Handling Chams

[chamacro]

Hi everyone!
I got my Ambanja Panther chameleon Indi about 3 weeks ago or so. He's about 4.5 months old and seems to be "Deathly" afraid of my hands, period.
I've only picked him up once to clean his enclosure (screen-36x16x16) and have not touched him since due to really wanting him to feel comfortable and not stressed.

When I'm around I'll keep the front of the screen open and I'll only put my hands in there to feed him crickets and Silk worms.
Does any one have any advice to let him get used to hands being inside his "home?" I feel terrible every time I have to feed him or fix something in his enclosure.
He runs and hides under leaves and turns very dark.

I really want to make this lil guy's life great, and would rather him not be completely scared of me. Is this "fear" normal in baby chams? Do they usually grow out of it?

 

[camimom]

best way is to hand feed.

get a bug he loves to eat. and show it to him. and wait, and wait, and wait.

 

[LucasD]

I don't know much about the behavior of other chams, but mine was always the same way. He's starting to grow out of it, at 4.5 months. He still won't hand feed, but if I leave the cage door open, he'll climb out and sit on my shoulder, or even climb down to my hand. They're all different I guess. The key is patience.

 

[chamacro]

best way is to hand feed.

get a bug he loves to eat. and show it to him. and wait, and wait, and wait.

haha I've tried I will keep doing that though! his little eye turrets just look at me with blank contemplation for hours it seems (minutes) lol..

So I guess persistence and he will come around I suppose.

 

[camimom]

my guy is still that way.
he only hand feeds when he feels like it. and only with hornworms.

 

[Graanto]

I have a feeling a lot of people are going to disagree with me, but i am finding with my chams that the more i hold them, even if they resist, over time makes them more comfortable.

I feel its kinda taboo on this forum to take a chameleon out of its cage when it dosen't want to, but i am finding that after a while of taking him out maybe twice a week for 10 mins or so really makes a different. obviously don't push the cham to the point where you literally need to rip him off a branch or something, but sometimes, even if he tries to scurry, just be firm, take him out of the cage and just try to hold him and make him calm. My newish veild does a similar thing as your cham, and when i get him out he seems to relax when i cup my hands around him.

As i said, some people, if not all, on this forum are going to disagree with me, and there are a lot more experience owners on here, but this is just a thought i have had for a couple of months now.

 

[chamacro]

I have a feeling a lot of people are going to disagree with me, but i am finding with my chams that the more i hold them, even if they resist, over time makes them more comfortable.

I feel its kinda taboo on this forum to take a chameleon out of its cage when it dosen't want to, but i am finding that after a while of taking him out maybe twice a week for 10 mins or so really makes a different. obviously don't push the cham to the point where you literally need to rip him off a branch or something, but sometimes, even if he tries to scurry, just be firm, take him out of the cage and just try to hold him and make him calm. My newish veild does a similar thing as your cham, and when i get him out he seems to relax when i cup my hands around him.

As i said, some people, if not all, on this forum are going to disagree with me, and there are a lot more experience owners on here, but this is just a thought i have had for a couple of months now.

It's nice to hear this opinion though! I feel that if you don't handle them at all then they will remain fearful... Seems like common sense to me. But who knows. I will just be patient for sure.

The time i did take him out of the cage he did hiss and get real dark with me at first. Then finally he calmed down and eventually showed me his beautiful bright colors. I think he is still just unsure. I will take my time with him, I want to earn his trust.

 

[Panthergirl11]

I have a feeling a lot of people are going to disagree with me, but i am finding with my chams that the more i hold them, even if they resist, over time makes them more comfortable.

I feel its kinda taboo on this forum to take a chameleon out of its cage when it dosen't want to, but i am finding that after a while of taking him out maybe twice a week for 10 mins or so really makes a different. obviously don't push the cham to the point where you literally need to rip him off a branch or something, but sometimes, even if he tries to scurry, just be firm, take him out of the cage and just try to hold him and make him calm. My newish veild does a similar thing as your cham, and when i get him out he seems to relax when i cup my hands around him.

As i said, some people, if not all, on this forum are going to disagree with me, and there are a lot more experience owners on here, but this is just a thought i have had for a couple of months now.

This seems to be the only way I've been able to handle my 4.5 month old too that I've had for almost a month now. I just have him "accidentally" climb on my hand while he is running away from me. And if he gapes at me I leave him alone and try later. But it seems like hes getting used to it. I can't hand feed him because I can't hold a cricket long enough lol. I need to try a different treat.

 

[chamacro]

This seems to be the only way I've been able to handle my 4.5 month old too that I've had for almost a month now. I just have him "accidentally" climb on my hand while he is running away from me. And if he gapes at me I leave him alone and try later. But it seems like hes getting used to it. I can't hand feed him because I can't hold a cricket long enough lol. I need to try a different treat.

thats good to hear as well, does he ever change colors? like get really dark?

 

[Goldenarcher1328]

I have a feeling a lot of people are going to disagree with me, but i am finding with my chams that the more i hold them, even if they resist, over time makes them more comfortable.

I feel its kinda taboo on this forum to take a chameleon out of its cage when it dosen't want to, but i am finding that after a while of taking him out maybe twice a week for 10 mins or so really makes a different. obviously don't push the cham to the point where you literally need to rip him off a branch or something, but sometimes, even if he tries to scurry, just be firm, take him out of the cage and just try to hold him and make him calm. My newish veild does a similar thing as your cham, and when i get him out he seems to relax when i cup my hands around him.

As i said, some people, if not all, on this forum are going to disagree with me, and there are a lot more experience owners on here, but this is just a thought i have had for a couple of months now.

I agree with this method, If they always get their way when being fearful, then it only reinforces the bad behavior, its basic animal psychology.


Props for having the guts to say it!

 

[leviw06]

OLike most of the other in this thread i have/ am having the issue of Loki seeming fearful and gapping at my and even though i move in slowly and from a 45 degree angle from under her so that she doesnt feel as threatened.

But this doesnt seem to work anymore.

Before her first shedding home with me she enjoyed exploring outside her cage and even would perch on my hat while playing pc games at my desk. but now its the complete opposite.

At time i feel Loki is sexist cuz my fiance get better treatment than me. Any time she, my fiance, comes around Loki eagerly comes to the front of her terra and grabs at the glass until i tell my fiance to just open it and let Loki come out. Pisses me off so much. And at the same time saddens me greatly.

I who turn her lights on and off, mist her terra so she has water, buys superworms/crickets/hornworms/and silkworms for Loki to eat, feeds her and cleans up after her daily "natures call" gets no love. no love at all...

 

[ChamomilleCame]

I think they are scared of us also because we're so big. This worked for me: lie down on the floor with the cage. He has to be on the on the outside of the cage. He'll see that you're not doing anything and will climb on you. Try this and see if it works

 

[Echoezra]

While i agree not to force it just for the sake of you holding them for fun, I ended up having to rearrange the cages a few times early on with my chameleons, so I was in a situation where i had to remove them several times, and while my little one didnt mind, the older new arrival despised me and was deathly afraid, to the point where he would grab at anything and randomly dive to his probable death.
He was brutally (yet entertainingly) afraid of sillkworms, so that didn't help, but first butterworms, then absolutely hornworms did the trick as far as getting him to not panic when my hands were in his cage and my face was near him.
After that, I would try to take him out and he would still panic while in the cage, but then be ok as soon as we walked away from it. well, he would flare up at the walking part, but when I got somewhere else, he would relax and chill out.
It still wasnt really cool but you could tell he was starting to trust me, and the grabbing for everything in the cage on the way out got less and less frantic.
The big change didnt happen until the weather warmed up and I started taking him out for real sunshine. That was just his ultimate heaven - the Outdoors.
A few times of that and he was reaching for my hand whenever I opened the cage.
It's been so so sad this winter, I havent really taken them out because I had no sunny place to take them, and I'm following the rule about don't disturb them, right? Problem is, After a while, he started "begging" again, reaching for me, trying to get taken out. Usually I think that's a sign of they don't like their cage, and that's probably right - especially when he knows there's a sunny real world out there! But there's not, not in Ontario, not in Winter.
Anyways, I've bought a few new plants a while back, to spruce up the cages with after I move them and I hung them in the kitchen window and strung a little stick and rubber vine between them, as a little makeshift free range, just somewhere to take them so they can be taken out.

One tip though, is to hold them up high. Higher than your head. If I lowered my arm for more than a couple seconds, they just climb it and sit on my head. lol. Which is fine I guess, and kind of funny, but I can't see them when they're on my head. haha. So, if you are looking to take them out and actually look at them, keep your arm up.

 

[Goldenarcher1328]

While i agree not to force it just for the sake of you holding them for fun, I ended up having to rearrange the cages a few times early on with my chameleons, so I was in a situation where i had to remove them several times, and while my little one didnt mind, the older new arrival despised me and was deathly afraid, to the point where he would grab at anything and randomly dive to his probable death.
He was brutally (yet entertainingly) afraid of sillkworms, so that didn't help, but first butterworms, then absolutely hornworms did the trick as far as getting him to not panic when my hands were in his cage and my face was near him.
After that, I would try to take him out and he would still panic while in the cage, but then be ok as soon as we walked away from it. well, he would flare up at the walking part, but when I got somewhere else, he would relax and chill out.
It still wasnt really cool but you could tell he was starting to trust me, and the grabbing for everything in the cage on the way out got less and less frantic.
The big change didnt happen until the weather warmed up and I started taking him out for real sunshine. That was just his ultimate heaven - the Outdoors.
A few times of that and he was reaching for my hand whenever I opened the cage.
It's been so so sad this winter, I havent really taken them out because I had no sunny place to take them, and I'm following the rule about don't disturb them, right? Problem is, After a while, he started "begging" again, reaching for me, trying to get taken out. Usually I think that's a sign of they don't like their cage, and that's probably right - especially when he knows there's a sunny real world out there! But there's not, not in Ontario, not in Winter.
Anyways, I've bought a few new plants a while back, to spruce up the cages with after I move them and I hung them in the kitchen window and strung a little stick and rubber vine between them, as a little makeshift free range, just somewhere to take them so they can be taken out.

One tip though, is to hold them up high. Higher than your head. If I lowered my arm for more than a couple seconds, they just climb it and sit on my head. lol. Which is fine I guess, and kind of funny, but I can't see them when they're on my head. haha. So, if you are looking to take them out and actually look at them, keep your arm up.

My new female veil is terribly mad at me as you had described haha, she will jump to the ground in attempts to get away ( makes me so nervous trying to handle her) So, i've been hesitant trying to handle her.

I'll have to try the outdoors thing when things get nicer! ( not that i hadn't already planned it, but i certainly didn't think it would make that huge of a difference.)

as far as the holding them higher thing goes, i have noticed that they are very similar to raptors in the sense that they enjoy being higher then everything else. When handling raptors, it is key for their comfort that you hold them above eye level to ensure they feel a level of safety.

Most arboreal animals seem to prefer being above eye level, while most animals who are accustomed to being below the common eye really don't seem to care.

 

[chamacro]

OLike most of the other in this thread i have/ am having the issue of Loki seeming fearful and gapping at my and even though i move in slowly and from a 45 degree angle from under her so that she doesnt feel as threatened.

But this doesnt seem to work anymore.

Before her first shedding home with me she enjoyed exploring outside her cage and even would perch on my hat while playing pc games at my desk. but now its the complete opposite.

At time i feel Loki is sexist cuz my fiance get better treatment than me. Any time she, my fiance, comes around Loki eagerly comes to the front of her terra and grabs at the glass until i tell my fiance to just open it and let Loki come out. Pisses me off so much. And at the same time saddens me greatly.

I who turn her lights on and off, mist her terra so she has water, buys superworms/crickets/hornworms/and silkworms for Loki to eat, feeds her and cleans up after her daily "natures call" gets no love. no love at all...

Yea i have the same problems.. I hate it because i feel the same.. Lol i buy everything, enclosure, lighting, food, cham himself lol. And I can't even hold him Oh well I will be patient and hopefully when it gets warmer I can take him outside to bask.

Are there any other members who have raised a fearful baby cham whom is now comfortable with their handler?

 

[DekuScrub]

i think regular handling of a cham is a must. once every couple of weeks or monthly it just makes for a better relationship with your captive.

handling is a bad idea if you think this is your "pet" and hes gonna love you forever. most dont care about you at all. even though ive had a couple that would paw at the cage door trying to be handled.

thats about 10 maybe 15 percent of all the chams ive ever owned enjoyed being handled.

most of mine have been pretty neutral about being handled, a few were just simply overly aggressive, 2 of my male veileds and one dbag of a panther.
the one male veiled literally raped my hand. leaving a mess between my fingers. thats the only animal ive ever felt violated by.

what youre dealing with is skittishness not aggressive behavior. thats a good sign and can be corrected. its not always the chameleon with the problem sometimes its the owner.

you have to approach him in the least threatening way possible. you need to be patient and move very slow even if he reacts to you by running or jumping you need to be as nonthreatening as possible. even if your arms start to hurt from holding your arm out too long keep with it.

-always move slow

-always approach from beneath the chin

-if he lunges or puffs at you never pull or jerk away.

let him bite you if you must but i doubt that will happen, thats only with overly aggressive chams.

once you have him associate being handled with good things, number one good thing is food. try giving him a feeder you dont normally provide while being handled. like a cham twinkie (butterworm)

you can even try using feeders as incentive for him to use you hand/arm as a trackway to getting them.

be consistent. they arent the smartest of animals but they learn quick

if even this dosnt work try wearing a glove, he may have already associated your hand with being a threat. if you change its apearance that may help. then once hes on that hand offer you other hand at a higher elevation. most of the time they will always go up.

if youre trying to handle him during the day try in the evening once it has gotten dark out. make sure the rest of the room is dark so he dosnt see your face outside of the cage.

ive found some really fixate on the eyes and thats part of the reason they feel threatened. they recognize you as another animal rather than an inanimate part of their environment. also color ques are a big par of chams psychology, try wearing neutral natural colors, brown, blue green.

and as someone mentioned earlier if they can associate you with going outdoors thats huge plus, but that will probably have to wait till it gets warm out depending on where you live. but the benefits of letting them take a walk are undeniable

 

[HandsomeSanta]

One thing that I found worked for me is that I built a table, with a climbing area consisting of vines, branches, and leaves on top of it, and placed it in my home library (it's almost like a parrot's play area). I read alot, and this gives my chams the opportunity to spend time with me outside of their cage, in a quiet environment. I also hand feed them from the stand. My Jackson has always loved it, and my new Ambilobe took to it right away. Now my efforts are concentrated on my evil veiled. If it works on him, I'm convinced that it will work on any chameleon.

 

[mcleodschams]

my veiled all were very skittish in the beginning but after mostly coaxing with treats they warm up to the fact your hand aint there to harm them and in the meen time just wait it uot sometimes yes you have to kinda force them out to clean the entire cage but im sure if you show trust and give it some time you should able to build a bond they are pretty smart

 

[chamacro]

i think regular handling of a cham is a must. once every couple of weeks or monthly it just makes for a better relationship with your captive.

handling is a bad idea if you think this is your "pet" and hes gonna love you forever. most dont care about you at all. even though ive had a couple that would paw at the cage door trying to be handled.

thats about 10 maybe 15 percent of all the chams ive ever owned enjoyed being handled.

most of mine have been pretty neutral about being handled, a few were just simply overly aggressive, 2 of my male veileds and one dbag of a panther.
the one male veiled literally raped my hand. leaving a mess between my fingers. thats the only animal ive ever felt violated by.

what youre dealing with is skittishness not aggressive behavior. thats a good sign and can be corrected. its not always the chameleon with the problem sometimes its the owner.

you have to approach him in the least threatening way possible. you need to be patient and move very slow even if he reacts to you by running or jumping you need to be as nonthreatening as possible. even if your arms start to hurt from holding your arm out too long keep with it.

-always move slow

-always approach from beneath the chin

-if he lunges or puffs at you never pull or jerk away.

let him bite you if you must but i doubt that will happen, thats only with overly aggressive chams.

once you have him associate being handled with good things, number one good thing is food. try giving him a feeder you dont normally provide while being handled. like a cham twinkie (butterworm)

you can even try using feeders as incentive for him to use you hand/arm as a trackway to getting them.

be consistent. they arent the smartest of animals but they learn quick

if even this dosnt work try wearing a glove, he may have already associated your hand with being a threat. if you change its apearance that may help. then once hes on that hand offer you other hand at a higher elevation. most of the time they will always go up.

if youre trying to handle him during the day try in the evening once it has gotten dark out. make sure the rest of the room is dark so he dosnt see your face outside of the cage.

ive found some really fixate on the eyes and thats part of the reason they feel threatened. they recognize you as another animal rather than an inanimate part of their environment. also color ques are a big par of chams psychology, try wearing neutral natural colors, brown, blue green.

and as someone mentioned earlier if they can associate you with going outdoors thats huge plus, but that will probably have to wait till it gets warm out depending on where you live. but the benefits of letting them take a walk are undeniable

Thank you for such great advice!! It's helpful to hear these tips, I will update in a few weeks to tell you all how things go!