Chameleon is scared of me

[Frostlord]

Hi guys, I've had my baby veiled chameleon for about 3 weeks now and he has adjusted into his new home just fine.

The problem is that every time I open up his enclosure or get near him he starts hiding or running away.
He hates it when I mist his cage, and it makes it very hard when I try and feed him because I always have to try and get him to go to a certain part of his enclosure so I can cup feed him(or else he wont be able to find the crickets).

Just now my hand got close to him and he hissed at me.

I know chameleons dont like being handled all that much but mine really seems to dislikes me.
Is there anything I can do to get him to warm up to me, or at least get him to stop running away from me as much?

 

[Kayroxyoursox]

When he gets bigger he will stop running and start trying to defend himself . Mine tries to bite me if I get too close.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Hi guys, I've had my baby veiled chameleon for about 3 weeks now and he has adjusted into his new home just fine.

The problem is that every time I open up his enclosure or get near him he starts hiding or running away.
He hates it when I mist his cage, and it makes it very hard when I try and feed him because I always have to try and get him to go to a certain part of his enclosure so I can cup feed him(or else he wont be able to find the crickets).

Just now my hand got close to him and he hissed at me.

I know chameleons dont like being handled all that much but mine really seems to dislikes me.
Is there anything I can do to get him to warm up to me, or at least get him to stop running away from me as much?

You can start by changing your preconceptions about his behavior.

Instead of thinking he "really seems to dislike me," try looking at the whole interaction from his point of view--he really seems to be afraid. Start thinking along those lines and the solutions become more obvious.

Instead of trying to get him to like you, you might start trying not to frighten him. Move slower, stay out of his space, etc.

Most chameleons don't like to be misted directly. Try misting around him, not directly on him. Also, get a finer mister that gives more of a fog than hard droplets.

I don't understand why you feel you need to get him near his food. Part of me thinks that a normal chameleon that can't find it's own food is incompatible with life and deserves to starve to death. Some never eat out of a cup. They much prefer to hunt down their insects and, let's face it, life for a chameleon in captivity is pretty dull and boring. Certain insects don't lend themselves to free range feeding--roaches being one--and you might want to always cup or hand feed those. Try putting the cup high up nestled in the branches.

 

[Gilly]

Also , when your in the room with him , leave his door open and kinda leave him alone . Mine is in my computer room , I spend a lot of time in there. I'll leave his door open and hop on the comp. . He sometimes works his way out onto the door itself and just hangs out . He seems to slowly but surely getting used to me . He is only 3months old so I want to get him as tame as I can before he gets big and bites Someone.

 

[Frostlord]

You can start by changing your preconceptions about his behavior.

Instead of thinking he "really seems to dislike me," try looking at the whole interaction from his point of view--he really seems to be afraid. Start thinking along those lines and the solutions become more obvious.

Instead of trying to get him to like you, you might start trying not to frighten him. Move slower, stay out of his space, etc.

Most chameleons don't like to be misted directly. Try misting around him, not directly on him. Also, get a finer mister that gives more of a fog than hard droplets.

I don't understand why you feel you need to get him near his food. Part of me thinks that a normal chameleon that can't find it's own food is incompatible with life and deserves to starve to death. Some never eat out of a cup. They much prefer to hunt down their insects and, let's face it, life for a chameleon in captivity is pretty dull and boring. Certain insects don't lend themselves to free range feeding--roaches being one--and you might want to always cup or hand feed those. Try putting the cup high up nestled in the branches.

Thanks mate appreciate the advice. I have started moving slower around him, hopefully he doesnt get startled.

I only cup feed him in a certain area because I have a really large vivarium for my baby chameleon and if they hop out he loses them quiet easily.
I'm just doing this in the meantime until I start feeding him bigger hoppers.

Also , when your in the room with him , leave his door open and kinda leave him alone . Mine is in my computer room , I spend a lot of time in there. I'll leave his door open and hop on the comp. . He sometimes works his way out onto the door itself and just hangs out . He seems to slowly but surely getting used to me . He is only 3months old so I want to get him as tame as I can before he gets big and bites Someone.

Thanks mate, I'll give that a try and hopefully he gets used to it.