Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey, how many of your chameleons bite you? I was jw, cause I'm getting one. But I'll probably still get one..I mean I have a southern alligator lizard, what could be worse?
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~Julie~

I have a male veiled. He bit me pretty hard once, but it didn't break the skin. This was after I hadn't handled him in quite a while. Now, he will initially put up a fuss when I try to move him, but once he gets out of the cage, he settles down a lot. I've been taking him outside most days this summer and he's gotten used to the routine.

When mine was young, handling was no big deal - also he would eat out of my hand. Now he's a feisty young man.

Joel Fish

occasionaly you hear that someones chameleon was acting "violently" and being new to retiles i've wondered what makes for voilent behavoir. seems only natural any threatened animal will bit(shoot my 4 year old daughter still bites!lol)but how hard and deep and how often? so far so good with our little guy. he's just a baby though and has a bit before the "terrible teens". lol

since i've taken him outside he sure shows color a lot now!!

dennis
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compasscreek backcountry adventures

I think "violent" is a matter of degree with chams. Even turning color could be considered violent, at least to another cham. If a cham is so stressed he takes physical action then I think that is violent. It is sort of a last resort. Normally, a cham can get a creature to back off by looking scary or bizarre visually. If in rare cases that doesn't get the proper reaction they will puff up with air and gape to look big and dangerous. If in even rarer cases this isn't enough to get the blundering creature (er, like a clueless but well intentioned human) to back off they will lunge and strike. Even this can be a bluff. If in the end they actually bite it is pretty extreme. The bite from even a small cham can startle you. The bite from a big 24" melleri can blacken a thumbnail and leave a scar (been there done that). They don't tend to tear and cause a big wound like a lizard who needs to catch, hold and tear up squirmy prey with their mouth, but the jaw/tongue musclature is quite strong.

if u handle them enough when they are yongue..is there a less chance of being bitten while handling them?
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~Julie~
1.0 Southern Alligator Lizard
2.0 Christmas Toad
2.3 Pacific Tree Frog
1.0 White Tree Frog
0.2 Bearded Dragon
1.0 Veiled Chameleon
1.0 Patterdale Terrier

Not necessarily. Chams are very individual about their tolerance to handling. The point at which each one decides it has had enough is hard to predict. They aren't great thinkers. Chams like predictable routines and schedules so this helps. But, occasional gentle handling isn't bad, nor is hand feeding favorite treats. It helps the cham learn that you are not a threat...but most usually see humans as big weird looking predators. Some keepers find their chams get upset quicker when they wear bright colors (red, orange). Handling probably teaches you more how to handle them safely and when your individual cham really needs to be left alone. I also find a favorite sunning spot in the house I can carry my chams to as a treat. They learn that being taken out of the cage often results in something good. It isn't necessarily species related either. Years ago I had a really mellow wc male veiled and have also known an absolutely evil hand raised panther. Also a very tolerant dermensis who would sit calmly on an arm and then charge up to bite my ear. Two huge melleri who were almost social and 2 who required gloves. You just have to learn your individual cham's personality and respect it.