Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi I was thinking about getting a chameleon but was wondering about their personality and temperment. I have 2 water dragons now and my boyfriend says he will get me another lizard for Christmas. Oh yea and how is thier poop? is it messy, I like my water dragons who are pond trained now thanks Pamie

Hmm well some people get chameleons who like to be held but most seem to not like it. Some species tend to be better with people than others -- im not sure which, I only have a young veiled.

Poops are relatively small and dry. Like little black/white bird droppings. Hope that helps!

Also-- they dont like to play with other animals even other chameleons. They dont even like to see them nearby so consider that.

. . . .and they freak out about red/orange colored anything. I used to have a lot of red in my wardrobe but after having him 4 years now, I realize I've got no more red in my closet at all. He's so sensitive to red (and bright orange), I even have to make guys take off red baseball caps before coming in the house. A friend once brought his kid over, in a bright red shirt. Before I could stop him, he went over to look at Cham-Ra who literally THREW himself off his perch to get away from the red monster child. Poor Cham. Luckily he didn't hurt himself so I couldn't help giggling about it as I scooped him up and scooted the kid out

thanks so much for the info. He would end up living in my room Where I have 2 Water dragons on free roam. LOL wouldn't want him to get jelous. I will probly go with a beardie, they are ugly but they seem very easy going. I like my water dragons who are like little hairless green cats, very aloof but they keep an eye on me and will sit with me for a while. so cute.

All in the eye of the beholder I guess. I have 2 adults right now. They have the personality of a mellowed out puppy. Will sit with me indefinitely. I think you might change your mind about them being ugly, after you end up falling in love w/one of the little darling's. They're easier to leave, when you go weekend road trips, than a cham too.
Good Luck
Rebecca (and the zoo)

As for personality and temperment, generally chams are solitary (and don't want to see ANY other herps even from across a room), and antisocial. They are stealth predators so prefer to stay fairly hidden given a chance. They do best in large screen cages stuffed with live plants. Most do not like handling (but there are exceptions as they are very individual) and will not enjoy being carried around. This is not to say they are nasty, but that they simply don't crave attention. Chams are fairly labor intensive too. You will be spraying them several times a day for drinking, keeping track of the humidity and temp gradient in their screen cages, and caring for a variety of live insect feeders. If you don't mind caring for a herp that you don't interact with great. If you want a herp that can come out and play around the house like a dragon it won't work very well. It is best to be conservative and assume that any cham will be like this. Sometimes they tolerate their keepers quite well, but there is no way to predict this. They are not very messy compared to water dragons. For good care and keeping info here are the sites I usually recommend people read. www.adcham.com, www.chameleonnews.com, www.chameleonjournals.com, www.geocities.com/ccicenter, and www.calumma.com. Good luck in your decision!