Aggressive Little Guy

ebclark

Member
So after about a month and a half of trying to hand feed, giving him space, and doing all that I can to try to get my little guy to like me.. he just doesn't. In fact he seems to be pretty aggressive. That's okay, I wasn't expecting a cuddly little lizard when I got a chameleon, and it doesn't make him any less fun to have or look at.

However, I do have to get him out to clean his cage and soon enough I'll have to get him into a bigger cage. How do I go about getting him out of his cage for an hour or two without stressing him out or getting bitten?
 
A stick can be your friend here too. If you can get him to get on the stick that is

I think I've knocked off at least two of Clarice's lives with a stick (chameleons have 9 lives, right?)... she thinks they are a snake and literally throws herself to safety. No more sticks for me.

Clarice is really nippy. If we have to, we just reach in and let her bite. And by we, I mean my husband. :) Otherwise, hand feeding her has really helped and she sometimes will come out on her own to get a superworm. So if you have the patience, I'd hand feed and make him/her walk out onto your hand to reach the bug. It took 2-3 times of doing this with Charlie for him to be as tame as can be. Took several months to get Clarice to that point... now that she is receptive/gravid she is back to avoiding contact.
 
I have a desk in front of my chameleons cages. I think them seeing me sitting there also helped them realize I’m not that bad. Sometimes I feel like it’s the sense from Jurassic park when I raptors are hunting the guy.

Clarice is near my desk / bedroom, as well. When I'm in the room she comes to the door and looks at me with her big puppy dog eyes and sweet little face, and for a split second, I think she likes me and wants to come out. But it's usually a set up. No... actually... It's always a set up.
 
Okay got it so once he's on one of his potted plants I'll try to move that whole thing out, thank you!

Yes that’s what we do . Their all different . Our Frances she was quite the biter she was very condo aggressive . She had many rules about her condo . Once out she was sweet . She was sick a good part of her life and had to be handled daily . This worked best for her and I . Though I got bit often .
 
I once had a very aggressive male veiled and I just resigned myself to never handle him unless necessary. And when it was necessary, to clean his enclosure for example, I would wear thick leather work gloves. I would gently coax him into my gloved hand with my other hand (always from below, never above) to remove him from cage otherwise he would not let me clean. Without gloves, his bite would draw blood. The gloves really worked. Not ideal I know but he just couldn't be handled otherwise.
 
I think I've knocked off at least two of Clarice's lives with a stick (chameleons have 9 lives, right?)... she thinks they are a snake and literally throws herself to safety. No more sticks for me.

Clarice is really nippy. If we have to, we just reach in and let her bite. And by we, I mean my husband. :) Otherwise, hand feeding her has really helped and she sometimes will come out on her own to get a superworm. So if you have the patience, I'd hand feed and make him/her walk out onto your hand to reach the bug. It took 2-3 times of doing this with Charlie for him to be as tame as can be. Took several months to get Clarice to that point... now that she is receptive/gravid she is back to avoiding contact.
I just love Miss Clarice lol!! No shame in her game!
 
My chameleon is hard to get out of his cage unless it's on his terms, I had the same problem you did months back where I had no idea how I would clean his cage or get him to the vet if needed. Literally every day since getting him I put my hand in his cage near him, avoid eye contact, and hand feed to get him to realize I'm not a predator. He initially would roll sideways on his branch and eventually stopped doing that. I then was able to slide my hand under him and cradle his body. If I tried to take him out he would either walk off of my hand onto a branch or wrap his tail around something. After 5 months he finally became comfortable and walked onto my hand and let me take him out. He now walks down the front side of his cage opening when the door is open and if I put my hand out he will walk onto it. I still am unable to just put my hand in the cage to get him to come out, it has to be his decision to come out.

I built a structure out of 2 trellis's connected together by 4 feet long pieces of wood. If I place this in front of his cage with the door open, and tie a piece of rope from this structure to something in his cage, he walks out onto it by walking across the rope and then I can move the structure anywhere (outside, in another room, etc). You can also do this with a indoor tree or basically anything.

IMG_20190511_143520.jpg
 
My chameleon is hard to get out of his cage unless it's on his terms, I had the same problem you did months back where I had no idea how I would clean his cage or get him to the vet if needed. Literally every day since getting him I put my hand in his cage near him, avoid eye contact, and hand feed to get him to realize I'm not a predator. He initially would roll sideways on his branch and eventually stopped doing that. I then was able to slide my hand under him and cradle his body. If I tried to take him out he would either walk off of my hand onto a branch or wrap his tail around something. After 5 months he finally became comfortable and walked onto my hand and let me take him out. He now walks down the front side of his cage opening when the door is open and if I put my hand out he will walk onto it. I still am unable to just put my hand in the cage to get him to come out, it has to be his decision to come out.

I built a structure out of 2 trellis's connected together by 4 feet long pieces of wood. If I place this in front of his cage with the door open, and tie a piece of rope from this structure to something in his cage, he walks out onto it by walking across the rope and then I can move the structure anywhere (outside, in another room, etc). You can also do this with a indoor tree or basically anything.

View attachment 233107
Thank you for the encouragement! I've only had Percy about 2 months so maybe there's still hope! I'm hoping to build him a little climbing rope gym from my ceiling to go into his cage this week so maybe once he gets out of the cage and is less territorial he'll be less aggressive.
 
My chameleon is hard to get out of his cage unless it's on his terms, I had the same problem you did months back where I had no idea how I would clean his cage or get him to the vet if needed. Literally every day since getting him I put my hand in his cage near him, avoid eye contact, and hand feed to get him to realize I'm not a predator. He initially would roll sideways on his branch and eventually stopped doing that. I then was able to slide my hand under him and cradle his body. If I tried to take him out he would either walk off of my hand onto a branch or wrap his tail around something. After 5 months he finally became comfortable and walked onto my hand and let me take him out. He now walks down the front side of his cage opening when the door is open and if I put my hand out he will walk onto it. I still am unable to just put my hand in the cage to get him to come out, it has to be his decision to come out.

I built a structure out of 2 trellis's connected together by 4 feet long pieces of wood. If I place this in front of his cage with the door open, and tie a piece of rope from this structure to something in his cage, he walks out onto it by walking across the rope and then I can move the structure anywhere (outside, in another room, etc). You can also do this with a indoor tree or basically anything.

View attachment 233107
Looks like he's training for the olympics, lol. Sweet cham!
 
Thank you for the encouragement! I've only had Percy about 2 months so maybe there's still hope! I'm hoping to build him a little climbing rope gym from my ceiling to go into his cage this week so maybe once he gets out of the cage and is less territorial he'll be less aggressive.
Definitely hang in there, like I said it took my boy 5 months (8 months old) to come out and that's with daily effort on my part. I honestly thought I had a cham that would just be a 100% cage chameleon. I think they are territorial or maybe intimidated while in their cage. He will puff up if I move in too quick or my hand is slightly above him. Even out of his cage he will gape sometimes, I guess being this way helped them survive since the dinosaur days.

@JIFFYPOP Thanks!
 
I open the viv door my males gape at me, I put a treat in their mouth, they stop for a while realizing there is a hornworm or silkworm in their mouth then munch time, all the while in defense mode, then back to hiding....but hopefully in time that will change lol..
 
Definitely hang in there, like I said it took my boy 5 months (8 months old) to come out and that's with daily effort on my part. I honestly thought I had a cham that would just be a 100% cage chameleon. I think they are territorial or maybe intimidated while in their cage. He will puff up if I move in too quick or my hand is slightly above him. Even out of his cage he will gape sometimes, I guess being this way helped them survive since the dinosaur days.

@JIFFYPOP Thanks!
I'm having same issues, got him out yesterday without hissing, but he took off like a rabbit. Up my arm to my head was all I could do to keep him on my hands, lol. Could tell he wasn't having it so I just put him back, never tried to bite me tho. Hoping hes growing out of it soon, and just chills out, lol
 
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