Hand feeding tips

[boneseast]

Just looking for some tips on hand feeding. I've only had him for a week so I don't expect him to start immediately. But he has warmed up a lot with interaction. He no longer runs and hides when I open the cage. It seems like his favorite snack right now is pheonix worms. So any tips or advice would help

 

[Eyal]

You can start by cup feeding is my first tip, then he quite gets to know your hand a bit, then you start by putting a cricket or whatever with your palm open below his eyesight, not by holding it with your fingers. Then she maybe takes it after a while.

Second tip is you put crickets or whatever with you hand in the terrarium so he knows your "food" or your the one with the food. So just put it on the plant or twig. Then frequently holding the crickets with your hand on to the twig/plant until he takes it. then later on you can hold the crickets in the air!

My female eats from my fingers all the time. she loves my hands after that. She is so calm when she is with me, but not when i bring other unknown (of her)things on me or with me.

CAUTION : IF HE SHOOTS AT ONE OF YOUR FINGERS DO NOT PULL OR ANYTHING. LET THE TONGUE WORK ITS WAY BACK ALONE. CAUSE THIS CAN MESS UP THE WHOLE TONGUE. MAY CAUSE DEATH!

 

[hallenhe]

I would echo Eyal; starting with cup feeding is probably a good idea (i.e. put the insect in a cup and hold it out to him). With hand feeding, worms can be held cupped in the hand (with some of the more active worms, you may have to have two hands in play, to keep the worm crawling over the edge and disappearing; it's best to hold off on this 'til he's used to hand-feeding with more sedate insects). Crickets I hold by a hind leg, and am read to release the bug as he hits it. Holding it too close increases the chance that he'll catch you, too - I once got a good chomp when Thaxter reeled me in with a cricket, and he has hit my hand/fingers before. If that happens, as Eyal says, don't jerk away; you may even need to move in towards his mouth and let him bite down before he can release you. Those tongues are remarkably sticky. A panther catching you accidentally generally won't deliver too nasty a bite.

 

[boneseast]

thanks for the info im gonna see how he does with some cupfeeding and update from there. thanks again everyone, super helpful

 

[Eyal]

No problemo bone! Write a new topic when or if you progressed, some chameleons just hate being handfed , its simply that way. so dont be to eager just be calmed down cause it might take a while