2 month old veiled chameleon is terrified of me!

xluketyluc

New Member
My 2 month old male veiled chameleon hates me. He runs away from me (quickly) and hides whenever I go near his cage. He has also not eaten since Friday the 4th. I only purchased him on tues Dec 1st, so im sure this has alot to do with it but.... I hate it! Anybody have any tips that would help us out?

I will give you some specs that a young lady had asked another forum user to provide, before anyone could really help....

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions? L36 x W36 x H48 all screen enclosure
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? Zoo Med Repti Sun 5.0 T5 Fluorescent Lamp with a 12 hour light schedule (7AM-7PM).
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? Overall room temp is 80 degrees. Top of cage 95-100 degrees, mid cage 85-90 degrees, and bottom of cage 80-85 degrees. Lowest overnight temp 60-65degrees. I use a digital thermometer to measure these temps.
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? 50-70% humidity levels at all times due to many fish taks in room... Plus I mist his cage regularly 2-3 times a day. I use a digital humidity meter to maintain these levels.
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? No real plants used but, tons of fake plants and branches.
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? It is on it's own stand in my fish tank room. No fans or drafts. It is if more or less of a quiet area. Top of cage stands 6 feet tall.
Location - Where are you geographically located? Southeastern MA.

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? 2 month old male Veilded Chameleon. In my care for a week.
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? I put him in his cage the first day I purchased him and haven't touched him since.
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? Crickets at first but he has stopped eating as of the 4th. I put food out in a container in the AM.
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Reptical calcium and vitamin supplements.
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? I mist 2-3 times a day for 2-3 mins. Yes, I have seen him drink numerous times.
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? Black with white/yellow. No he has not been tested.
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. None available.
Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about. He is scared of me and has not eaten since Friday the 4th.
 
Your cage is way too large for a 2 month old. Can he find his food? Also temps for a 2 month old in the basking spot should be 80-ish degrees. He needs time to adjust since he is so new, but bigger concerns would be cage size and temps.
 
I will adjust his temperature asap.. Im pretty sure he can find his food, I've seen him walk up to the dish and watch the crickets.
 
Try to block off about half of his cage and use live plants as veiled will try to eat fake plants someimes and can choke on them.

Let him settle in and he'll start eating and probably stop running away from you. Justdont mess with him for a while.
 
It is good that he knows where his crickets are. You can also turn a few lose in the cage and see if he goes after those.
 
As pssh suggested, safe live plants would give your cham places to hide. When my female was tiny she used to eat the leaves of her schefflera and hibiscus. Live pants also help with humidity levels and retain water droplets after misting so that your chameleon can drink.
 
Thank you all so much for such a fast response! I will def. do all that you have suggested.. Thanks again!
 
Approach the cage slowly and wear neutral colored clothing. If you wear bright colors, black, or contrasting colors he may think you are aggressive.
 
Approach the cage slowly and wear neutral colored clothing. If you wear bright colors, black, or contrasting colors he may think you are aggressive.

Remembering how scared Amy was when I got her, it is very important to make very slow movements when putting your hand in their cage. I was trying to hand feed Amy when she was tiny and she freaked out when I moved my thumb too quick for her liking!:D I caught the moment on video::D

 
Remembering how scared Amy was when I got her, it is very important to make very slow movements when putting your hand in their cage. I was trying to hand feed Amy when she was tiny and she freaked out when I moved my thumb too quick for her liking!:D I caught the moment on video::D


LOL! Lily, that video made me smile. It looked like you hit her with a burst of air!
 
You have gotten some good advice so far. :)

One thing you can do until you get some live plants and coverage in the cage is to cover 1 or 2 sides of the cage with an old towel. This will give his some privacy and sense of hiding until he settles and gets used to you and his new surroundings.

Welcome to the forum :)
 
Ok so your cage is to big for now.What ever cage your baby is in it ,as long as its eating,drinking'basking,ect .Try giving it A couple of weeks to get used to you and its surroundings before you handle it.
 
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