Chameleons are often seen as cute and cool pets but many people are worried that they might be aggressive. Many years ago, I had my first experience with a chameleon and it wasn’t really friendly towards me.
That made me wonder if chameleons are aggressive animals. So, I asked around and did some research online, and here is what I’ve found.
Chameleons are generally not aggressive towards humans. Most of the time, they will simply walk away if you try to pick them up. However, with some chameleons that are extra aggressive, they might hiss or bite you but that’s not very common.
Chameleons usually don’t like companions, they are solitary animals. If you have a pet chameleon, it is best just to leave it alone if you see signs of it being aggressive.
How Aggressive Are Chameleons?
One thing you need to understand is that every chameleon is different and each has its own personality. Moreover, there are different species of chameleons and they have different behaviors as well.
Some chameleons will be more aggressive than others, even if they are the same species. If you are lucky enough to get a docile chameleon, it might even rush out to greet you when you go near.
Veiled Chameleons Aggression
These chameleons tend to be the most aggressive of all the common chameleon species that are kept as pets.
Veiled chameleons are not aggressive just for the sake of it, they have this aggression due to their territorial nature.
If you don’t want to deal with a fiercely territorial little creature, don’t get the Veiled chameleon as a pet.
That being said, you could be lucky and get a nice Veiled chameleon but you need some really good luck to find that.
Panther Chameleons Aggression
When it comes to aggression, the Panther chameleons are slightly less territorial and aggressive than the Veiled chameleons.
However, they are still chameleons at the end of the day. So, the territorial behavior will still be there.
Don’t expect Panther chameleons to just love you because it’s slightly more docile than the Veiled chameleons.
Jackson Chameleons Aggression
Out of the 3 chameleons, Jackson chameleons are the ones with the least aggression. From my experience and what I hear from others, Jackson chameleons are timider and more laid back. Because of that, they are also less likely to bite you. Jackson Chameleons rather flight than fight.
Aggression In Baby Vs Adult Chameleons
Chameleons tend to get more aggressive as they get older. If you have a baby chameleon and it’s behaving well, don’t expect that to last forever.
When your baby chameleon grows up, it is very likely that it will become aggressive and completely change its personality towards you.
Again, this will heavily depend on your chameleon’s personality. Some will grow to hate you no matter what you do and some will grow to become docile and friendly.
There is no way to find this out when getting a baby chameleon.
Is Male Or Female Chameleon More Aggressive?
Male chameleons are usually more aggressive than female chameleons. On top of that, males are also more territorial and are less afraid to bite their owners.
However, you should not decide which gender of a chameleon to buy just from their aggression. There are many reasons to buy a male chameleon rather than a female.
3 Signs A Chameleon Is Being Aggressive
There are 3 signs to look out for to see if a chameleon is being aggressive towards you. It is pretty obvious when a chameleon doesn’t like you and want you to go away.
Here are the 3 signs you can look out for.
1. Mouth Opened
When a chameleon opens its mouth, it could also have other meanings other than being aggressive. Despite that, this is one of the signs that you should look out for in combination with the other signs.
If it starts to open its mouth when you are coming near, there is a pretty high chance that it’s being aggressive. They might even move their opened mouth towards your hand and try to bite you.
2. Chin Puffed Up
Another sign to look out for is when your chameleon puffs up its chin. Chameleons do this to show dominance and power.
It is telling you that this territory is his or hers and you should stay away.
When combined with its mouth opened, it is a very clear sign that your chameleon is angry and wants to be aggressive.
3. Head Butts
Lastly, your chameleon might head butt you when you pick it up to show its aggression and dominance. This is usually performed by male chameleons.
Again, you can’t just determine that your chameleon is trying to be aggressive with just this sign. You need a combination of signs to confirm that it’s truly aggressive.
Making A Chameleon Less Aggressive
There are many ways you can make a chameleon less aggressive, you just need to know what to do. Unlike other animals, you should not try to tame your chameleon or hold them in your hands too often.
It can cause your chameleon a lot of stress. This is why a lot of chameleons die at a much younger age than their expected life span.
The best thing you can do is to try and get your chameleon used to your presence. Here are some ways you can do just that.
Hand Feed Your Chameleon
Feeding your chameleon by hand is one of the best things you can do to reduce its aggression towards you. You won’t really make your chameleon like you but you will make it associate you with food and that’s the next best thing.
Get an insect, put it at a distance where your chameleon’s tongue can reach. Your chameleon will then shoot its tongue out and eat the insect.
Once your chameleon is comfortable with you feeding it, try to put the insect a little bit further than where your chameleon’s tongue can reach.
Then, put your other hand out in front of the chameleon. When you do this, the chameleon will start to move forward to reach its food. It will move onto your hand without knowing it.
Once you have your chameleon on you, just leave it alone and let it do whatever it wants. If you keep doing this, your chameleon will slowly reduce its aggression towards you and even start to welcome you.
Every time you come near, it will start to think that you have some delicious treats for it.
Pick Your Chameleon From Below
When you are picking up your chameleon, you should always pick it up from the bottom. Never ever pick them up from the top because that will really scare them and stress them out. This is how they get caught by some of their predators in the wild.
Other than that, you could really hurt their feet if you pick them up from above when they are gripping tight. Chameleons don’t exactly love getting picked up no matter where it’s from but if you really want to, do it the right way (from the bottom).
If you constantly pick it up from above, it will be very hard to get rid of the aggression that your chameleon has towards you.
Slow Down Your Movements
If you move very quickly around your chameleon, they might see you as a treat. Hence, their aggression towards you will not reduce.
You want your chameleon to see as a friend rather than a foe and love you as much as possible. Or should I say hate you as little as possible since you can’t really make chameleons like anyone or anything.
They are already hard enough to win over. Move quickly around chameleons will just make it even harder for you to tone down their aggression towards you.
Give It Time & Patience
Lastly, you need time and patience for all this to work. When your chameleon starts to associate you with food and doesn’t see you as a threat, it will start to become less aggressive.
However, doing this will take some time. Don’t expect to reduce your chameleon aggression within a few weeks. It definitely can happen within a short period of time but it’s very unlikely.
Don’t get frustrated and forcefully touch your chameleon to get it to like you. Chameleons are not like cats and dogs. Most of the time, they don’t like getting touched by people.
Give them their space and time. Trust me, if you follow what I recommend you do, your chameleon will start to become less aggressive towards you over time.
Conclusion
To conclude, chameleons aren’t generally aggressive towards humans if you just leave them alone. They only start to become aggressive if you go near or try to pick them up (if there’s no bond between the two of you).
Different species of chameleons will have a slightly different aggression level. That being said, every chameleon has its own personality, some will be more aggressive than others even if they are of the same species.
Moreover, adult chameleons are usually way more aggressive than baby chameleons. The same goes for male chameleons when compared with female chameleons.
There are signs you can look out for to see if your chameleon is being aggressive. Try to avoid it when you do see these signs.
Lastly, it is possible to make your chameleon less aggressive towards you, you just need to know what to do in order to achieve that.
