Aggression

andy27012

Member
What age do panther chameleons generally become aggressive towards other chams? I have an eight month old that is very territorial and hates being messed with in his cage but when I show him to the female I have he tries to crawl all over her (not mating either) and she gets very defensive and has tried to attack him but its like he views her as safety?
 
Panthers are quite territorial and will be aggressive towards eachother quite often from a relatively young age. Females that are not ready to mate will be very aggressive towards males, with the female actively chasing a male away or biting etc. Its the same in many species of chameleon.

Hope this helps!
 
A mature male will generally make advances to any female it encounters, They are probably not mating because the female is non receptive im guessing. Chams are said to be generally solitary lizards in any case, so shows of alarm or aggression as the case may be when they do meet, are normal.
In most species of lizard , mature or maturing males will attempt to dominate or drive away another male, from their territory, from the females, food, basking spots etc.
'Aggression' shown toward you is very likely defensive tactics, your much bigger than him and therefor a potential predator/threat.
It should settle down in time and realise you are not a threat. :)
 
I understand that they are solitary animals, and I realize they are both too young to mate right now, I guess I would have expected him to show more aggression towards the female, fire up etc without the head bobbing but it's like he's indifferent to her, if anything he seems to look at her as safety.
 
It really depends. If you have a chameleon that is aggressive you will usually be able to tell while they are young. The reason he is climbing on her is probably to dominate her which she doesn't like. I was lucky enough that both my male Veiled AND my male Panther get along and are not aggressive at all. They get PO's occasionally at me but they don't bite and don't really mind being held. I had them free ranging for about a month but I put Calais back in his cage to track his food intake.
 
'Aggression' shown toward you is very likely defensive tactics, your much bigger than him and therefor a potential predator/threat.
It should settle down in time and realise you are not a threat. :)

Are you sure about this? I have an amibole for 3+ months and he absolutely hates me. He stares at me put food in so I guess he's just a little slow in putting 2+2 together :D
 
Deviousmike & Andy, thats a general idea, but there are exceptions to every rule, one lizard may be a sook from the get go, another just plain disagreeable all its life.
Some are 'cage shy' (more defensive of there immediate territory) but quite happy to sit on your hand or whatever, once they are out.
If you specifically avoid any contact for fear of upsetting them, then it will take longer for them to see you as benign. This is not to say handle them constantly everyday, but when you feed, or clean etc, make a gentle and non threatening (never reach from above them but below) approach on occasion.
Move slowly and offer a finger or hand just below their legs, and leave it there a little while even if they seem a little upset.
In this way they become accustomed to your proximity.
Once they stop freaking out at that you might encourage them to move onto your hand, by gently raising your hand slowly, underneath and just behind the front legs.
This way they are forced to lift those feet and will generally walk onto your hand.
Patience and persistence will reward you with a more easily handled lizard when the need to move them arises.
Many folk forget to consider their lizards natural behavior patterns and there meanings at first and wonder why 'my cham hates me' :)
Lizards have lots to be concerned about by the presence of large moving things, since most of those large moving things intend to make a Mchappymeal out of them. :D
 
Thanks for the insight jojackson. I been leaving him be for the most part and when I do try to handle him he flares up or becomes a jumper. I will try your method a bit at a time so I can at least safely handle him when I need to.
 
Something else worth mentioning Mike,
When its front legs are on your hand, it may not walk on straight away (but thats a great start), at this point, NEVER become impatient and try to pull your cham off its branch!
Those weird feet are designed to be strong and hold fast in windy weather.
Chams have incredibly strong grip but not so incredibly strong bones, forcing it may break
its legs or/and feet.
At this point if you give its tail a gentle touch with your other hand it will generally move forward of its own volition.
Cheers :)
 
So I tried just offering a finger. He was not happy at all. After a couple of minutes, he tried to bite me. Glad I had a glove on because I was anticipating this!
 
So I tried just offering a finger. He was not happy at all. After a couple of minutes, he tried to bite me. Glad I had a glove on because I was anticipating this!

haha well use gloves and do it every other day or so for a few minutes. Hopefully this will make him more accepting to your presence.
 
Tried again and he bit multiple times. Just gonna keep at it every now and then. Found a new use for my old motorcycle gloves!
 
I understand that they are solitary animals, and I realize they are both too young to mate right now, I guess I would have expected him to show more aggression towards the female, fire up etc without the head bobbing but it's like he's indifferent to her, if anything he seems to look at her as safety.

5 months comes quickly, at 5 months generally veileds and panthers along with many others, can and do reach sexual maturity at 5 months of age. this is NOT a healthy alternative though. so please seperate as soon as possible. or keep separated until your female starts becoming receptive.
 
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