Biting eh?

[voxxom]

My little (2 1/2 month old) male veiled chameleon attempted to bite me today when i went to take his plant out so that i could re-pot it with peat moss.

he hissed at me and then sure enough bit my ring finger.

it didnt hurt, but the little guy has so much flare for how small he is i admire his courage.

but i dont want him to grow up mean.

 

[Fate X]

yes bitting,i got bit twice so far,the last bite drew blood, sonic,s claws are so sharp n he's so strong his claws have drawn blood with just squeezing my hand.

 

[Jordan]

I would recommend hand feeding. The first male I had was very mean and I could never remove him from his cage. When I got my female I tried it with her it has been about a year and she is actually starting to get rather friendly with me (for a chameleon). I would either plan on getting a leather glove for when he gets older or try to figure out a way to get him on a stick. Even if he tolerates you he will not be able to help hurting you with his feet. The hand feeding lets you interact with your chameleons in a positive way and over time they realize your are not tring to hurt them. Keep in mind for a couple thousand years now people have been predators to them to. They like to throw them in fires while they are alive for good luck.

 

[voxxom]

they seriously used to chuck the guys into fires? thats sad..

whats going on in their heads that would make them kill such an exotic creature.

oh well that was a long time ago i suppose.

and as for hand feeding, my female loves it, thats how i feed her now, she just comes to my hand for food

as for the male though, he gets scared and runs.. he recognizes the food, and hes been hesitant of taking it, i think hes just a bit unsure about whether or not its safe for him

 

[edub2017]

The hand feeding method is tried and true. It works by associating interactions with positive experiences. I believe that the only reason my veiled isn't aggressive (i.e. trying to bite) is because each time i have to handle him I make sure that at least part of the interaction is positive for him. In other words if i must remove him from his tree for cleaning i make sure to hand feed him his favorite treat--a waxworm-- or give him a warm shower. He is in no way tame, but i cannot remember the last time he gaped at me. I imagine if i were not slow, for instance if i just lunged my finger towards him, he would most likey bite. He still demands respect, and that I give him.

 

[Jordan]

No, locals still do throw these guys in fires. They take their color changing abilities and horns that some chameleons have as evil. They still do it to all of the famous three (panthers, jacksons, and veileds). Jacksons are killed on sight if spotted they think that they are demons from hell spying on them. Keep in mind these are all indian tribes who really do not know any better. Either that or they know something we do not and that is why your veiled is trying to bite you, LoL.

 

[edub2017]

whats going on in their heads that would make them kill such an exotic creature.

To the locals, they are not exotic.

 

[Fate X]

people are insane ,chameleons are demons never heard that before as for the glove im definatly gonna get one,i never really handle them much accept when i have to think im gonna handle them once a week maybe they stop hissing at me and trying to bite me. i dont think they will stop squeezing my hand because it seems like they just are squeezing so they dont fall off , they probably dont realize how much they squeezing my hands i always concidered it a sign of how strong they are. i would think something was wrong if i put my hand towards them n they didnt hiss and get all crazy

 

[evertech11]

hexarmor.com sells bite and claw proof gloves and arm gaurds and you can find them for pretty cheap

 

[voxxom]

Ah, well im not worried about the claws so much.

ive held a fully grown veiled before and its nothing much for pain, at least not to me.

and cant vets CAREFULLY trim their claws? or file the tips down a bit?

i know their blood/nerve lines are very close to the tip of the nail. but cant they be safely trimmed a little bit?

 

[Frank Castle]

Along the lines of "Natives to Chameleon Locals" There is also a belief that if they get hit with the tounge they will die. It is along the lines of the demon thing. In all honesty they are respected to some extent. This is maybe why they are still around. Look at all the endagered species from "people (as a whole)" being scared of them. Snakes get a bad rep also, yet that is more understanding because we know that some can kill. It is a belief system that is apart of their culture. Beliefs are a hard thing to understand. There are many diffrent religions based on belief and many Wars are started on religion belief. My Opinion (maybe others) is that Chams are harmless, but growing up in an evnironment where you are taught to fear them, we are all products of our environment, they believe otherwise. Ok my rant is over.

Frank

 

[Lymorg and Friend]

hand feeding

i have always hand fed lymorg until lately... (he thinks he's too big for it now i guess... mr. hot shot!) now all he will take is worms hand fed but luckily this has made him a very nicely tempered guy. he is currently still a bit under the weather so he has to be given eyedrops and oral antibiotics and i could not imagine how i could do that if he was a mean guy! because he gets handled pretty much every day, (food, cage cleaning, getting into a shower, etc.) he is super-used to me and doesn't think much of it which is good because our current health care regiment would be impossible!

 

[Lymorg and Friend]

hand feeding

i have always hand fed lymorg until lately... (he thinks he's too big for it now i guess... mr. hot shot!) now all he will take is worms hand fed but luckily this has made him a very nicely tempered guy. he is currently still a bit under the weather so he has to be given eyedrops and oral antibiotics and i could not imagine how i could do that if he was a mean guy! because he gets handled pretty much every day, (food, cage cleaning, getting into a shower, etc.) he is super-used to me and doesn't think much of it which is good because our current health care regiment would be impossible!

 

[Jordan]

I do not know if you could trim their claws or not. I think a better way to wear them down naturally is to just supply them with enough real branches for them get around on. I have seen all of my chameleons get a claw stuck in their fake vines. Nothing bad enough for me to quit using them here and their in there in there enclousures. I have never seen them get a claw stuck in their real branches. From what I have seen over the long haul this makes a big difference in their claws lenght. I suggested the glove because if they bite you while you are holding them it is hard to keep a steady hand and then they dig in even harder. I like just laying a stick in their enclousure and stepping back and wait. Most of the time they cannot help themselves and get on it. It is like a kid and a new toy. Then I go over slow and pick up the stick. This does not always work. I would say about 80% of the times I have tried. They seem to be more confused when you get them out of the cage then mad. I also have two branches in there that can just be pulled out solely for this purpose.

 

[voxxom]

hmm true, thats a good idea.

and claws getting stuck in branches.. another potential worry for the typical chameleon owner..

and to "lymorg"

ive really been looking at that jackson and liking him alot, i think one might just me my next purchase.

and is he a certain morph of jackson, or just a typical jackson?

cause i know panther chameleons have maany morphs.

 

[Will Hayward]

No... never clip a chameleons claws. It's amazing that this gets suggested so often. Personally I think that the reasons are evident.

 

[Lymorg and Friend]

and to "lymorg"

ive really been looking at that jackson and liking him alot, i think one might just me my next purchase.

and is he a certain morph of jackson, or just a typical jackson?

cause i know panther chameleons have maany morphs.

lymorg isnt a morph.... nor would i say he's a typical cham either! but yes, he is a regular jackson's. he's got an awesome temperment and a great personality... he's in the hospital right now though he's very sick adn needs to get better soon! he has to spend the night tonight so they can run more tests... he's a tough guy though so he can do it if he wants!

 

[voxxom]

Aw, i just saw the post in the health problems forum..

im really sorry to hear about lymorg . he seemed like a great chameleon and i know how hard it is to lose one that youve grown attached to.