Can't we all just get along?

[TheMentor]

well, recently i recieved a new chameleon. Hes 3 months old, male, ambilobe, in tremendous shape, and hes gigantic! unfortunately, hes extremely hostile..
i wanted to know if any of you know any tricks on calming them?
this one nearly killed himself today by racing out of his cage (its the fastest chameleon i've ever seen in my life!!) and sat atop his dripper on his hind legs hissing at me for 10min before almost sprinting off the back before i let him bite me so i could save him from a 4ft fall!

his names ferdinand, and hes been in his cage for a week, maybe he just needs time to get used to it? its just such a bummer to see something you love be so fierce and hostile towards you.
in the beginning he was shy and scared but i sware all he wants is a constant supply of food, if i let him he'd most likely eat about 15-20 crickets in about an hour, hes a machine! i have to limit him to 8-12 per day

 

[sandrachameleon]

Give him more time to settle, more time with you not right nearby, let him eat, and hope that he mellows?

 

[Pams Chams]

I agree he needs time to settle in. When it comes time to try to train him to be held I hold them close to me and put my hand over their head (to cover their 3rd eye) it puts them in a sleep state and sooths them. Try not to let him bite you by covering his mouth with your hand and a paper towle in it so if he bites it is somthing soft so he wont hurt his jaw, the lower jaw bone is so thin it is not safe for him to bite if he is really mad. If he fights till he is to tired and gives up rather then calms down then he may just be a cham that does not want to be touched

 

[Pams Chams]

Also you should let him eat as much as he wants a cham will stop when full, I have a male Ambilobe that is very large and eats around 30 cricks a day. give him around 12 to 15 and if their are leftovers just back off that day and if they are all gone feed him again. Any way that is what I do with my 50+ chams a day

 

[beeze]

I totally agree with Pam above. At that age my cham did eat 15 to 20 crickets everyday with weekly treats of other feeders, too. Give him some time and move very slowly when you are around him, try hand feeding some nice hornworms or silkworms and try wearing green around him. They seem to really like green.

 

[TheMentor]

Also you should let him eat as much as he wants a cham will stop when full, I have a male Ambilobe that is very large and eats around 30 cricks a day. give him around 12 to 15 and if their are leftovers just back off that day and if they are all gone feed him again. Any way that is what I do with my 50+ chams a day

haha! jeez, i gave him about 8-10 today, i usually count them and write them down but i was to amazed because he'd eaten six within the first minute
i'm pretty sure this little guy could eat about 30 a day easy haha he doesn't stop. i do agree he probably needs more time, does it matter if i'm in the same room as him?
hes absolutely spectacular for 3 months old, i'll include pics in the next post
thanks for your replies!!

 

[TheMentor]

here are the pictures in order
first one is ferdinand currently, hes 3 months of age, i apologize for blurriness he's very camera aggressive

the second is him at 11 weeks old

the last is the sire, Zeppo

E/\/j0y!

The Mentor

 

[beeze]

Other members here may disagree with me but I think the more he sees you around the more he's going to get use to you.

 

[BocaJan]

Put on a glove, take him out and let him crawl around on you. I have found, and heard other members say, once you have them out and on you they settle down. Be sure to have someone else around to catch him if he decides to leap! LOL.

I'm sure he will settle down after awhile. Does he have an adequate enclosure! Sometimes chameleons will react negatively to too small of a habitat. Males especially like lots of room to make his claim as KING.

 

[dante8858]

beeze
I agree with you also....I made the biggest mistake with my first cham (I listened to the pet store) and put her in a room that we never really went into other than to check on her daily. But this made her very aggressive and she never really got used to us and we could hardly hold her! My Mellers I have in my livingroom and he/she is used to everything and doesn't seem to mind us around him/her. I have now had him/her for 3 and a half months! YEAH!!!

 

[TheMentor]

well, i'm in my bedroom as long as i'm not in school of course, and his enclosure is perfectly sufficient for his size. today he ate 19 crickets before 2pm ! pretty amazing