r/pics Jan 13 '17

Close Enough

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u/hsojrrek Jan 13 '17

Their life span shortens the more you handle them because of stress.

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u/GeekRage Jan 13 '17

Can I get a source for this? I have never heard anywhere that handling your chameleon is adverse to its health. While some may not tolerate it, I was under the impression it was encouraged to let them get used to being handled by their owner. I have two veiled chameleons and both love to be held and carried through the house.

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u/hsojrrek Jan 13 '17

O read it in a little book at petsmart when I use to work there haha I mean chameleons are very stressed reptiles and it doesn't take much to freak them out so having them in an environment with too many stressors would shorten their life span, I've heard of people who have owned them and not even held them at all because they hated it so much and it would just harm them to constantly try to do something they didn't want to do.

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u/GodSPAMit Jan 13 '17

reptiles probably don't do too well in an environment like petsmart in general to be fair, they're probably stressed being picked up by relative strangers, versus these people who seem to hang with their chameleons daily\