my chameleon hates me:(

animaltycoon

New Member
i have had her for about 1 month, i thought she would be use to me by now.
i only handle her maybe once a week, usually less. today when i finally got out for this week her she put her hands up and hissed at me so i just put her back.when i did she opened her mouth all the way a few times.I wish she was friendly:(
is it because she is a little less then a year old? will she get use to me?
i hope she does, I don't want her to be scared of me. i just want her to let me get her out once in a while.
her cage is on my desk so she sees me everyday.

please help::(:(:(:(:(:(
 
If I had a penny for every time I heard this!:rolleyes:

Just give her some time, a month is not long at all.. chams ive had for MONTHS still dont like me :p
Try hand feeding or tong feeding to get her to associate you and food, it definitely helps..
BUT on occasion some chams just dont lighten up, or become "friendly", be patient and work with her often and she'll come around eventually :)
 
Hi

Try handfeeding her, or feeding her treats like fruits, superworms or butterworms.

Q Are chameleons affectionate? Do they like being stroked?
A Yes! They enjoy being stroked under the chin especially, with the grain of the ventral crest (move finger from nose to tail under the chin). My chameleons enjoy being swaddled in a blanket and gently stroked in circular motions.

I found that on this websitehttp://webhome.idirect.com/~chameleon/faq/index.html
 
Q My Chameleon is hissing and puffing up while in it's enclosure, is something wrong?
A
This type of body language could mean several things; for example….

There is something in his environment that is not right like the temperature,
Your chameleon is able to see its reflection and thinks there is another chameleon in its enclosure. (this is common with glass enclosures),
Other house hold pets are bothering your chameleon, it does not have enough privacy,
It is very important to attempt to isolate the variable that is causing your chameleon distress, as stress significantly shortens a chameleon's lifespan.
I suggest isolating one variable at a time and then observing your chameleon to see how it reacts, so you are aware of the element that was troubling it, as opposed to randomly changing everything.

Found it on the same website :)
 
That same website also suggest you use an aquarium for a chameleon enclosure and substrate for the bottom of the aquarium... So I don't know how much I agree with the information there.

Chameleons as a rule do not like to be handled.. Some are more tolerant to people than others. Some will take a stroke under the chin.. some will not.

When a young cham is between 5 and 10 months old they go through ,what I call :Teenage time.. where they are exceptionally aggressive.

In MOST cases chameleon will mellow out once they get over a year old
 
no she doesnt hate u lol u sound like me about 2 months ago same thing happend 2 me now my veild cham henry is my best friend all u have 2 do is get her used 2 u thats all take her out with a glove thats what i did for 2 wks now he love me so idk
 
Mine hate me...learn to be amused by it, that's my suggestion. Find it extremely funny when they shy away from you while you are providing them the food they need to live.

It works with my chameleons, it works with my teenage daughter...it's clearly a winning game plan!
 
I hear these stroies and it makes me think i am really lucky, Currently I have 5 wild caught jacksons, and within 1 week or less they went from running from me when I open the cage , and 2 of the females would open their mouth at me but , Than jsut chill right out when I pick them up. A while back I had 2 WC veilds and 1 one of them would throw a hissy fit, but same story a few days later just mellowed right out. I am like a Chameleon whisperer :D One female I have now onyl will open her mouth if you point a camera at her..
 
i have two chameleons. One is my little girl i bought her from lllreptile a month ago approx. i got her at 2 months. She is wonderful i can hold her everyday, she loves to come out, and i hand/bowl feed her. I also have a male around 4 or 4 1/2 months. DOES NOT LIKE ME> my husband he is OK with not like either. He knows he is taken care of by him, so im just the lady that tried to get him out to many times lol. he is from a local generic pet store. i wonder if the treatment they recieve in the early weeks has anything to do with their behavior ( i know not ALL of their behavior) of course some are grouchos and some just enjoy being around their "familys" so, yes your chameleon might warm up to you. if not, and you really want one who wants to be around you, accept and love the antisocial one, i LOVE my grouchy guy hah. but get another one, a baby around 2 months (hand feed, and get out EVERY DAY) and look at how they respond to the store owner touching them. good luck. _sorry for long post ;)
 
LOL! your cham does not hate you.

You say you have only had her a month but handle her once a week
or less, which would mean you have handled her 3 times or less!!??

First, she needs more time, and you should leave her alone.
To her, your still a big potential preditor!!

Second, do not attempt to get her on your hand when she is in her cage.
They are VERY territorial! Open the cage door and let her come out on her
own (may take hours, or a few days!) onto a tall (fake) plant nearby that
she can see and climb onto.

Chams are lord and master of their territory and they dont like your big
hand in there!
Once outside, they are MUCH calmer
 
I thought you weren't suppose to handle them?

I'm new to owning a chameleon and I too have had mine about a month. When I first brought him home he turned black and tried to bite every time I even looked at him. Now he just shys away a bit when i'm messing with his cage, but I thought you weren't suppose to handle them? Everything I read said they are better to be watched....

Mine is a veiled, so when I saw that they like to be stroked i'm a bit confused? Can someone clarify?
 
If it makes you feel better mine hisses at me and I believe she just absolutely hates coming out of her cage unless its on her own time. Shell hiss at my hand then realize there is food get halfway on me snatch up the worm and look at me like hey you tricked me and slowwwly move back. I've had her about 12 weeks now. She is still a juvie probably hormones like a teen:rolleyes:
 
I just tried to stroke my panther under the chin like I read on this thread and he just looked at me like I was an alien and got off my hand as soon as he could lol so I think it's safe to say mine doesn't like being stroked :)
 
LOL!! you are right, NO cham LIKES to be handled and pet!! PERIOD!!

They WILL at some point get on your hand and climb on you, but it DOES NOT mean they LIKE you any more then climbing a vine or whatever else is available at the time.

When they reach their little arms out, it means they see a way UP; climbing on you!! LOL
As long as you are still, it will not freak out and will continue to use you as a tree until the day you give it "bad vibes". Then it will hiss at you instead!

There are times when you will NEED to handle your cham to move it somewhere!!

So when you see those YouTube videos of ppl boasting how much their cham's LOVE them, just remember, the cham could care less if you dropped stone dead! just leave my cage door open please before you croak!!
 
handling problem

Well...to start I have 2 veileds...one female and one male. Id say the female is around one year old..male is about 4-5 months old..my female(mary jane) used to love coming out of her cage but since she layed dormant eggs a month ago she has become very aggressive. Hissing and flaring up when I try to handle her..her eggs are not in tjere anymore.and it makes me wonder why she.wont let me handle her now. She used to greet me and almosy beg to come out..any ideas why? Ik my male is pretty young still so that's pry why he wont let me handle him..but marys got me stumped to as why I cant.. :mad:
 
It doesn't hate you imagine a giant chameleon, coming to your cage sticking his hand in there trying to grab u. After a while he will learn that you are there to feed him and take care of his needs . Try to handle him more often than not. you just have to give it time and let it get use to you
 
I handle my guy every day- where he's in a baby cage, it makes easier to change the paper at the bottom, makes it easier to manouvre. Also, I like to handle him & let him explore a little.

When he was really little he didn't mind my hand in the cage at all but now he's a teenager he sometimes just doesn't want to play the game. On these occasions I try to encourage him onto a hanging vine so I can take everything else out & leave him be. Sometimes I just take him out on a branch and move him onto my hand. He's always nice and calm once he's out.
I don't know if he enjoys it, but he always has his nice lime green colours.

I think they have happy days and moody days, you just have to see how they're feeling on the day. Also, the hand feeding idea is a win.

Your cham might come round if you spend time letting him know ur hand won't eat him lol. Yesterday, my guy surprised me by clambering out of his cage when I opened it & then he wanted to stay out.

Good luck!
 
While every reptile is different when it comes to how much handling it will tolerate, most don't like to be handled. If you want your chameleon or reptile to "like" you then don't handle them, eventually they may trust you enough to tolerate you :) They are not domesticated animals and don't act like domesticated animals so if someone is looking for a cuddle partner try a cat or dog :)
 
While every reptile is different when it comes to how much handling it will tolerate, most don't like to be handled. If you want your chameleon or reptile to "like" you then don't handle them, eventually they may trust you enough to tolerate you :) They are not domesticated animals and don't act like domesticated animals so if someone is looking for a cuddle partner try a cat or dog :)
Well mine isn't best of "friends" with me and I knew what I was in for when I was researching that some tolerate using you as a tree and others don't:) it just seems like they would know those hands offer some great things and keep my food alive for me ha.
 
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