Chameleons don't like to be hugged. They don't like human interaction and they love being in their own space. Can you hold a chameleon? It's possible to hold a chameleon, but chameleons don't like to be carried and they don't like to be stroked either. Some may develop tolerance for waiting, but they are much better suited to being left alone and watching from afar.
No chameleon likes to be handled by people. Whoever told you that was throwing you a misleading sales pitch to convince you to buy them a pet. Chameleons should only be considered pets on par with tropical fish, ideal for the eye, but they are not meant to be touched or carried. Chameleons don't like to be carried or manipulated.
They stay alone most of the time and are solitary creatures. Chameleons are sensitive animals that need to be treated with care. They are difficult to keep in captivity and do not appreciate being handled. If you absolutely have to hold your chameleon in your hands, don't force him out of his cage or do anything that makes him angry or stressed out.
Instead of grabbing your reptile directly, let it gently climb into your hand. When I thought about buying a chameleon as a pet, I couldn't decide if it was a good option or not. Your chameleon will know you by sight and you will notice that your behavior changes when another person enters the room. I'll talk about proper handling in a moment, but first, let's consider two other factors for interacting with chameleons.
They look like miniature dinosaurs with three horns sticking out of their heads and it's one of the reasons they make a popular choice as a chameleon pet. The guy at the reptile show said that if I drove my chameleon long enough it wouldn't bite when I grew up. Of all types of reptiles, you can stay as a pet. I would say that the chameleon is the most obvious one to let you know that it's uncomfortable to be around them.
If it's a veiled chameleon, you're likely to end up with an energetic chase around the cage with a fiery demon ready to bite if it can shake you by sliding around the poto. So, even though they are in captivity, chameleons are frightened and stressed by the presence of these animals. Place your hand, or the branch you hold, in front of your chameleon and use the other hand to bring it to your waiting hand. Very comfortable chameleons can eat while in their arms, but few get to the point where they feel so comfortable.
If you have children or other animals in the room, you shouldn't take out your chameleon because there are many opportunities for accidents to happen. Instead of armor, veiled chameleons have soft, two-layered skin more like geckos than lizards. For example, if you need to take them to the vet or take them out of their cage to clean them, a Panther Chameleon will tolerate it. The bands, veining, thorns, horns and other various protuberances that adorn its body, as well as its shape, flattened in the vertical direction, help melt the chameleon into the foliage.