Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey I am considering getting a Chameleon & was wondering if there was any breed of Chameleons that are not stressed by occasional handling & arent affraid of people. Any advice you could offer
on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Paul

there isn't a species that isn't stressed by habdling, but I suppose the most mellow are jackson's (so I've heard) but you should knw that the most you should handle them is lke 15 minutes a day.

Panther's also seem to be mellowish (so I've heard)
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0.2 Cats (Moora and Twitch)
0.1 Dogs (Maria)
soon to be 1.0 Panther Chameleon (Yoda)

I wouldn't say any one species is known to be tolerant...but individuals can be. I've heard that jax can be more docile than some others (but it may be because they are shyer rather than trusting), but I don't think they are a good beginner species. They require cooler temps and lots of carefully controlled humidity and air quality that can be tricky for a newbie to maintain. If you choose a species that is a bit more forgiving of keeping mistakes and the learning curve you will have less trouble with health problems and stress...which may mean you have an animal who isn't so reactive. If you really want to handle this animal...a cham may not be for you. Chams basically tolerate handling and never really lose their fear of humans totally. They may learn to recognize you as a familiar thing in their territory, but instinct is still telling them to stay away. Chams are not socially oriented and it is unnatural for them to seek out another creature to interact with. It's just the way they are wired.

But if you do decide to get one and will respect the fact that they don't like too much handling I have found the Veiled to be the easiest for a beginner to keep. If you get a healthy one to start with.
The panthers seem to be the most mellow as a whole though you have personality differences among them. They are also good for beginners though not as easy as a Veiled due to the fact that they like higher humidity. Although in a captive enviornment I have been noticing my panthers doing better with a bit less humidity than they would have in the wild.
Males seem to tolerate handling more than females.