Sudden Behavior Change

[BlueSky]

Hey guys,
My little guy Jabba is somewhere around 6 months old now. He's always been a really chill guy, and very good with being handled! He never stressed when climbing around on me, and he was even fine being handled by people he didn't know! (Even fell asleep once on my friend who he'd never met!) He never hissed, never darkened, and only puffed if you made sudden movements.
Lately, however, he's suddenly been a lot more scared of being handled. I usually try to get him out of the cage once a day for 10-15 minutes to keep him friendly, but lately he wants none of it. He's even started hissing at my hand if I go anywhere near him! I know it's normal for chameleons to be shy, but this seems odd since he had always been so friendly.
Have any of you guys seen a sudden change like this before? There must have been something I did to frighten him, but I can't think of what it would be. I'm always careful never to grab him by his back, and always let him grab onto me and not the other way around. Do you think this is a permanent change? Will he go back to being my easygoing boy?

Thanks for the help

 

[Decadancin]

Sometimes when they mature they can get a bit "cage aggressive" as they reach the age that they would be defending territory, etc. Could be the issue.

 

[sebastianthechameleon]

My chameleon has done the same thing. Unfortunately, i fell prone to this same trickery. I bought mine as a baby and he was the sweetest little thing. Now he hisses at me once i open the cage. Chameleons are not good pets for handling. They are a usually see not touch sort of pet. Maybe in time he will start to feel more comfortable or less scared around you. But remember to take your time. Taming a chameleon can take months and you have to go really slow. Start with hand feeding and move your way up to rubbing his chin; eventually, he may start to picture your hand as a good sign and feel more comfortable. Hope this helps!

 

[Andee]

It is quite normal for a chameleon to go through a teenage phase where their hormones go wacky and they get territorial and aggressive. Usually this is a place where most people give up on them. But if you are willing to try, go back a few paces, gain his trust again. Start handfeeding only, no more handling unless absolutely necessary. He will hopefully come around. Sometimes it can take a few months for them to come back to normal, sometimes they never quite do, but never stop trying.

 

[BlueSky]

Thanks for all the tips guys! I'll do my best to earn his trust again. Since he's been doing this I've been continuing to take him out once a day to hand feed him his favorite worms...he definitely doesn't like coming out but he does appreciate the worms...I was hoping he would associate coming out with treats, but is this too much to be doing all at once?

 

[Decadancin]

Thanks for all the tips guys! I'll do my best to earn his trust again. Since he's been doing this I've been continuing to take him out once a day to hand feed him his favorite worms...he definitely doesn't like coming out but he does appreciate the worms...I was hoping he would associate coming out with treats, but is this too much to be doing all at once?

It may be. Tough to say without seeing the chameleon, but I would likely back off a bit. Just simply feeding a few times and maybe once in a while take him out when he seems OK with it. If he really doesn't want to come out, adding that stress to him on a daily basis may not be good, especially when he is already likely going through enough coming into maturity. Just my two cents .

 

[Sarahsarus]

Hey guys,
My little guy Jabba is somewhere around 6 months old now. He's always been a really chill guy, and very good with being handled! He never stressed when climbing around on me, and he was even fine being handled by people he didn't know! (Even fell asleep once on my friend who he'd never met!) He never hissed, never darkened, and only puffed if you made sudden movements.
Lately, however, he's suddenly been a lot more scared of being handled. I usually try to get him out of the cage once a day for 10-15 minutes to keep him friendly, but lately he wants none of it. He's even started hissing at my hand if I go anywhere near him! I know it's normal for chameleons to be shy, but this seems odd since he had always been so friendly.
Have any of you guys seen a sudden change like this before? There must have been something I did to frighten him, but I can't think of what it would be. I'm always careful never to grab him by his back, and always let him grab onto me and not the other way around. Do you think this is a permanent change? Will he go back to being my easygoing boy?

Thanks for the help

Have you changed anything with his enclosure as far as lighting goes? When I changed Pickles UVB bulb, she was PISSED. She hated everything about me and didn't want anything to do with me. She'd hiss, try to head butt me, and turn very dark. And she was the friendliest little thing ever before that. So I figured it was probably the light and I moved it up higher off her enclosure and she was 100% fine after that. Back to her old self.

 

[BlueSky]

It may be. Tough to say without seeing the chameleon, but I would likely back off a bit. Just simply feeding a few times and maybe once in a while take him out when he seems OK with it. If he really doesn't want to come out, adding that stress to him on a daily basis may not be good, especially when he is already likely going through enough coming into maturity. Just my two cents .

Alright, I guess i should let him have his space for now. He's totally fine with hand feeding, so hopefully he'll calm down soon!

Have you changed anything with his enclosure as far as lighting goes? When I changed Pickles UVB bulb, she was PISSED. She hated everything about me and didn't want anything to do with me. She'd hiss, try to head butt me, and turn very dark. And she was the friendliest little thing ever before that. So I figured it was probably the light and I moved it up higher off her enclosure and she was 100% fine after that. Back to her old self.

No, I haven't changed a thing, which is why this is so odd. I also just remembered that this seemed like it started right after he last shed. At the beginning of the shedding process he was still fine, but after I left him alone for a few days to allow him to shed in peace, he started acting up. Maybe this was the start of his "puberty?"

 

[Sarahsarus]

No, I haven't changed a thing, which is why this is so odd. I also just remembered that this seemed like it started right after he last shed. At the beginning of the shedding process he was still fine, but after I left him alone for a few days to allow him to shed in peace, he started acting up. Maybe this was the start of his "puberty?"[/QUOTE]

Could be! Puberty does that! Hopefully he gets back to himself soon!