Chameleon help.....

[americanmedic]

Hello everyone.. im new to this forum and so far it has been very helpful.. thank you for all your posts and pictures. I am a new cham owner just got a veilded yesterday. I rescued him from a home in which the owner did not properly take care of him ie: wrong terrarium, wrong lighting, wrong food. In any case I have done plenty of research on chams before I went and got him. He is now in a great environment, but the last owner did not hold him at all and now when I put my hand near him he hisses.... is there any way to help train him? Also... I work only three days a week, but those days I am out of the house for 16 hours... he has a drip system and I mist him before I leave and the lights are on a timer. Will he be ok? and how many crickets should I leave in the terrarium for him throughout the day? Thanks for the help

 

[ataraxia]

Some will tame and some will not. Try not pressuring him with handling. Move slowly about and offer food by putting crickets on the screen. You may want to also try in due time hand feeding. Not pressuring them and showing them that you arent there to grab earns trust.

How old is the chameleon?

 

[junglefries]

behavior

Respond to his behavior. always slow movements. keep dogs and cats away if applicable. watch his movements, you will know what is ok and what isn't. always try to stick with routines while performing maintenance. let him adjust to you, @ the same time adjusting to him. it may take months for him to trust you. when the moment finally arrives, i have found to holding one hand open and flat towards his front, while slowly moving him onto it with your other hand from the rear works nicely. Don't force him or uncoil his tail. He will walk up onto it when he is ready.

 

[americanmedic]

Hey guys thanks a lot for the info..... ataraxia Im not exactly sure how old he is but if I had to take an educated guess from the time he was bought to now I would say 5-6 months. I will defiantly work on his trust and try some hand feeding.. He seems to shy away and tries to hide behind leaves, which I believe is normal for him. So far my routine has been fairly the same.. Like I said I work three days a week and on those days I leave the house at 3 am.... until 7 pm..... before I leave I mist him and leave an hour drip or so then put about 12-14 crickets in the cage and the lights are on a timer 630 am to 830 pm...