Handling Help

[olivia]

I have a 4.5 month old Ambanja Panther. I have had him for exactly a week now and i want to start handling him

Should i wait longer or is it okay?

i have taken him out of his cage yesterday and sat quietly on the couch so he could check everything out the only times i moved was to get him when he got to close to the edges...


he moves away from my hand a little bit when i fed him this morning....

 

[carol5208]

I would recommend a little more time for him to settle into his new surroundings if you have only had him for a week. Wait another week or two and then maybe start handling him for 5-10 minutes a day and gradually work your way up. If you have trouble getting him out of the cage, try a stick and slowly raise it up under his chin and see if you can get him to latch on. Dont approach them straight on or over their heads with your hands. Don't corner them in their cage either because this will no doubltly stress them out. It takes time for you chameleon to gain your trust with handling and some just never do no matter what you try.

 

[summoner12]

I'd give him time to learn you are the food guy. Handling isn't really needed... So if your Cham isn't taking much interest in you, leave him be.

I have a melleri who doesn't show stress colors until I try to handle her. She tolerates my hands as long as they have food. But on the otherhand I have another melleri who is so used to me she just climbs onto my hand as soon as place them in reach of her.

Id just feel things out... If the Cham isn't happy give him space and time.

 

[Texas Ranger]

I waited 3 weeks after I got my 4 month old baby panther before I ever tried to touch or hold him. In the 3 weeks I tried to hand feed slowly, I tried to water him by hand. Now he comes running when he sees the water bottle in my hand. He drinks right out of the bottle for me. My husband says Im spoiling him and he will have to be babied for the rest of his life. lol. But it is also good because I know how much he drinks a day. And I know how he is doing. But the handling should always be last. Give him time, you have many years left to hold him.

Hope this helps

 

[jannb]

Handling is not bad as long as he's not stressed when out of his cage. Hand feeding is very important. When he's out of the cage do fun things with him so he'll enjoy being out. I take Luie & Camille on walks out in my back yard. They sit on my hand, arm, shoulder or head and I walk them around and around the pool and they love it. They love being outside. Buy an extra plant for him to hand on outside of the cage, just keep a close eye on him so he want escape. Also may sure he's not in an area where other pets like cats and dogs could get him.

When I had my Luie & Camille babies I did the same thing with them right from the start they loved getting out of the baby bin. Watch this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MzulorMdTE

 

[allllllen]

wow jannb , i am marveled at how friendly and comfortable your young veiled were in that video. its mind bottling!
I've have my panther chameleon for about 2 and a half months now and the only time i really handled him was when i was transferring him to his new cage.
Every time i reach my hand out to my little guy, he hesitates but doesn't run away until i put my hand under his belly and try to lift. He doesn't really stress out or puff up, but i can just tell he likes his personal space. Which kinda sucks :/ but, hey, chameleons aren't the type of animals you should really handle, so i've kinda just let him be.
Maybe sometime in the future he will learn to trust me.

 

[sandrachameleon]

There is very little reason to handle your chameleon. doing so only benefits you, not the chameleon.

That said, you may find it bothers the chameleon less if you let it choose to exit the cage before you start touching it. Leave the cage open and let it climb out, or use a removeable branch or stick to get him out (rather than your hands). This way you are not invading their territory more than necessary.

MOVE SLOWLY - fast movements can easily scare them.

Never grab from above, but rather keep your hands under him, let him climb up onto your fingers.

Hand feeding can help your cham associate your hands with food, rather than being touched. Be aware that there is a small risk associated with hand feeding (bacteria, in advertantly pulling away at the wrong moment, etc)

Some chameleons will tolerate handling much better than others. I have one that finds me an excellent transportation system to get from his cage to his favourite plant in another area. I have another that would just as soon never seen me again, much less get touched. The others are inbetween.
Try to be aware of your chameleons subtle signals - dont push it.