Waldo hates going outside?

[Pilotman800]

Most chameleons love going outside. They enjoy basking, taking in the UVB rats, roaming around, etc. However, Waldo seems to be the opposite. Whenever I take him outside, he fires and flares up for about the first 10-15 minutes as soon as he gets outside. After that is when he seems to be okay with being outside. There aren't any birds around him, and he is in his freerange tree, which also eliminates the possibility that he might be scared of me.

Any idea?


I wrote this on my phone so sorry for any typos and bad sentence structure.

 

[gerhartrx]

My guy does this as well and my feeling is that it is a new surrounding so he is trying to make himself look bigger and tougher to ward off any potential predators. Also the brighter colors could be to attract the light as well much like when they turn black to increase their body temps.

 

[Supergirl]

Are there any pets or animals he can see outside that may make him nervous? When we take our chams outside, they seem to get a bit nervous when a neighbor passes by walking their dog, or if there's the occasional stray cat randomly roaming around the yard. Or maybe Waldo is just a homebody

 

[VeiledChams]

Most chameleons love going outside. They enjoy basking, taking in the UVB rats, roaming around, etc. However, Waldo seems to be the opposite. Whenever I take him outside, he fires and flares up for about the first 10-15 minutes as soon as he gets outside. After that is when he seems to be okay with being outside. There aren't any birds around him, and he is in his freerange tree, which also eliminates the possibility that he might be scared of me.

Any idea?


I wrote this on my phone so sorry for any typos and bad sentence structure.

Its probably the shock of the change of environment.

 

[jdog1027]

I have 2 adult Veileds that freak out whenever I take them outside. As sson as they pass through the door, they shrivel up and turn super dark. They never get used to it. Bring them back inside and 30 minutes later I'll look in and the big male will be just as bright as can be, perched under his bulbs. He is worse than the female. These are the only 2 chameleons that I have ever had that behave this way.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Your indoor free range doesn't have a huge empty sky above it. Indoors he is enclosed, which limits the chance for predators to come out of nowhere because he can see everything. What are you putting him on when you take him outside? Is he just sitting on your hand, exposed and vulnerable to anything that make come out of that big scary world he's not used to? Maybe providing a tree or bush for him to climb in (supervised and not too tall) so he feels hidden and safe will allow him to still get good sunlight without feeling like he could be eaten at any time.

 

[Echoezra]

My faly Zelig is scared outside too. I have yet to get a decent picture of him. He's the shrivel & dark type. Lol. You can see him relax eventually, a little bit, but it takes a while, and he's always still on guard.
I will say though, that I tried putting him in a cage outside with vines and the dark mesh, figuring he'd be more comfortable, but he freaked out. He only likes to be outside on me. Sometimes if I'm lying in my lawn chair he'll climb on the edges next to me.

 

[Pilotman800]

My guy does this as well and my feeling is that it is a new surrounding so he is trying to make himself look bigger and tougher to ward off any potential predators. Also the brighter colors could be to attract the light as well much like when they turn black to increase their body temps.

I know about the darkening of the color to increase body temps, but this is different. As everyone else has said, I think its probably just the shock. It seems like the only reasonable explanation.

Are there any pets or animals he can see outside that may make him nervous? When we take our chams outside, they seem to get a bit nervous when a neighbor passes by walking their dog, or if there's the occasional stray cat randomly roaming around the yard. Or maybe Waldo is just a homebody

There are. We have two dogs. However, after Waldo settles down, the dogs walk by and Waldo doesn't show any signs of stress.

Its probably the shock of the change of environment.

Thats probably it.

I have 2 adult Veileds that freak out whenever I take them outside. As sson as they pass through the door, they shrivel up and turn super dark. They never get used to it. Bring them back inside and 30 minutes later I'll look in and the big male will be just as bright as can be, perched under his bulbs. He is worse than the female. These are the only 2 chameleons that I have ever had that behave this way.

It is kinda weird, haha.

Your indoor free range doesn't have a huge empty sky above it. Indoors he is enclosed, which limits the chance for predators to come out of nowhere because he can see everything. What are you putting him on when you take him outside? Is he just sitting on your hand, exposed and vulnerable to anything that make come out of that big scary world he's not used to? Maybe providing a tree or bush for him to climb in (supervised and not too tall) so he feels hidden and safe will allow him to still get good sunlight without feeling like he could be eaten at any time.

I take his free range plant outside and put him in there. He loves that thing.

Thanks for the responses everyone!