Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Last night I was eating a turkey and bagel sandwich. Nothing on it, just the turkey. I was sitting in Stitch and Rana's room, watching Rana act like a leaf when of course Stitch came wondering around me, so I let him crawl on my arm and was waiting for him to take his usual spot on my head, when instead he headed for my mouth! He almost caught my lip with his hand, so I moved him away from my face and he kept going back to the point where he was very persistant about it. I finally held him close to my face and he seemed to be smelling my mouth and kept trying to grab at my lip. Do chameleons like turkey? I would never give him any because I don't think that it would hold any nutritional value, but I thought that was strange that he was so curious about it.. Just thought I'd share....
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Feenie

1.1 vieled cham.- Stitch and Rana (Missing you,Chloe)
2.2 Canines Junior-pitbull chiuahuah mix, Jose- chiuahuah, Pearl- Staffie, and Daisy- Red nose Pit- foster child
1.0 boyfriend- Trent species unknown

Yikes!
Nevermind the nutritional value of turkey and the question of whether your veiled should be eating this. What I'm concerned about is you allowing your veiled to come so close to your mouth and your food!
Don't mean to come off as preachy, but you really shouldn't allow your chameleon to come so close to your face, let alone your mouth. Salmonella comes to mind, but there are other pathogens and toxins to consider.
Your poor chameleon could have gotten sick from all the bacteria in your mouth and sammich!
Seriously though, I wouldn't reccommend allowing your cham so close to your face.
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Victor Gomez
gomezvi@yahoo.com

I have been keeping chams for 10 years and am fully aware of the dangers of bacteria's. I was not french kissing him or allowing him to eat from my mouth or sucking my fingers after handling him, he was smelling it and was about 4 inches away and reaching for my mouth. Neither his head nor his hands made any contact with my face or even the sandwich. I was not writing the post as a "concern" or an "issue" it was just that was the first time I had food in the presence of my cham and I was amazed at how interested he was in it. Geez, you share an incedent here and end up defending yourself.
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Feenie

1.1 vieled cham.- Stitch and Rana (Missing you,Chloe)
2.2 Canines Junior-pitbull chiuahuah mix, Jose- chiuahuah, Pearl- Staffie, and Daisy- Red nose Pit- foster child
1.0 boyfriend- Trent species unknown

Thats funny, as far as letting him near your mouth I understand the concerns,

but I kiss many of my little collareds and agamas and chuckwallas , LOL as I tell them how pretty they are.

I know its not a good thing to tell people, but I'm sure there are many closet lizard kissers,
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PHEve/ Eve

Contact PHEve

the entire Anson Cham Clan are weird!!!! All in different ways - but still weird!
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Chameleon Help & Resource Info

0.1 Veiled - Luna
1.0 Beardie - Darwin
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta
1.0 African Clawed Frog - Skipper
0.3 Mad. Hissers (2 died ;(
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula - Rosa Leigh
0.1 Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula - Natasha

Stitch is my special weirdo!
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Feenie

1.1 vieled cham.- Stitch and Rana (Missing you,Chloe)
2.2 Canines Junior-pitbull chiuahuah mix, Jose- chiuahuah, Pearl- Staffie, and Daisy- Red nose Pit- foster child
1.0 boyfriend- Trent species unknown

as Luna is mine according to Sonia their sister, Ohana, is an absolute witch and always has been. When I was there and met them (Stitch and Ohana) he was a meanie (I still need to locate that mean Stitch photo) and Ohana was dark and hiding in the back of her cage so this is how I remember them both! I think it is so cool that Stitch turned out to be a nice, albeit weird, guy
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Chameleon Help & Resource Info

0.1 Veiled - Luna
1.0 Beardie - Darwin
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta
1.0 African Clawed Frog - Skipper
0.3 Mad. Hissers (2 died ;(
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula - Rosa Leigh
0.1 Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula - Natasha

I still can't believe Stitch used to be mean. He has never hissed at me and I've only seen him flare up 2 times, each time he saw himself in the mirror. He doesn't even flare up when he see's the other chams or the dogs. Rana on the other hand is getting to be a teenager! She has hissed at me a few times, and turns dark and runs away! So she gets alot of alone time What do you think about Luna being an auntie?? I can't wait for pictures from Anson ( hint hint).
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Feenie

1.1 vieled cham.- Stitch and Rana (Missing you,Chloe)
2.2 Canines Junior-pitbull chiuahuah mix, Jose- chiuahuah, Pearl- Staffie, and Daisy- Red nose Pit- foster child
1.0 boyfriend- Trent species unknown

Then one day he just started calming down. I guess the outdoor cage calmed him down some. When summer came and I switched him to outside is when he started getting better. Then when I brought him back inside he remained calm. He probably thought if I don't behave they ship me outside in the Florida heat!
Here is the only pic I have for now. I have been working on a huge order round the clock. Then I go home at midnight and feed the night crewe (snakes and leopard geckos) and clean cages till 3 AM Not to mention cricket bins and silkworm bins.
I need a camera battery but I have to stop somewhere and get one so this picture is when they were one day old.

Actually you are right. I don't know why but they are.
I guess because I nurture their individuality! LOL
Maybe it's because I can communicate with them. Maybe because I have not been on here for a couple of days and have been working nonstop but if you post about me and make fun of my babies I will stop whatever I am doing and I will come read it! I told you my nickname is "Radar" like on the old MASH show. He would yell incoming wounded before you could see or hear the choppers. LOL
I am just kidding with you! I know I raise weird chams.
As for Sam and Ella.
Actually I kissed Salvador goodbye before he died. I know you are not supposed to. Actually dogs and cats can carry the salmonella bacteria and so can birds. We are really not supposed to kiss any of them either. I would never advocate kissing your reptiles but I guess anyone can forget for a moment.
If you are worried just go wash your lips and rinse with listerine!

LOL that's a good one! I guess I thought it was weird because it was like he smelled the food on me and was very persistant about investigating it. Usually he wants to sit on my head and that's it!!
Hey when can we see some pics. of those little ones?? I need to get a camera big time. Rana is growing up before my eyes!! She has tripled in length and is very sneaky now!! And Stitch needs to update his portfolio for future modeling opportunities!!
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Feenie

1.1 vieled cham.- Stitch and Rana (Missing you,Chloe)
2.2 Canines Junior-pitbull chiuahuah mix, Jose- chiuahuah, Pearl- Staffie, and Daisy- Red nose Pit- foster child
1.0 boyfriend- Trent species unknown

You know the chewing motion. My bird (african grey) recognizes eating and he will eat his food if he sees me eating. Of course birds are smarter than chams so that is not shocking at all. Actually "Marley" sees me eating and says "want some Chalupa"!
(he likes Taco Bell)
But lots of animals recognize the act of eating and chewing in other animals and in us.
I know chams are not supposed to be too smart but I don't think we give animals enough credit for their intelligence.
It may be "different" than ours but that does not mean it does not exist.
My female Panther comes to me for food (a great motivator for her) She is a piggy! Then when she is close I hand it over and she does not zap it down she just opens up her mouth and I put it in there. She can shoot her tongue when she wants but figured out I will just hand it over and put it in there for her.
She is too funny! It looks like I am feeding a baby bird.
OK I know another of my weird animals. But I just think it's because I enjoy interacting with them on their terms and I don't set limits in my mind as to what they will or won't do.

I can't eat in front of my veiled Petrie. he tries to eat my food no matter what it is. thats how I got him to eat collards I ate some in front of him and then I give him some. now he sees me coming with it and he comes running right over to me. my other one chaz wont eat them at all and he doesn't even notice if im eating something. It's just a strange thing some chameleons pick up on. anyone else ever had this happen?

I thought maybe that might be it, He watches my mouth when I talk to him, but he was never so persistant and when he got close, he just sat there and was thinking.

He loves to go outside! He gets a bit depressed when he comes back in, so I leave him out as long as possilbe weather permiting, He has a special branch where he can watch the action, without being part of it. He also likes to fancy himself a hunter out there, I put an acrylic fish tank in his outside enclosure and I throw some crickets in there and he'll stalk them.
You know, he eats out of a bowl, like your girl does, but only with the king worms, When I give him crickets I release them on the ceiling of his cage and he'll take them from there.

You better slow down!! It's not good to run yourself ragged, although I know what you mean about keeping everyone feed and feeding the feeders! I have 3 different sizes of Crickets and 2 sizes of silkworms to deal with, and they all eat and poop way to much!!!
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Feenie

1.1 vieled cham.- Stitch and Rana (Missing you,Chloe)
2.2 Canines Junior-pitbull chiuahuah mix, Jose- chiuahuah, Pearl- Staffie, and Daisy- Red nose Pit- foster child
1.0 boyfriend- Trent species unknown