Handling my Female Jackson's Zoey

[HollyNicole]

I know, I know, this is one of the most common questions about a chameleon, but I didn't find any reassuring answers. I've had my female jackson's chameleon Zoey for almost 2 weeks now, and wanted to give her those 2 weeks to adjust to her new habitat before I attempted to handle her. I was spot cleaning throughout that time, but I now want to take her out and completely clean her cage. She is very healthy ( eats regularly, I actually see her drink, her droppings are regular ), and I researched for a LONG time before I even purchased her, so I know everything I'm doing so far with the temp inside her cage, feeding, lighting and water etc. is spot on. ( I just don't want to type it all either to be honest. Lol ) I recently purchased a large Scefflera ( spelling? ) for my living room, and would love my little Zoey to sunbathe on it while I'm cleaning her cage once a week. I would really love to take her out more often than that to have her enjoy life outside the cage for a little bit, but i'll take what I can get. I purchased Zoey at a nearby Reptile store just down the street from me, and from day one, she is such a little sweetie. No gaping, no hissing, absolutely nothing at the pet shop where I first handled her. Even when my boyfriend and I placed her into her cage for the 1st time, she was somewhat relaxed and just waltzed right in. My main question is: what is the best way to take your chameleon out of it's cage? I've put my hand right in front of her to see if she'd walk on it, and she looks right at my hand, doesn't hiss at all, doesn't puff up, doesn't even turn dark, she just looks at my hand. I can tell she thinks about it, but she'll continue to walk right by. I really don't want to resort to using a stick or branch to get her out of there. I really feel like she has the potential to tolerate being handled. Any good tips? I've heard placing your finger under their chin works, and you can cup your hands behind them and stuff, but I just don't want to startle her. She is the sweetest little thing!

 

[xanthoman]

sounds fine. you need to handle them anyway for cage maintenance purposes, so try to get any recreational handling done when you take her out for cage maintenance. i would avoid most recreational handling until she is completely comfortable with being taken out and put back.

some xanths prefer to step onto a small piece of branch, rather than a hand. imo, branches are better, especially in the beginning. occasionally, some xanths tend to panic, which is really unhealthy for them, so its best not to get too pushy with her. remember, until things get dialed in, things are best done at her pace, not yours. many times i have held a branch piece for 5+min to coax a xanth onto it. always coax, never grab.
you can also leave the small piece of branch in her cage, if its right size/ shape, and its in the right spot, they will frequent it and you can just take her out branch piece and all, but abort if she panics or tries to step off.

until she is 100% acclimated to her cage, i would leave her out for the minimum time possible, you dont want her to get too comfortable with her out of cage plant (or you), until she is 100% acclimated to her cage. otherwise there may be panic or other issues in getting her to adjust to going back in, or acclimating to her cage.

i have dealt with a fair # of xanths, and i still dont know what "spot on" is, so it would be interesting to see your help form. hopefully it includes;
minimal, well balanced supplementation.
a varied diet, that ideally contains a minimum of pet store crickets, or any crickets for that matter.
proper gutloading
no nite heat, with a nightime temp drop of at least 10* from her ambient cage temps.
no ceramic heaters or infra red of any kind.
precise measuring of her basking spot, with a digital therm via remote sender. a basking spot that is at least at eye level or higher.
a dripper with plain clean unsupplemented water,
live, lush, safe plants, that have had the soil properly replaced.
weekly weighings with a a journal kept, and ongoing study of all jacksons related issues.

also chams are masters at disappearing, so hopefully this plant is inside, but ideally, it would be good to have an outside cage setup, get her at least 2+hrs a week of natural sunshine and discontinue d3 altogether, if practical.

in terms of uvb/d3 conversion, any sunbathing indoors, with the sun shinning through glass, does not count.
jmo

 

[HollyNicole]

Thank u! This helped me a lot. And no worries, I'm doing all that you listed I will use a branch and be more patient. My Schefflera plant is in-doors, and with my french windows, I can open them completely and get sunlight directly in. I will work on an outdoor cage, but wait until she is acclimated to her main one right? Thanks again!