Cham jumps off of me

[jacksonchamnew]

Tried to get male veiled of about 4 months out of cage. Been feeding him with tweezers and he finally gets on stick. Jump on my shirt and then jumps on floor and runs for the window, in the living room. Got him to climb on pillow and got him back in the cage. Not his finest hour. I am scared and he is scared. He was not calm at all.

 

[jacksonchamnew]

Cham has started getting nice color and is climbing. I added another vine. Need more sticks and plants.

 

[bbyoda]

My chameleon loves to do these dive bomb jumps as well. It's a big hit to my nervous system lol. When I get him out of the cage to handle him (to clean cage, give medicine, etc) I actually sit on the ground to mitigate damage from any potential falls. That might be something helpful for you to try. I've gotten really good at tread milling and ignoring his hissing bluffs to prevent jumps as well. Not sure if we'll ever be able to walk around together. It's great yours will take food from you and get on a stick!

 

[jacksonchamnew]

They really run fast also. I can see him getting under a chair or the couch or climbing the blinds. Not going outside.

 

[bbyoda]

They really run fast also. I can see him getting under a chair or the couch or climbing the blinds. Not going outside.

Is your enclosure in your living room? Mine is in an isolated back room so there's less for him to get into or get under. You could also transfer him to a separate container - like a pop-up mesh hamper - and bring him outside for some sun rays. I agree with you it's scary to think about him getting lost outside but the sun is so good for them it's worth troubleshooting and getting creative. While still being safe of course!

 

[Beman]

@jacksonchamnew They jump and run because they are scared... If you have not built up trust you should not be removing him from the cage. Babies can easily suffer life threatening injuries so you should be extremely cautious.

 

[Gingero]

Yup this ^^

Jumping off of you is a last ditch effort to get away from a predator. They would rather risk whatever doom is waiting for them at the bottom of the jump then deal with the current threat AKA you.

Continue to tong feed and work at their pace. Might be helpful to offer them a plant to climb onto so they feel safer. Here is a video that goes over some tips and tricks for building trust with your cham: