Handling a chamelon

Can you handle a chamelon? i was thinking about getting one and i always see pics of people holding them

It's not recommended. Chams are quite easy to stress, which in turn can make them sick. The reason you see people holding them for pics, is that's one of the best ways to get them in 'full color' so to speak, since they are mad at that point. They are not 'friendly' lizards, they're show animals.

If you have a busy household/lots of mammals that are constantly moving around, I wouldn't recommend a cham, as even too much foot traffic can stress them.

Chameleons are primarily display type animals but I feel there is an over-reaction (especially online) to handling. They can be handled (ours are on a daily basis) but it needs to be in a calm, controlled environment. They are not ones (like bearded dragons) that you can put on a leash and take for a walk around the neighborhood.

Chameleons like the closed in feeling of being in a filled out live plant. They feel more secure with a lot of vegetation to hide in. So when you do hold them their first inclination is to "get away" and hide. This is also why you see most pictures are of them being held. It's nearly impossible to get a picture of a chameleon sitting on a bush as they tend to hide as soon as you come around.

So use some common sense. Keep handling to short periods per day. Move slow. Do it in a quiet part of your house. Learn to observe your chameleon and realize when he's had enough and needs to go back to his home.

I agree with Dan on this one.

My chameleons, half seem to enjoy being held, definetly in a calm manner. The other half don't enjoy it much at all.

Then I have two exceptions. Stanley, 1 1/2 year old male veiled loves it. He enjoys having his chin and head stroked, and is perfectly relaxed.

Then there's Oswald. Same age and type as Stanley. Oswald is a jerk who will nearly bite you when held. Both are captive born but from two different sources.

I think it is obvious that Stanley was handled frequently and Oswald was hardly if ever handled. Yes there are exceptions, chameleons that never tame, but that is my theory.