Behavior change. Wondering if anyone else has experienced it

[PlanetRemulak]

I recently got a new little guy, named him Gossamer. I’ve had him for a short while (I got him in mid September). He is a very shy boy and immediately hides behind branches when I open the cage door. Up until recently, he was relatively mellow and would let me get a finger under his chin. Twice now, he has been very defensive. Curled up tail, black coloration, gaping and even lunged several times today. I put on a garden glove and held it out under him. He did bite a couple of times but didn’t really chomp down super hard or twist. He definitely let me know it was a Do Not Touch day, though.

The only thing that has changed recently is that I went on a two day vacation (I left on November the 5th, came home on the 7th) and my mom stayed at my house and pet sat for me. I really suspect that’s what sent him over edge, because when I came home he was hiding behind a large vertical branch along the left back side of his cage. He sleeps behind that thing, so that I found him behind it when I came home tells me he had yet to come out and go up to the top to bask. My mom definitely appreciates my chameleons but is very hands off. She hung up his feeder cup once, and that was during the second day I was gone (I fed him the morning I left). Mom appreciates my chameleons but is definitely hands off when it comes to my reptiles. Doubly so where bugs are concerned. She was mostly here for my dog because he’s got some pretty bad separation anxiety. Mom did tell me she didn’t linger and stare into their cages, but I’m sure Gossamer could see her in the room and didn’t recognize her. I do have my cages out in the living room because things are very quiet/low traffic here. Still, I guess just being able to see someone/something other than me was a no-go.

Just wondering if anyone here has experienced a similar shift in their chameleon’s behavior after a change around the house? What’s worked for you as far as trust building goes? I think the garden glove approach I took this morning was probably too much. Nothing came of that interaction beyond him biting the glove, so he’s got nothing positive to associate with me putting my hand in his space. I feel like I’m starting from negative 0 at this point, because he wasn’t even taking feeders from my hand before. In addition to that, all my previous boys have been relatively sweet/non confrontational. I’ve tried enticing him with silkworms, but no interest (he eats them just fine from the feeder cup). Maybe I’ll try some hornworms next.. or grasshoppers. Those things are so expensive, I was sort of hoping I could wait until after the holidays were over to buy some no such luck I guess.

 

[elizaann2]

Hello!

I've experienced something somewhat similar to you. I got my Jackson's in June and left for a 9 day vacation at the end of September/beginning of October. Before I left I could get my Jackjack to eat several buggies out of my hand. When I got back he wouldn't at all, he would hide from me and I am just now getting to the point where he will occasionally start to eat from my hand again. Not sure why we took several steps back, if it was because I wasn't there every few days to continue to hand feed him or what but its been a slow process to get back to where we were.

One thing I would suggest is really paying attention to your chams body language, if he is giving you signs that he is not up to 'socializing' respect that and try again another day. I think this honestly goes a long way when building trust with an animal.

Think of it this way, how would you respond to someone who is trying to build a relationship with you but they are not listening to you when you say you need space and push you when you are stressed? The next time that person comes around to work on your relationship you are already going to be put-off just by seeing them.

Lastly, chameleons do not have strong jaws or sharp teeth, they will really only bite as a last resort. If your cham is biting you he is pretty stressed.

This is what I would do if he were my cham:
- quietly hang out in the room he is in, reading a book or doing something quiet and calm
- move slowly when you are close to his enclosure or doing anything in his enclosure - predators move quickly so if you are slow..you are telling him you mean him no harm
- pay close attention to you cham, what are his earliest signs that he is not in the mood when you are trying to build a relationship with him? When you notice those really early signs, back off immediately and maybe try again in a few days. (my Jackson's for example will take a step back from me, when I see he is starting to take that step back, I back away)
- If he has a favorite bug, offer that to him before he eats, maybe first in a cup and then eventually see if he will hand feed.

The other thing I would say is all chameleons are individuals with their own unique personalities, you may just have. grumpy grumpy boy who may not get to a level of 'tolerating you' as some chams do.

@Beman has a really great blog on here that has great tips on building a relationship with a chameleon, I just am not tech savvy enough to know how to find it on here . Maybe she won't mind helping you find that blog?

 

[PlanetRemulak]

Hello!

I've experienced something somewhat similar to you. I got my Jackson's in June and left for a 9 day vacation at the end of September/beginning of October. Before I left I could get my Jackjack to eat several buggies out of my hand. When I got back he wouldn't at all, he would hide from me and I am just now getting to the point where he will occasionally start to eat from my hand again. Not sure why we took several steps back, if it was because I wasn't there every few days to continue to hand feed him or what but its been a slow process to get back to where we were.

That’s frustrating, but I’m relieved to hear it also happened after you came back from a trip! Not completely unusual. I am also relieved to hear that you did eventually get your boy taking bugs from you again. Going forward, I guess I’m going to have to treat this like i just got him and leave him be.

One thing I would suggest is really paying attention to your chams body language, if he is giving you signs that he is not up to 'socializing' respect that and try again another day. I think this honestly goes a long way when building trust with an animal.

Think of it this way, how would you respond to someone who is trying to build a relationship with you but they are not listening to you when you say you need space and push you when you are stressed? The next time that person comes around to work on your relationship you are already going to be put-off just by seeing them.

Lastly, chameleons do not have strong jaws or sharp teeth, they will really only bite as a last resort. If your cham is biting you he is pretty stressed.

Definitely agree. I completely neglected to mention that he’s had a little spot along his lip that I’ve been monitoring. I noticed it before I left for my trip. I did catch him climbing upside down on the screen of his cage, and I’m pretty sure it’s a rub mark from that. We had a colder than usual day before we left, I had his basking bulb on pretty low (I have my basking bulbs on dimmer switches), and I think he was screen surfing because he wanted to get closer to the heat source. The behavior stopped when I turned the dimmer up a bit and let his basking temp get closer to 85. Today I was trying to get a closer look at his mouth. I thought the spot looked a little different, but my mom mentioned that she saw him screen climbing that last day she was at our house. I had the dimmers on my basking bulbs set low again for my fiancé’s peace of mind - he‘s always worried a light is going to overheat/blow up while we’re gone. While I was away, my mom told me my basking temps were at 82 F, so I didn’t think to ask her to turn up the dimmer switches a little. I guess he wanted things a little warmer than that! That, or he saw her sitting in the room and was trying to figure out how to get away. I’m sure it‘s just more of the same, rub marks from the screen. If it doesn’t look any better soon I’ll have to get him in to our new vet, but between all that biting and gaping, I did manage to get a good look at his mouth. Everything looks normal along the teeth/inside so I shouldn’t have to terrorize him anymore tomorrow, lol. Up until recently, it’s been feeder cup goes in or out, or I reach in to spot clean. Admittedly I have been overly vigilant since the last incident ( I’ve got to get a hold on that).

This is what I would do if he were my cham:
- quietly hang out in the room he is in, reading a book or doing something quiet and calm
- move slowly when you are close to his enclosure or doing anything in his enclosure - predators move quickly so if you are slow..you are telling him you mean him no harm
- pay close attention to you cham, what are his earliest signs that he is not in the mood when you are trying to build a relationship with him? When you notice those really early signs, back off immediately and maybe try again in a few days. (my Jackson's for example will take a step back from me, when I see he is starting to take that step back, I back away)
- If he has a favorite bug, offer that to him before he eats, maybe first in a cup and then eventually see if he will hand feed.

The other thing I would say is all chameleons are individuals with their own unique personalities, you may just have. grumpy grumpy boy who may not get to a level of 'tolerating you' as some chams do.

All great suggestions, I will definitely start sitting near his cage tomorrow! I’ve got some things I can work on using my tablet, so hopefully he won’t feel like I’m sitting there staring at him.

If he does end up just being a grumpy guy, that’s fine lol. I got back into chameleons for the first time in over decade anticipating a beast, and I ended up with a chameleon like BEAU. Our first really great vet had to pull all kinds of stunts just to get him to gape and look inside his mouth. I guess they can‘t all be that way

@Beman has a really great blog on here that has great tips on building a relationship with a chameleon, I just am not tech savvy enough to know how to find it on here . Maybe she won't mind helping you find that blog?

No idea how I forgot she had a blog on this, lol. No worries about the link! I can find it on her profile!

Thank you for your input!! Feeling a bit better about the sudden grumpiness. I guess we’re paying for having the audacity to leave them for a few days.

 

[Sonny13]

Similar experience with my veiled when I went on vacation for 8 days and my mom came cham sitting. I‘m 100% convinced my didn’t do anything slowly and she came in her “secure space“ (she sits free range), but when came back she was also complete shy again for at least the same that I was gone. Afterwards we asked our best friends, in the meantime we’ve been gone for many more times, and it never happened again. They absolutely recognize people and know who to trust our not, Bella still hides from my mom, so probably she never respected Bella the way we do.

 

[PlanetRemulak]

Similar experience with my veiled when I went on vacation for 8 days and my mom came cham sitting. I‘m 100% convinced my didn’t do anything slowly and she came in her “secure space“ (she sits free range), but when came back she was also complete shy again for at least the same that I was gone. Afterwards we asked our best friends, in the meantime we’ve been gone for many more times, and it never happened again. They absolutely recognize people and know who to trust our not, Bella still hides from my mom, so probably she never respected Bella the way we do.

Again, relieved to hear it and thank you so much for your input! These guys are definitely sensitive and do not appreciate a change in their usual routine at *all,* lol. My mom is maybe one of two people I trust in my house/around my animals, but she’s way hands off with the chams. I got the sense she was nervous just hanging up his feeder cup, and I‘m sure he picked up on that energy haha. Never mind that he didn’t recognize her. I wholeheartedly agree, they can and do recognize people for sure!

 

[elizaann2]

Similar experience with my veiled when I went on vacation for 8 days and my mom came cham sitting. I‘m 100% convinced my didn’t do anything slowly and she came in her “secure space“ (she sits free range), but when came back she was also complete shy again for at least the same that I was gone. Afterwards we asked our best friends, in the meantime we’ve been gone for many more times, and it never happened again. They absolutely recognize people and know who to trust our not, Bella still hides from my mom, so probably she never respected Bella the way we do.

My mom is also my cham sitter....maybe our chameleons are on to something.....can moms in fact be trusted??

 

[elizaann2]

That’s frustrating, but I’m relieved to hear it also happened after you came back from a trip! Not completely unusual. I am also relieved to hear that you did eventually get your boy taking bugs from you again. Going forward, I guess I’m going to have to treat this like i just got him and leave him be.


Definitely agree. I completely neglected to mention that he’s had a little spot along his lip that I’ve been monitoring. I noticed it before I left for my trip. I did catch him climbing upside down on the screen of his cage, and I’m pretty sure it’s a rub mark from that. We had a colder than usual day before we left, I had his basking bulb on pretty low (I have my basking bulbs on dimmer switches), and I think he was screen surfing because he wanted to get closer to the heat source. The behavior stopped when I turned the dimmer up a bit and let his basking temp get closer to 85. Today I was trying to get a closer look at his mouth. I thought the spot looked a little different, but my mom mentioned that she saw him screen climbing that last day she was at our house. I had the dimmers on my basking bulbs set low again for my fiancé’s peace of mind - he‘s always worried a light is going to overheat/blow up while we’re gone. While I was away, my mom told me my basking temps were at 82 F, so I didn’t think to ask her to turn up the dimmer switches a little. I guess he wanted things a little warmer than that! That, or he saw her sitting in the room and was trying to figure out how to get away. I’m sure it‘s just more of the same, rub marks from the screen. If it doesn’t look any better soon I’ll have to get him in to our new vet, but between all that biting and gaping, I did manage to get a good look at his mouth. Everything looks normal along the teeth/inside so I shouldn’t have to terrorize him anymore tomorrow, lol. Up until recently, it’s been feeder cup goes in or out, or I reach in to spot clean. Admittedly I have been overly vigilant since the last incident ( I’ve got to get a hold on that).


All great suggestions, I will definitely start sitting near his cage tomorrow! I’ve got some things I can work on using my tablet, so hopefully he won’t feel like I’m sitting there staring at him.

If he does end up just being a grumpy guy, that’s fine lol. I got back into chameleons for the first time in over decade anticipating a beast, and I ended up with a chameleon like BEAU. Our first really great vet had to pull all kinds of stunts just to get him to gape and look inside his mouth. I guess they can‘t all be that way


No idea how I forgot she had a blog on this, lol. No worries about the link! I can find it on her profile!

Thank you for your input!! Feeling a bit better about the sudden grumpiness. I guess we’re paying for having the audacity to leave them for a few days.

Ok that makes much more sense. My boy also hurt his foot several weeks after we got back so I had to do daily checks on him as well to make sure things were healing well. He was not a fan of me during that time.

 

[Beman]

my blog link https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/building-trust-with-your-chameleon.2396/

 

[elizaann2]

my blog link https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/building-trust-with-your-chameleon.2396/

Thanks! I've saved the link now so I don't have to keep tagging you

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

I know for sure that my Veiled, Carmelo, will never walk out on his own. He has to be plucked from the branch. He makes this sad puppy dog sound as I touch him. However, once we go outside for natural sunlight and to climb up the tree swing he's as happy as can be. After 15 minutes I try to return him to the enclosure, hr does not move an inch. He will start backing up, make those puppy sounds and refuse to go to the enclosure. If I nudge is backside to go to to enclosure he pushes back and refuses to go in. So I let him stay out to hang out in the free range tree. After 15 minutes I take him back to the enclosure where he grabs a branch as if to say this encounter is over. His behavior tells me he likes his outdoor time. Even though I know he likes his outdoor time, Carmelo will never in this lifetime come out on his own.

 

[elizaann2]

I know for sure that my Veiled, Carmelo, will never walk out on his own. He has to be plucked from the branch. He makes this sad puppy dog sound as I touch him. However, once we go outside for natural sunlight and to climb up the tree swing he's as happy as can be. After 15 minutes I try to return him to the enclosure, hr does not move an inch. He will start backing up, make those puppy sounds and refuse to go to the enclosure. If I nudge is backside to go to to enclosure he pushes back and refuses to go in. So I let him stay out to hang out in the free range tree. After 15 minutes I take him back to the enclosure where he grabs a branch as if to say this encounter is over. His behavior tells me he likes his outdoor time. Even though I know he likes his outdoor time, Carmelo will never in this lifetime come out on his own.

Oh my goodness! I'd love to see a video of him making those noises. I've got one that will come out on her own fairly often, another that will on rare occasions but I CANNOT use my hands, I have to use a stick, after he is out on his stick he may climb more on me but I cannot handle him at all. My other I've only taken out maybe 3 times in the 5 months I've had him and he does not like it at all. Poor baby....

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

Oh my goodness! I'd love to see a video of him making those noises. I've got one that will come out on her own fairly often, another that will on rare occasions but I CANNOT use my hands, I have to use a stick, after he is out on his stick he may climb more on me but I cannot handle him at all. My other I've only taken out maybe 3 times in the 5 months I've had him and he does not like it at all. Poor baby....

I'll do a video. His puppy sounds are hilarious. This is my first Cham. At first I was frightened, I didn't know that Chams whine.

 

[elizaann2]

I'll do a video. His puppy sounds are hilarious. This is my first Cham. At first I was frightened, I didn't know that Chams whine.

I didn't either! I've got one that will 'hiss' at me when misting at night but thats about it as far as sounds go.

 

[PlanetRemulak]

My mom is also my cham sitter....maybe our chameleons are on to something.....can moms in fact be trusted??

There may be something to this, lol. Chameleons are definitely not my mom’s speed. She’s far more familiar with typical mammalian pets. Whatever nervousness our designated caretakers are feeling at any given moment is very likely picked up on by chams. I’ve got to learn to stop using Beau as my guideline for everything. Nothing bugs him out too much, which is definitely not typical. We may also need to stop asking our moms to lizard sit for a while

Ok that makes much more sense. My boy also hurt his foot several weeks after we got back so I had to do daily checks on him as well to make sure things were healing well. He was not a fan of me during that time.

I’m very sorry I forgot to include that information, lol. I really just sounded like I was attempting to manhandle the poor creature for no discernible reason. It would be GREAT if we could speak chameleon and explain to them that we’re only in their space to make sure they’re alright. And even if that were possible, I suspect they would still be skeptical. Evidently he’s not feeling any stress at the moment, because I hear him zapping bugs out of his feeder cup. It’s such a distinct noise. Kind of funny when you’re in the same room and you can hear the telltale tongue slapping plastic sound

I know for sure that my Veiled, Carmelo, will never walk out on his own. He has to be plucked from the branch. He makes this sad puppy dog sound as I touch him. However, once we go outside for natural sunlight and to climb up the tree swing he's as happy as can be. After 15 minutes I try to return him to the enclosure, hr does not move an inch. He will start backing up, make those puppy sounds and refuse to go to the enclosure. If I nudge is backside to go to to enclosure he pushes back and refuses to go in. So I let him stay out to hang out in the free range tree. After 15 minutes I take him back to the enclosure where he grabs a branch as if to say this encounter is over. His behavior tells me he likes his outdoor time. Even though I know he likes his outdoor time, Carmelo will never in this lifetime come out on his own.

Again! If only it were possible to explain to these guys that we have only the best of intentions. I bet he loves going outside! Every chameleon I’ve had has eventually learned from me that the cage door opening means they get to come outside. It’s great when you live in a naturally warm/sunny climate. Just makes things a lot harder when they refuse to come out on their own I’m glad you still take Carmelo out for natural light! That can only ever do good things for him. And please please, if you can, post a video of his sounds! I’d love to see it too

Oh my goodness! I'd love to see a video of him making those noises. I've got one that will come out on her own fairly often, another that will on rare occasions but I CANNOT use my hands, I have to use a stick, after he is out on his stick he may climb more on me but I cannot handle him at all. My other I've only taken out maybe 3 times in the 5 months I've had him and he does not like it at all. Poor baby....

That’s comical, actually. So he’s glad to actually crawl ON you, but no hands ever?? I hope he never crawls on your back Funny how much their personalities vary! If there is one thing chameleons are good at (and we all know they’re good at many things lol), it’s establishing boundaries.

Gossamer cannot be bribed or sweet talked with silkworms, so I’ve just ordered a bunch of tiny hornworms. I guess we’ll see how this goes.. Included a picture of him just because (took it while he was basking)

 

[janjan20]

Not sure if this was mentioned but sometimes they can be reactive to the colors on your clothing. My crew typically don’t like red or black, each one reacts differently. 2 out of my 4 act skittish after not seeing me for a couple days. When my hair is different or my eyes if I have makeup on etc, they notice and they avoid me and act like I’m a stranger lol.

 

[PlanetRemulak]

Not sure if this was mentioned but sometimes they can be reactive to the colors on your clothing. My crew typically don’t like red or black, each one reacts differently. 2 out of my 4 act skittish after not seeing me for a couple days. When my hair is different or my eyes if I have makeup on etc, they notice and they avoid me and act like I’m a stranger lol.

I thought about this yesterday. There has to be something to this! I had on a black t shirt with a red zip up hoodie. All offending colors lol. Should you ever have the audacity to do your hair differently or put on a bit of make up, they treat you that way ridiculous

 

[janjan20]

They are VERY observant and detail oriented lol! I have a white robe I wear over my clothes (when I’m wearing offensive colors) when I feed them so they are not offended when they see me.

 

[Beman]

Beman has a major issue with nail polish.... Needless to say I think I have only worn it maybe 2 times in the last 5 years lol

 

[Gloriawood]

Beman has a major issue with nail polish.... Needless to say I think I have only worn it maybe 2 times in the last 5 years lol

Omg Spaghetti loves my nails I tend to have glitter nails and he thinks they are bugs. I have to be careful or he goes after them!

 

[Beman]

Omg Spaghetti loves my nails I tend to have glitter nails and he thinks they are bugs. I have to be careful or he goes after them!

No, Beman tries to kill me if they are painted lol