Handling my Chameleon

[NatureGirl]

I have been looking around this forum, a lot at the pictures your your chameleons! they are all so beautiful! I have had my chameleon, Rafael, for almost seven months now. I have yet to pick him up and handle him. How should i go about doing this? Is there any good techniques about going about this? Any advice would be helpful. Taking him out and holding him once in a while would be such a plessure!!!

 

[AReptile]

Get a stick and put it near him and wait till he goes on it. Or if you have to get him out for cleaning purposes put it under his belly and lift gently, he will get the memo. i wouldnt touch him if he is not tame tho for concern of being bitten lol.

 

[laurie]

Hello Naturegirl, what kind of chameleon do you have? Is it male or female? Any chameleon can bite but some are much less likely to. jmo

i would start by trying to hand feed, that will tell the cham that your hand is not a predator. That is the first step in getting it to trust you. Next I have put a prey item like a worm where the cham might go onto my hand to get the worm. SLOWLY and I mean slowly try to put your hand under his/her front legs and let a couple minutes pass while the cham decides if it is willing to get on your hand. If it hisses and gapes then back off and try getting it out with a stick then see if it will let you hold your hand out to be walked on. Remember slowly and it takes time to gain their trust.

 

[carol5208]

You really should have begun trying to handle him long ago. Not saying that you won't be able to, but it is going to make it that much more difficult because so much time has passed already. First of all, is he freaked and out and stressed when you come near the cage or put your hand in to do anything?. If so, it will be probably be somewhat of a challenge because he has never been handled and is not used to it. If he does not seem completely stressed, then I would suggest trying to hand feed him and see if he can get used to you. Also, using a branch for him to climb onto would be ok too. You do not want to corner him. They are very territorial in their cages and you will stress him out backing him up in the cage. If he does not seem to upset, then GENTLY place a branch beneath him and lift up and see if he will climb on. I wish you luck because 7 months is a long time to have your chameleon with no interaction, but maybe he will warm up to you in time if you give it a try.

 

[NatureGirl]

I have a male veiled chameleon. I will definitely try the hand feeding, and using a stick branch, but definitely respect his space. I really hope that it isnt too late. Is there anything i can do to protect my hand from being bitten? ( what does being bitten feel like?) Thank you for the advice so far

 

[carol5208]

Fortunately my chamelon never has tried to bite me so I couldn't tell you what it feels like but I have heard from others that it does not hurt too bad. You might still have a chance of him becoming where you can handle him, it just would have been easier for you to start when you first got him. You can just wear garden gloves. I got a pair of green ones. i figured maybe he would view them as a big leaf(lol) but I did not use them for long once i realized I was not in danger of him biting me..

 

[bigwigwabbit]

It feels like a pench not enough to draw blood I dont think LOL
You can use gloves, Ive also heard of people using one hand to destract while you come around with the other hand to grab, also leave his cage open and see if he will come out and crawl around get him used to the outside.
good luck and welcome

I have a male veiled chameleon. I will definitely try the hand feeding, and using a stick branch, but definitely respect his space. I really hope that it isnt too late. Is there anything i can do to protect my hand from being bitten? ( what does being bitten feel like?) Thank you for the advice so far

 

[NatureGirl]

Thanks! I am quite eager to be handling him now, I'll try it out a couple times and let ya know how it goes

 

[NatureGirl]

Yesterday I started my journey. I left Rafael's cage door open, so he got used to it. He didnt try to escape or anything, so that is good. I placed my hand in the cage near him, he was leery at first, but didnt do anything. I tried to use a stick to pick him up, but i wasnt getting under him no how. Atleast he didnt bit. Today when i fed him, i decided to place some crickets in my hand (and try to keep them there!) He noticed this but wouldnt eat from my hand. I keep trying for a while, but he still wouldnt. I wanted to see if he would let me touch him, if he was used to my hand or not. He did let me pet him on his side. Didnt mind or freak out at all. THis is definitely a something that i am going to work on everyday.

 

[Olimpia]

Yes, work on it every day if he's not biting and hising and showing signs of stress. Another good trick is to let them exit their cage on their own and then try to pick them up, being outside their territory makes it easier sometimes and they get less aggressive. If you have a tall plant or fake tree, put that infront of his cage and wait for him to climb out on his own.

Good luck! It definitely is nicer to have a chameleon that won't give you a fight every time you need to clean the cage or whatnot.

 

[pssh]

You really should have begun trying to handle him long ago. Not saying that you won't be able to, but it is going to make it that much more difficult because so much time has passed already. First of all, is he freaked and out and stressed when you come near the cage or put your hand in to do anything?. If so, it will be probably be somewhat of a challenge because he has never been handled and is not used to it. If he does not seem completely stressed, then I would suggest trying to hand feed him and see if he can get used to you. Also, using a branch for him to climb onto would be ok too. You do not want to corner him. They are very territorial in their cages and you will stress him out backing him up in the cage. If he does not seem to upset, then GENTLY place a branch beneath him and lift up and see if he will climb on. I wish you luck because 7 months is a long time to have your chameleon with no interaction, but maybe he will warm up to you in time if you give it a try.

I don't believe this is true at all. I hardly handled my panther Hyperion for the first 6 months I had him because he was very scared of me. He eventually stopped running away from me every time he saw me and I started to hand feed him a little (and I mean just a little, I don't really like hand feeding. Takes too much time.) Very quickly he decided he liked me and I wasn't a threat. He then would start climbing on me so I made a free range and now he lives in there. He started to hate his cage when he was free ranged so I just stopped putting him in it.

 

[laurie]

I don't believe this is true at all. I hardly handled my panther Hyperion for the first 6 months I had him because he was very scared of me. He eventually stopped running away from me every time he saw me and I started to hand feed him a little (and I mean just a little, I don't really like hand feeding. Takes too much time.) Very quickly he decided he liked me and I wasn't a threat. He then would start climbing on me so I made a free range and now he lives in there. He started to hate his cage when he was free ranged so I just stopped putting him in it.

I completely agree, I often give my kids a good few months before I ever try to hold them. Although I would love to pick them up and play with them as soon as they clear my door.

Also since you are giving him time and space hopefully he will never be afraid of you.

 

[Goggles]

This video has been linked to before but it does give you some good tips for handling.
http://screameleons.com/How_To_Handle_Chameleons.htm

 

[Monzon]

Handling

Having read through a number of different "handling" threads, and as someone new to the forum, but not new to chameleons, I can see how someone new to chameleons could be confused by the information and pictures present. My observations about the approaches that experienced keepers on this forum adopt concerning the handling issue:

1) Chameleons, as a group, are solitary, slowish moving (but very vigilant) animals that depend mostly upon crypsis to avoid predation. In almost every category, they are the exact opposite of "pets" we are most used to such as dogs and hamsters. They are wired to avoid being seen, much less handled.

2) It is o.k. to occasionally handle an animal that has been slowly and patiently conditioned to being handled. This conditioning process can take weeks to months depending on the chameleon's "personality", species, whether it was wc or cb, its age, etc. A patiently conditioned chameleon will experience little or no stress when allowed to interact with its keeper on its own terms. (I have experienced this). The pictures of experienced handlers holding their animals are, for the most part, the result of a long succession of positive interactions and trust building that did not occur overnight.

3) The process of conditioning requires patience and time and cannot be pushed upon the animal.

4) Different animals and different species adjust at different rates. (Some never do)

5) New animals from pet stores (buy from reptile specific pet shops, reputable breeders or conscientious importers instead!!!!!!!!) should not be handled or stressed for several weeks or months after purchase as they have plenty of stress response hormone in their systems and need time to settle into a new and healthy flow. They will not thrive until they feel safe and comfortable in their new place. And they will not respond positively to conditioning until they feel secure.

6) I would add that human hands are notoriously filthy vectors. We do not yet well understand how pathogens affect different species differently. For the most part, it seems pathogens are fairly species specific, but all bets are off when we are talking about stressed organisms and inappropriate husbandry. To complicate any individual experiences, reptiles tend to respond more slowly to problems in their environment than, say mammals, so cause and affect are not always obvious. Sanitizing hands prior to working with enclosure materials, food items and your chameleon is probably not a bad idea. This will not guarantee that your animal won't get, say, a respiratory infection. But it will greatly reduce your animals exposure to bacteria and viruses that are uncommon in their native habitat. Er on the side of cleanliness.

I am receiving a wonderful, continuing education on this forum and it is thanks to all the experienced keepers that have so much information to share because they love and understand these animals.