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I used to have veileds several years ago. Beautiful animals... not the friendliest guys.

I'm not really sure if they're really even are any friendly chameleons. I would guess if there is one that's frequently handled/hand fed from birth, maybe so. But, this is risking stressing the animal...

I've heard rumors that some panthers can be quite friendly.

Has anyone had any experiences w/ overly friendly/personable chameleons? Please tell.
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1.1.0 Crested Geckos
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it seems to me that the chameleons that are most tolerant are jacksons, this is from personal experience though. i've never really had all that much of an urge to hold my chams unless i absolutely had to.... but alot of panthers seem to be pretty good about it

if i really want to hold something i usually grab one of my beardies or my ig, or a snake
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1.0.0 Cockatiels "Sunshine"
1.0.0 Bourkes Parakeet "Kerpal"
0.1.0 Eublepharis macularius "Claire"
1.0 Chameleo calyptratus "Bruno" (eggs due to hatch any day now)
0.1 Python reticulatus
0.1 Python molurus bivvitatus
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Problem is, chams are not consistently "friendly" by species. They are emotional little beings and part of their defense is to be very obvious about it. Sure many panthers can be tolerant, but there is no real way to predict it especially when their hormones kick in. It does not necessarily depend on how much they are handled as youngsters either. A stressy cham will remain that way regardless of how much it is handled, in fact, can make it even more reactive. Not all veileds are nasty, and not all jax are tolerant either. Most deremensis are docile too, but my first male was really evil. He would allow me to pick him up, then size me up and bite whatever part of me was most convenient. Oustaleti is often said to be docile, but finding a healthy cbb Oustaleti is really difficult and they need a HUGE space relative to the other commonly kept species. I guess you need to decide how important being friendly is in a pet herp. If that is the most important quality your herp should have I would not suggest a cham of any species. If the beauty and interesting traits are on top of your list and you can accept the personality that comes with the package, you would probably enjoy keeping another cham. The way I see it is...cham keepers need that dog, ball python or beardie so they can feel appreciated. Most chams will never let on that you are the source of everything good!

Here is a tip. If you get a chance to hand pick your chameleon, pay attention to his/her body language. A docile chameleon will just stare at you as you approach him. Slowly move your hand under his chin and allow him to climb onto you.

A tolerable panther will grab onto your finger and slowly climb on. On the other hand, if you notice him get into a defensive posture, flatten up, or begin to gape, then he is probably not the best candidate for a friendly chameleon. Some will even gape as you open the door.

If you don't get a chance to hand pick your animal, ask the breeder if he/she could do this for you. Keep in mind that there is still no guarantee. But you are improving your chances of aquiring a "friendly" chameleon.

Below is a photo of a panther that is in his defensive posture.

Good Luck!

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Farrah & Vincent
Email: Screameleons@yahoo.com
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Wow, now that's a pissed panther! Beautiful.

my veiled was very friendly, never bit to me or even hissed. is depends from animal to animal, they all have different personalitys. just take good care of it and "play" with it a lot. then they become friendly a bit easier, i think.
greetz
Allen

My carpet cham is the friendliest cham. I think the key was getting it at a month old and begin associating my hand immiediately with food. I began but gently edging the cham onto my finger (usually at this young they dont really gape/hiss/or try to run too fast, im not sure if im correct on this one though) while my hand was on the cage and directing the cham to the feeding dish. He would sit on my finger and zap the food off the feeding dish that was in the cage. Next step I took him out of the cage and fed him via the same feeding dish. Finally, I took him out and held the food in my hand and he zapped the feeder off of my hand. I did thise maybe one or twice every other day. Now, my cham is so cool with me that I ONLY HAND FEED HIM!. And he isn't stressed at all, as a matter of fact if i place my finger under his chin he'll grab on and "expect" food (he'll start coating his tongue with saliva almsot as if he is licking his lips). Instead of hand feeding I think there is also a good way to associate your hand with something enjoyable. I take my study "bend-a-lamp" and I rest my hand on my desk with the lamp bended so my hand turns into a basking branch at around 95. He'll sit there, coil his tongue lean towards the heat for about 10 minutes and move on. Try it!

The problem is, not all young chams learn to be tolerant. If you tried this with a cham who is very shy or reactive you could end up making it even worse (expecting the daily "harassment" and getting all ready for it) or making it ill. I think the take home message here is to expect that a cham will not be tolerant and then by observation learn what it WILL tolerate from you. I guess you will be the one to be trained, not the cham! At the very least even a stressy cham can learn that you will offer treats by hand which is a good thing. The advice about hand selecting a cham in person or having the breeder do it is a really good idea.

But, I still think having a dog around is great!

i agree with carlton

i just don't think chams should be held unless necessary, some are more tolerant, but why stress your animal? this is actually the reason i have my ig and why i have always loved bd's. they are so docile (the bd's, and MY ig, not everyones ig lol). i used to hand feed some of my female veileds.... but they died in a house fire, such is life i suppose.

i treat them like i do my reef tanks, im very attentive to caring for them, and i love to watch them all day, but i always treat them as "look, don't touch"

i also must say that if i DID have a cham that didn't freak out everytime i got in the cage to do something i would probably just have to interact with it a little, just all depends on the individual i suppose. it's not a quality i look for in a cham though, i got into chams because of their beauty, not because they make good companions
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2.1 Pogona vitticeps "Duke" "Glomp" "Pussy"
1.0.0 Cockatiels "Sunshine"
1.0.0 Bourkes Parakeet "Kerpal"
0.1.0 Eublepharis macularius "Claire"
1.0 Chameleo calyptratus "Bruno" (eggs due to hatch any day now)
0.1 Python reticulatus
0.1 Python molurus bivvitatus
2.0 Canis domesticus
A bunch of chickens
Misc. Saltwater Fish

Email

All of my deremensis(CB and WC) were, compared to other chameleons friendly. Thye wouldn't shy away, and they would come up to me to feed. They are all nice. My veiled is the meanest veiled I've seen (except for this 19" WC female I saw 10 years ago - my GOD was she evil).

As nice as the deremensis are, they get moody. When in breeding season(red lips & very roamy)they can be nasty. Both my males have attacked me during breeding season. One tried to bite, the other simply stabbed me with his horns,and broke the skin in the palm of my hand. Amazing power they have in behind their heads... hurt like hell too.

Now, my male veiled is easy to handle. When I used to come in, he would go from gorgous colors to ugly, and hide. Now, he brightens up when I come in. Took him over 3 years, but he finally recognizes that I'm there to feed him, not impale him on an acacia thorn. I can handle him now, I just lure him ontomy hand with food. Never tries to bite anymore - as long as I do not put my hand to him. It's gotta be on his terms, and he's cool.

I would have to say that out of all the chameleons I've delt with, deremensis are the most consistent.

Most chameleons will be ok with being held, as long as they come out onto your hand(that's the trick) NO chameleons want to be picked up, as in grabbed. Most animals wil react badly to being grabbed, chameleons are no exception. I've seen a totally docile parsonii react very badly to being grabbed. The only fast thing it ever did - Gaped wide enough to hold an orange in its mouth, and lunged at my friend, letting out a surprisingly loud hiss -- scared him pretty good.

The thing about deremensis...I think I've heard Carlton mention this somewhere - springy little turds they are. Slowest, mushiest, most mellow chameleons. They let you hold them, and they stay calm, then, as soon as you get off the soft carpeting, and onto the hard floor, they spring away from you to the ground. Suckers CAN JUMP like a treefrog. My cb male tried this one time, right at my mother, I caught him in mid air - had to reach out my arm to get him - he jumped that far. Theymight SEEM calm...

Too true! My male leaped off my hand at the vet's office and landed hard on the linoleum about 3 feet away. The vet and I were horrified. The vet was afraid she'd be responsible for a broken leg at least. He was fine, so I'm sure he did it just to spite us. The other jumpy species I kept was a B. fischeri multituberculatum. Fast and unpredictable little sucker and the best escape artist. He would squeeze through cage frames, screening, towels, etc.