt someone and I apologized, and feel very bad. That's not how you gain respect. You will learn over the years just like I have. I don't know if you're christian or not, but if you are, look at nature from God's perspective. It's perfect. Every grain of sand on a beach sifts with rhythm. Every chameleon hits targets with extreme precision. And ants are able to hold together hundreds of thousands of members without turning against each other, working in unison. LEAVE. NATURE. ALONE. I don't know if you already did this, but watch yourself next time you do something like this. try to see it from 3rd person. See what God sees. You may think I'm making a big deal out of this, but this kind of thing is all over our fallen world. Even some of our beloved pets are caught from the wild, and roughly handed, such as the chinese water dragon. I can't stress this enough to all of you. LEAVE. WILDLIFE. AND. NATURE. ALONE.
CrazyMango
Member
but pointless. Just adding to the stress.
