johnandlyn
New Member
hi everyone i tryed to get my female yemen out of her enclosure and she hisses and opens her mouth is this normal?what do i do because i dont want to stress her out by trying to get her out of her enclosure?THANKS JOHN
female hissing !HELP!
- Thread starter johnandlyn
- Start date
moody232002
New Member
perfectly normal, she is protecting her territory.
I personally wouldn't try to get her out just yet,try getting her used to your hands around her first.
mista used to go for me all the time when i first got him .i just left my hand around him while he did it till eventually he'd just open his mouth at me then close it as if to say well what do i do now!
It took me two months before he had the confidence to trust i wasn't a threat to him and comes out now and then when HE wants to.
Be guided by your cham and slowly does it.
patience is definatly the key.
good luck
I personally wouldn't try to get her out just yet,try getting her used to your hands around her first.
mista used to go for me all the time when i first got him .i just left my hand around him while he did it till eventually he'd just open his mouth at me then close it as if to say well what do i do now!
It took me two months before he had the confidence to trust i wasn't a threat to him and comes out now and then when HE wants to.
Be guided by your cham and slowly does it.
patience is definatly the key.
good luck
johnandlyn
New Member
moody
ok how often did you put your hand in?and how long a few mins or longer?
ok how often did you put your hand in?and how long a few mins or longer?
Dunnigan
New Member
I only put my hands in the cages when i am cleaning/wiping the bottom of the cage. I held both of my chameleons yesterday for the first time in a month when i deep cleaned her cage. I try and leave the, be as much as possible. I do not believe that a chameleon can become accustomed to being handled. You either get one that is, like my male, going to hate you no matter what (I really think he would kill me if he had the chance), or a "friendly" one, like a panther i saw at a pet store that would not fire up when you pulled him out of his cage and he would sit on your head. This is just my opinion anyway.
SoCaliSon
Avid Member
Healthy Veiled Behavior... Don't worry.
I happen to be of the thinking that you can condition the way chameleons react to your presence, especially if you raise them from a young age. Not by daily forced handling until you "break" them, but instead by focusing on the comfort level of the cham, allowing them to do things on their terms and working with them while giving them enough space to feel comfortable. I do this by hand feeding my chams daily. With some new arrivals it takes a little bit for them to start to do this. Once they learn that when they see you, They may get fed, you have made a big step. If you are interacting with your cham and you notice territorial or defensive behaviors, back off a little bit, slow down, see if they will relax, don't force anything, and if they fail to calm down in your presence, leave them alone. Forcing an interaction at that point will just be adding to their stress, and will teach them that an interaction with you is a stressful scary thing. I think this is when people end up with chams that do nothing but hide in their enclosure, and retreat from the owner. You want them to relate you with good things, like food and comfort. Every cham that I daily hand feed like this, at some point, whether it be days, weeks, or months will eventually decide on one feeding when my arm comes in there, to head out my arm to explore on their own. This is the other great step, they have become comfortable enough around you to have a direct interaction with you on their own terms, with no stress involved. Stay calm and collected while holding the cham, making no fast motions, and give all of your attention to the cham, and whether or not they are comfortable. The same sort of thing applies, watch their behavior for signs of stress, if something starts to bother them allow them to climb back into their cage. Once you are handling the cham on their terms, this is a great time to offer a treat and try to get them to eat for you while being handled. This will just be another way for them to relate your interaction with food. It is all about respect for the animal, respect their space, respect their behavior, and you will receive a rewarding relationship with your cham in return. I have used this method with all my chams, and out of all the panthers and Veileds that I keep... I do not have a single pissy cham that will hiss or lunge, all will eat from my hand, and all stay calm for me if I need to remove them from their cage. I have no way of knowing if all chams would take to this the same way, This is just what I have learned to work in keeping the chams I have. I still think that my chams had just as much chance to be pissy as any other, I just think that with how I have raised them they don't see any need to be pissy or territorial, I respect their space.
~Joe
I happen to be of the thinking that you can condition the way chameleons react to your presence, especially if you raise them from a young age. Not by daily forced handling until you "break" them, but instead by focusing on the comfort level of the cham, allowing them to do things on their terms and working with them while giving them enough space to feel comfortable. I do this by hand feeding my chams daily. With some new arrivals it takes a little bit for them to start to do this. Once they learn that when they see you, They may get fed, you have made a big step. If you are interacting with your cham and you notice territorial or defensive behaviors, back off a little bit, slow down, see if they will relax, don't force anything, and if they fail to calm down in your presence, leave them alone. Forcing an interaction at that point will just be adding to their stress, and will teach them that an interaction with you is a stressful scary thing. I think this is when people end up with chams that do nothing but hide in their enclosure, and retreat from the owner. You want them to relate you with good things, like food and comfort. Every cham that I daily hand feed like this, at some point, whether it be days, weeks, or months will eventually decide on one feeding when my arm comes in there, to head out my arm to explore on their own. This is the other great step, they have become comfortable enough around you to have a direct interaction with you on their own terms, with no stress involved. Stay calm and collected while holding the cham, making no fast motions, and give all of your attention to the cham, and whether or not they are comfortable. The same sort of thing applies, watch their behavior for signs of stress, if something starts to bother them allow them to climb back into their cage. Once you are handling the cham on their terms, this is a great time to offer a treat and try to get them to eat for you while being handled. This will just be another way for them to relate your interaction with food. It is all about respect for the animal, respect their space, respect their behavior, and you will receive a rewarding relationship with your cham in return. I have used this method with all my chams, and out of all the panthers and Veileds that I keep... I do not have a single pissy cham that will hiss or lunge, all will eat from my hand, and all stay calm for me if I need to remove them from their cage. I have no way of knowing if all chams would take to this the same way, This is just what I have learned to work in keeping the chams I have. I still think that my chams had just as much chance to be pissy as any other, I just think that with how I have raised them they don't see any need to be pissy or territorial, I respect their space.
~Joe
moody232002
New Member
some good pointers there SoCaliSon
johnandlyn, in my opinion the key is to go very slowly and start away from your cham.Let her see that you can be in her territory without "invading" her space.Spot cleaning i found was good for this as they will watch your every move.
When she is comfortable move slightly further up the cage and do the same.You'll know when she is happier with your hands in there coz the flight stance won't be there.
Mista was fine after about three weeks but like people chameleons are all different so there is no set time limit.and some never tolerate handling.
When and if she is happy move your hand closer to her but don't touch her yet. i found mine tolerated best if i took a side hand approach with my index finger extended facing him again only get as close as she is comfortable with.It took mine another 4 weeks before he would let me touch him now he lets me stroke his sides,casque and he appears to love his beard stroked,again only when HE wants it or he lets me know in no uncertain terms he is in no mood for interaction lol.
johnandlyn, in my opinion the key is to go very slowly and start away from your cham.Let her see that you can be in her territory without "invading" her space.Spot cleaning i found was good for this as they will watch your every move.
When she is comfortable move slightly further up the cage and do the same.You'll know when she is happier with your hands in there coz the flight stance won't be there.
Mista was fine after about three weeks but like people chameleons are all different so there is no set time limit.and some never tolerate handling.
When and if she is happy move your hand closer to her but don't touch her yet. i found mine tolerated best if i took a side hand approach with my index finger extended facing him again only get as close as she is comfortable with.It took mine another 4 weeks before he would let me touch him now he lets me stroke his sides,casque and he appears to love his beard stroked,again only when HE wants it or he lets me know in no uncertain terms he is in no mood for interaction lol.
summoner12
Avid Member
I like to work my chams out of the cage onto my hand. my vieleds can be a but nasty.... but I can even get them to calm down and take a ride on my hand.
Joe has some good tips.
Joe has some good tips.
