The Chameleon is such a beautiful looking and charming creature, and it would be great to own and make a pet!
Do Chameleons Like to Be Held / Can you Hold a Chameleon?
As a general rule Chameleons can be held, but chameleons do not like to be held, and they do not enjoy being petted in any way? Some may be tolerant of holding, but they prefer to live alone and observe from afar. But with some unique techniques and the holding skills that we described below, you can build a great relationship with your Chameleon.
Sure, some owners are better off holding their chameleons than others, but some species, like (Veiled chameleons) will never allow a bond with you. Jump to Are Chameleons Hard to Take Care Of? Ultimate Guide
Which Chameleon Species Tolerates Being Held the Most?
Do Chameleons like to be held – As we all know, chameleons are beautiful and attractive to look at. We have recently observed a rise in the popularity of Chameleon in TV shows and commercials such as Ringo, The Line Guard. The increasing popularity of Chameleon means that more and more people are interested in owning a pet.
Can I make Chameleon More Comfortable With Being Held?
Chameleons are naturally shy, cautious creatures. It’s in their Genetics that they like to hide, and their colors often match the shades of their surrounding natural environment.
Chameleons are insightful reptiles that experience a significant amount of stress when they are mishandled. Due to your reptilian pet chameleon’s ability to blend into the present scenery, the very last thing you want to do is to drop him when you are willing to pick him up.
A loose chameleon can quickly go away, and you will never find him again. It will become missing Chameleon quickly. Properly handling of your pet is the only way to avoid accidentally letting him free. Practicing proper handling over time, you can master the interaction with your Chameleon. Proper handling is an excellent way to make sure your lizard stays friendly and healthy.
Notably, There are Certain Things You Can do to Handle Them and Let Them Feel more Comfortable With You.
Alert the Chameleon for your presence:
Chameleons usually don’t care for being troubled and maybe terrified or stressed if you stick your hand into their living enclosures or try to grab them. Make your moves very gentle when you approach your Chameleon in his enclosure.
Move Slowly Towards Their Enclosure:
Chameleons often jump in the presence of humans/people and will stress out easily. Do not make sudden movements that will stress them out. Move slow and steady, so that they feel a bit more at ease.
There are Three Possible Ways to a Hold Chameleon.
- Slowly put your hand into your Chameleon’s enclosure. Make sure Chameleon can see your hand coming. Lift him up slightly with one hand and lay the other hand gently on the ground under your Chameleon, and cautiously begin to slide your lower hand underneath Chameleon. Your Chameleon should respond by stepping onto your hand. While you are holding a Chameleon, provide full support to your Chameleon in your hand. Do not swing your pet in the air or attempt to make him do any trick or jump. Please do not allow your Chameleon to go; even for a nano-second, he could fall and be seriously injured or escape.
- The solution to picking up your Chameleon is to let the chameleon walk on your hands instead of taking it out by picking it from its limbs or extremities. There are five grabbing sections (four feet and a great tail) that will be willing to be continuously anchored to something. Forcibly snatching the Chameleon from the branches is a dangerous move. Even when you think you have five off the branch, each of them (especially the tail) is trying to grab something before getting out of the cage. At that time, there is more chance to break the bones in your Chameleon. Place your hand, or the branch you are holding, in front of your Chameleon, and use your other hand to herd him towards your waiting hand. That way, you’re working with your Chameleon, and whenever you do, your Chameleon learns there’s nothing to fear. There will always be times when you have to pick them up, and they will refuse to go. In this case, you need to make sure that all the legs and tail are free before removing them.
Make Bond with your Chameleon While Offering Food:
While feeding, your Chameleon will start to connect you. Your pet will associate you when you offer food to them and learn to recognize you slowly. Do this regularly, and they can know when it’s feeding time and even move down of their branch to greet you at the cage’s door.
- Make sure your Chameleon is on high position/Branch: It means your Chameleon is on a branch that is upper than your head. Chameleons are often preyed on by birds/predators from the above point in the wild. If they’re upper than your head, they won’t notice; you’ll pick them from the higher end where they’re helpless to defend themselves.
Don’t over handle your Chameleon in any condition as many are not fond of being touched.
Can Chameleons Bond with Their Owner?
Dogs quickly bond with their owners and are surprisingly loyal. Hamsters seem to love and cuddle while cats do what they like.
But do chameleons Bond with their owners? Base on our experience, our answer would be NO, but then I see some chameleons come out to greet their owners and hang on their shoulders while they play video games. And that changes my mind and thinking about bonding between Chameleon with their owner. So, we conclude that it depends upon the species of Chameleon, the time spent between owner and pet, the trust point, the feeding habits, and all other concerning issues. But certainly, it’s a tough job to pet a chameleon.
While this may sound like untrained eye binding, I would say nothing is impossible. Chameleons, in many cases, want to be alone, and they are better than being alone. They are fascinating to observe alone and do not wish to hold.
Most of the time, chameleons will want to use you like a mobile tree to reach the other side of the room. If they are sleeping on you while playing a video game, it may sound cute, but it is a bad sign. Chameleons do not sleep during the day and close their eyes because they are stressed.
Don’t take it personally if your Chameleon doesn’t want to be grabbed or tied up by you.
They are not made for love or affection. They have the brain of a reptile to fight or fly. Once they are born in the wild, they have left their own devices straight away, so it is not astonishing if they have no desire for love.
You can relate to them in various ways, even by leaving them alone, observing them from afar, and providing for their needs. They will compliment you on their way to it, and if you can get satisfaction with this level of a relationship, then Chameleon is the right choice for you.
How Do I Know if my Chameleon is Uncomfortable?
Out of all the types of reptiles, you can keep pets. I would say that Chameleon is the most obvious to tell you that being close to them is not their comfort zone.
Chameleons will not hesitate to tell you that they want to be alone. They will do this by self-defeating to look twice in size as they are natural. They want to hiss at you, lunge at you if you get close, and bite you off as a last resort.
Another irrational way to show their uneasiness is to be black because the darker color indicates they are in a bad mood. They will also hide in their cage, and you have to give them plenty of plants in their cage to enable them to do so.
Do Chameleons Love Humans?
Chameleons are solitary and cautious creatures in the wild. Millions of years of rigorous evolutionary behavior cannot be abolished by keeping them as a pet animal.
In our opinion, on balance, I would say they don’t like humans or any other creature. They also don’t want members of their fellow species.
Do Chameleons Like to Be Held – Summary:
- Highly intelligent species include Panthers, Veileds, Parson’s, and Meller’s Chameleons
- Chameleons are a lovely pet to be observed, but not handled.
- Chameleons are smart creature and will recognize their keepers/owners
- Each specie/individual will deal with handling differently.
