how to get my cham used to me

hey im new to the forum and a new owner of a Screameleons Ambanja cham his name is Motley and he is 5 months old. he seems to be pretty aggressive i can't get near him without him hissing and striking at me. he hasn't tried to bit me but hisses then hits me with the side of his head . is there anyway or thing i can do so that he will start getting used to me. i tried giving him treats like butter worms and meals but as soon as my hand goes in his cage his bars turn from terqouise to black instantly lol he gets bad pissed. we any info would be great thanks

It's normal behavior for chameleons at that age.

I wouldn't try to handle him too much if that's what you want to do..

I believe Sandra has a great post on things like this.

There are a number of things you can try.

1. Always approach slowly. Make sure he sees you before you are actually at the cage. Hesitate while still a distance from him and allow him to process the fact that someone is approaching, and give him a chance to recognise you from a distance. Move your body and your hands and arms slowly.

2. Always wear cham-friendly colors. A chameleon expresses his mood and his intentions by coloration and he assumes you do, too. Wear pale greens, khaki, bland browns. I keep some oversized shirts handy that I can throw over my regular clothes when necessary. Avoid bold patterns and bright colors, especially pinks and reds. And avoid black. Black may appear menacing to him. Throw a khaki shirt over your shirt if it's not a good color. Only takes a second and makes a world of difference.

3. Respect his space. When he lunges, draw back. If he gapes and carries on, walk away. In doing so you are showing him that he has some control over his environment. THis is very important for a male chameleon. You have some control, but he needs to know that he has some control, too. This will boost his self esteem and confidence and give you a healthier, more well-balanced chameleon. Initially, with a male like this, I place his food in his cage in the least invasive way and close the door and walk away immediately. I let him watch me putter around the room day after day. Soon he will stop viewing me as an immediate threat. Then I will be able to approach him a little more, offer treats on a vine not far from him, and eventually try hand feeding.

We've taken in rescues, wherein I have had to make friends with an adult chameleon who has not been treated well. With these methods I've been able to establish a rapport with some of the more difficult chams in just a few weeks.

sweet thanks for the info i have been tring to move slowly but i guess in time things will get better

Also, initially, try to avoid looking directly at him face first. If you train both your eyes on him he may assume that you are about to eat him! Until he gets to know you.

You handle chams for maybe 5 minutes a week at the most until they are 6 months old. When you do try to pick him up, move slowly, put 1 or 2 fingers under his chest while using the other hand to distract him if you need to. Once he is in your hand he will most likely calm down right away. Very nice looking cham btw, looks just like the one in the reptile store when I saw one for the first time.

I don't think you can change a Cham there either a freindly Cham or not but with my nasty ones how I see it if you hesitate when trying to handle them they get worse, let him see you first then get your hand in underneath him and get his feet onto your hand and lift him out, I don't have a problem that way an they calm down soon after

A lot will have to do with how comfortable he is in his enclosure. Does he have enough hiding places? Does he have enough time for himself without too much traffic around him? When you released him to the cage, did you put him in with your hands or did you place the box inside and let him get out by himself? There can be ways of husbandry which makes the interaction with you easier. But when their character is more timid and aggressive by nature, there will be nothing that can change it. After all it is a reptile and no mammal.

No matter that this thread is 3 years old, this subject pops up all the time.

So far, I am doing better then I thought I would in terms of getting my guys tame.

One thing I learned, when you have a new cham, resist all temptations to handle them.
Just put them in their cage and completly ignor them. They will likely spend most of their time at first in the back of their cage, out of view and if they see you, they will freeze still.
Just move slowly around them. When I feed the new ones, I just turn the cricks loose and let the cham find them.
I make sure he sees my hand inside his cage every day, but make no attempt to touch or even get near him.

Once he starts hanging out in plain view and does not hide when he sees you, starm hand feeding, start with something he really likes.

Take baby steps and be very patient. You will sometimes have to hold your hand still for a long time, so get used to it.

i feel the longer you leave them be the more sketchy of you they will become. If I wanted a hand able chameleon Id interact on a daily basis. Some still will have no part in you. I love when babies act so big lol .

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