Agressivness

[WyteAnjal]

When I got my chameleon a couple weeks ago she was okay with handling, now she will hiss and even snap at me whenever I get my hand close to her. I dont understand what I did wrong. I talk to her and keep her cage clean, feed her everything. Why is she getting agressive

(Im pretty sure she is not pregnant)

 

[Julio]

maybe she just wants to be a chameleon, they are not good pets to handle in my opinion, only handle them when nescesary otherwise leave them alone, you will stree her out

 

[RobandJess]

you can try to start hand feeding her so she associates you with her food source that might make her less aggressive towards you but mostly it's just their different personalities, mine happens to be a friendly little guy but chameleons are not exactly known for being "nice"...you can try to gain their trust but it takes time.

Can you post a picture of your cham and your set-up?

 

[andy27012]

My little guy did the same thing, for him it seems to be a territorial thing, and once he decided the plant was his there was no way I was going near it! He is a beast of a different nature on the occasion that I am actually able to get him away from his plant.

 

[WyteAnjal]

her enclosure (The fountain has been removed as I was told it is not good for her to have that in there)

Tia

As you can see in this picture she will go to my boyfriend and has no problem with him

 

[carol5208]

You have only had her for a couple of weeks so everything is new to her and she probably sees you as a threat. Some chameleons are nicer than others, just like people they all have personalities. When I got my chameleon I followed the instructions of my breeder to a tee about handling. For the first two or three weeks she said, try nothing. After that, you can try using a small branch or stick and try to get the chameleon to climb on it by gently, and slowly postioning the branch under the front legs. If you get her out, let her just explore around on the branch for about 5 minutes or so and put her back. Try this each day. If it works, add some more time on to having her out. After usuing the branch method, you can try using your hands(with gloves if you choose to, because they can bite) Same procedure as the branch. Begin opening the door of the cage and see if your chameleon will come out. Mine was much easier to handle out of the cage than in. Now, I can reach into the cage and move my cham to free range or outdoor enclosure and he is usually grabbing for me! Yes, they can get stressed out and you have to have a little persistance but not to the point of where they are hissing and biting. You have to know when to back off. I have an extremely friendly chameleon and consider myself very lucky! You may get one that never tolerates handling, and if that is so then you have to let her be. It is worth a try though in my opinion! It is much more fun to have a pet you can interact with.

 

[carol5208]

What wattage is your basking light? It looks like you could move your branch closer to the basking light. It is down pretty low. You could have it about 6 or 7 inches below the light. And what kind of UVB source do you have? I see you do not have a sturdy door for him to climb on. Mine loves when I open the dorr and he scales the top of it. Also, how old is your cham. You are gonna need a bigger cage at some point you know.

 

[carol5208]

Also what type of substrate are you using in the bottom of the cage? You are much better of with using nothing. Easier to clean and all the water will not collect in the substrate then. Bacteria breeder!

 

[pssh]

Your boyfriend may be moving slower, wearing less threatening colors, or she's already associated him with food. Try wearing pastel green colors, closing one eye, only approach when your whole body is below her, and moving very very slowly.

I say close one eye because chameleons associate focused eyes as about to eat prey. We have eyes that are always 'focused on prey' so if we close one eye it may seem less threatening to the chameleon.

 

[WyteAnjal]

Here is a better picture to show the size of the cage, it is actually quite large she basks in the heat lamp by sitting on the bushy leaves, she seems to like it, I have one branch going right underneath the basking light but she doesnt sit on it often

The lights are as follows

UV light is two Reptiglow exotera UV 5 and the heating lamp is a sunglo 75W

 

[WyteAnjal]

The stuff on the bottom is plantation soil, I go into her cage daily with a mini kitty poop scoop looking tool and I sift through the soil for any feces and give it a mix around to keep the moisture evenly distributed

 

[pssh]

If she starts eating the soil she may become impacted (blockage in the intestines) which could lead to her death or a very large vet bill or both. If you need higher humidity add live plants and mist for longer periods of time.

 

[carol5208]

I agree with Pssh, that she might eat the soil or accidently injest it when shooting for prey. It is up to you, but you should be aware of the risks.

 

[carol5208]

75 watt could be too much for the basking bulb. What is your basking and cage temp? Also, are you dusting your feeders? You should have 3 a multi vit twice a month, calcium w/o d3 every feeding or so, calcium w/d3 twice or three times a month also.

 

[Psi]

Here is a better picture to show the size of the cage, it is actually quite large

Pretty sure that's a 65g Flexarium measuring 30x16x30.
It's an average sized cage for her.
She might need something bigger when she's full size

The lights are as follows

UV light is two Reptiglow exotera UV 5 and the heating lamp is a sunglo 75W

No real point using 2 Reptiglows.
Just save the other one for when you need to get a new bulb after it's been used for 6 months.

 

[carol5208]

did not notice that you are using TWO sources for UVB. PSI is right, you only need the one 5.0.

 

[WyteAnjal]

The hood light itself has a spot for two, they are the small curly ones not the tube lights. I will remove the soil, but what should I put in its place, is it okay to use the fake grass type carpet for her? since it is a mesh cage I need something to save from water going on the table and floor

 

[coffeeguy89]

from the first pic of the enclosure, it looks like the uvb bulbs are compact fluorescents which really should be avoided.

 

[coffeeguy89]

The hood light itself has a spot for two, they are the small curly ones not the tube lights. I will remove the soil, but what should I put in its place, is it okay to use the fake grass type carpet for her? since it is a mesh cage I need something to save from water going on the table and floor

sub straights should be avoided all together. paper towels or newspaper makes cleaning easier.

 

[WyteAnjal]

from the first pic of the enclosure, it looks like the uvb bulbs are compact fluorescents which really should be avoided.

Thats correct I am using the compacts, that is what they told me to use at the pet store. What should I be using?