Jackson's chameleons are best as elegant display animals rather than a "pet" that gets taken out regularly. That being said, making the effort to tame your chameleon is still important. Sure, you can leave them alone their whole life, but what will happen if you need to clean the enclosure, take your chameleon to the vet or move house?
if the chaotixs were to go back in time, to when the group had just begun living with one another, it would be a safe assumption to say that things were much different compared to now
the crocodile couldn't help but feel nostalgic looking back as he found an old photograph of their official first day
cleaning out his cupboards suddenly didn't seem so boring as he picked up and blew the dust off the bright blue-bordered rectangle
looking back he was safe to say he hadn't changed much
other than being much more skinny compared to his muscular build now
actually, he could recall having a dislike of noise, but again, hard to believe, especially how always wore it around his neck daily
on his right, there was mighty also practically stayed the same
a traveller who felt that his purpose in life is journeying around the world. When in a tight spot, he can turn on a dime and show off his amazing abilities, but he doesn't like to be rough and is a calm person,
vector remembered that he just happened to arrive on angel island and was in bad luck when getting caught up in the commotion, but at least he always had a home after his treks
Knuckles on his left, nothing to say changed other than how he was now more open with the group, took a while but it was all worth it, he hated seeing the kid all alone and now the echidna knew it wasn't normal, usually communicating when he just needed a friend and vector was glad he could be there for him
then the other two front and centre, boy where did he even start
when meeting espio now you would think he was shadows brother from another mother
before he was the calm and level headed chameleon he was known as the hothead of the Chaotix's, one in which he needed charmy of all characters to keep calm
yeah he still held a strong sense of justice, but had the social skills of a rock, continuously fighting with mighty and seemed envious of knuckles (although it was more of a sense he was interested in the legendary civilization and their relationship with the floating island
but he was glad to see the intensity had died off, yeah there were still plenty of arguments but it was more sibling banter now
and finally, there was charmy
the now usually childish and hyperactive bee was actually a moody and mature insect who was the first to cross the speed of sound, so very proud and couldn't keep quiet when he was denied and who just happened to fly to new islands in search of new flowers, and that island on that day was angle island
those two practically swapped personalities
at one point vector, knuckles and mighty thought the younger beings had swapped brains
but time changes people, charmy no longer had to be so uptight and was able to be a kid and espio was brought down to earth and grew past that awkward rebellious phase, yes into a serious and edgy phase but it meant less yelling
the crocodile's thoughts were interrupted as he heard children coming back into the house
"vector! where are ya? can we have money for ice cream?" the bee asked as the buzzing of his wings grow louder
"charmy, I'm in the office, no you can't, teas cooking" Vector answered those three questions back, earning a groan from the little bee who appeared with a small rabbit and chao
"what are you doing Mr vector?" Cream asked happily as she walked and gave the crocodile a small hug which the big green reptile happily reciprocated
"oh just reminiscing, remember this charms?" Vector replied, showing the photo in hand
"oh yeah, jeez I was so tiny!" the bee responded as he flew up to the photo
"you still are" Vector commented which made charmy argue against his statement
queuing the last third main Chaotix to join them
"Hello, what are you all doing" Espio asked as he came into the scene, curious and slightly suspicious of what was happening
"vector found a picture of old us " charmy pointed out
"oh, that's nice" espio stated in a way that tried to hide his awkwardness
which failed and seemed to get a smirk out of vector, knowing what was going through the chameleon's mind
"Yeah, brings back memories doesn't it?" the crocodile added as he walked to the sofa and sat down, where the three followed
"of course, it wasn't easy at first, especially for this one" vector continued as he elbowed the magenta reptile playfully
"vector" espio grumbled warningly
"what, you did, it was the first proper time with you living from your clan" Vector grinned
"yes but you don't have to put me in the spotlight" Espio sighed with an eye roll
"Alright, I'm sorry I'll stop" Vector apologised although he couldn't help the smile on his snout to stay
"Good, now I'm going to meet blaze and shadow for dinner, don't wait up" Espio commented, happy to shut the conversation down as he headed out once more
once the door closed vector wasted no time in getting back to business
"Alright, so where was I," Vector asked the remaining children who happily placed themselves on the sofa
"telling us stories of classic espio" Charmy chuckled
"oh yeah, alright now where was I?" Vector ahhed as he began to remember
he was going to happily drop it, but if the chameleon thought he could blow them off on such short notice after making a meal then this seemed good enough revenge
(storytime)
after the battle against the evil Eggman, the chaotixs decided that they made a great team
one that each individual didn't believe they wanted to dispatch from
it did take little to no persuasion for the group to try and continue their teamwork and try to make something of their collective skills
and thus the chaotixs detective team were here to stay
knuckles however were the only one that had a place of his own that they could call base, charmy and Mighty were more travellers so it was no surprise they had just bare essentials and then vector had a tiny apartment that wouldn't suffice for the five males and then espio, he shared a room within the base of his clan, but there was no universe where bringing 4 outsiders into such settings was going to happen
knuckles were hesitant but decided to try and give it a shot, since meeting the blue blur he tried to open himself up, but made it clear if any of them took one step on the stone steps they would be kicked off in a heartbeat
it was an easy promise and thus they shared the angel island
but to no fault of their own, but it did not last long
the 4 missed their lives below and every time they travelled back and forth it was clear knuckles found it uneasy
and thus vector proposed that they get a place down below and simply call up when needed, to which the echidna was happy, after his place was up here and with the duty, he had to uphold, it was nice for him to see this new team respected that
so with that vector brought charmy, espio and mighty back to an old worn yet homely and open building where they could set up their new lives
becoming detectives was just something that came into it, the main reason the 4 went to angel island was due to their curiosity, bravery and skills, so why not make a career with it?
although mighty agreed he simply loved exploring for exploring sake, he would help with cases but he decided his life and would go travelling a lot, the first time leaving the chaotixs (not forever) was actually when he met ray, but we'll get to that another time
that left the crocodile, the chameleon and the bee
vector was happy to see the kid no longer so stern and seemed to start like a proper 6 year old, sure it annoyed him from time to time, but he was a kid after all
and then the main point of this story was how the resident magenta reptile was
given permission from his clan for this "side project" seemed to surprise the chameleon slightly but was happy he was granted thus
but then the chameleon's layers began to show
as the eldest vector took it as his responsibility to keep an eye on his new team
and he couldn't help but note that he was very withdrawn, seemed anxious and would be snappy if they got too close
vector knew it was best to be patient, after all the kid had just met with 2 (sometimes 4 or 5) new mobians who still needed trust bridges to be built and so the crocodile decided he keep trying so to help him get over this homesickness
he wasn't too bold, mainly because he knew the chameleon would simply shout back louder
he gave it around a week or so to get the chameleon adjusted to the new digs, get his room all nice and personalised, not that he or charmy were ever allowed to go in, not even to this day
regardless vector allowed those weeks to pass before properly trying, hoping to engage him in ways to gain a bond
starting conversations that were easy and open
he tried at any opportunity when he saw the chameleon, at least when he could guess he was in an ok mood
vector soon discovered that espio did NOT like being snuck up on, nor having someone walk behind him, that always ended with the croc or bee or even armadillo being slam-dunked to the floor with a katana to the neck, where he got that from in such a short amount of time still remained a mystery
but the croc was committed to making this team as strong as ever
he had overheard (eavesdropped) on the chameleon talking about missing his mother's sweet buns and he jumped at the opportunity
walking in the next day with sweet buns saying the bakery was having a sale and decided to pick them up
the chameleon's usual slit pupils practically turned into baseballs as he saw the treat
"want some, I know I ain't gonna finish these by myself" vector remembered asking
and as much as the chameleon tried to play it cool with his cocky attitude he could see the clear excitement of having a familiar and enjoyable flavour in his mouth
vector had to quickly look away from the scene as the pupils slit again, the chameleon seemingly uneased at the crocodiles staring
regardless it seemed to make talking with the smaller mobian easier and seemed to make him less uneased by their new home
when espio first asked to go out on his own vector couldn't help but admit he was nervous, mainly that the smaller mobian didn't have knowledge of this area and how he had practically become the leader of the chaotixs, looking after a 6 and 15 and the occasional 17 boys his parental instincts grew for the 21 croc
but to build more trust he had to let the ninja roam free, after all, that's what ninjas did, they ran and were trained for any situation
vector had to remind himself of that when he waved the chameleon off as he went to explore the new settings, trying to ignore the fears of the chameleon getting hurt, for as skilled as he was the guy was thin as a match, but he could pack a hell of a punch was enough to tell the crocodile to close the door and allow him to go
afterwards espio had brought news he was able to get them a case, their first case as detectives!
it was a big moment and vector couldn't help but jump in joy, saying how much of a good job the chameleon did and did all he could to restrain giving him a hug, he knew they weren't there just yet with how the guy wasn't keen on physical affection
"well we better get rest then, don't want to be tired for our first case" espio said as he smiled and was about to leave, only to stop in the door frame before finishing
"you're a good leader vector and even though this is our first time as the chaotixs detectives, I have all the confidence we succeed"
and then he left
leaving the crocodile completely flabbergasted
(end of the story)
"wait I remember our first case, the classic espio started acting more like modern espio, not by much but it was defiantly starting" charmy stated and explained
"yeah, now remember, this stays between us "vector reminded as he was down with storytime
"yes vector" the children simultaneously agreed before deciding to play elsewhere
allowing the croc to sit back in his office and place the photograph on his desk, placed his headphones over his ear holes and allow the music and memories to fill his mind
Step 1. After bringing your chameleon home, leave it alone for a 1-2 weeks. Make sure it's healthy, eating, and drinking during this time. Feel free to watch and admire, but don't touch. Wait for your cham to fully adjust to its environment before introducing yourself.
Step 2. Introduce yourself with food. Hold a prey item in your hand or a pair of silicone-tipped tweezers. It may take a while for the cham to decide to take it. Do it during the first feeding of the day, when they are most hungry. Don't stare directly at the cham; this makes them nervous. And be sure to hold the bug at least 6" away so you're not directly in their space.
Step 3. Once your chameleon regularly takes food from your hands/tongs, encourage it to come to you. place a tall decorative tree in front of an open enclosure and let the cham wander out on its own. (This can take a while.) When it's comfortable on the tree, offer your hand as a perch.
Step 4. Never grab your chameleon out of its enclosure – this is predatory behavior and will damage the trust relationship. Furthermore, due to chameleons' unique anatomy, grabbing them will break their very delicate ribs! Instead, hold out your hand and let them come to you on their own terms.