help with leonard's attitude

[LeorandtheChameleon]

so Leonard has been very much a lonner. its hard to get him out of his cage without him histin or going crazy. his food and water are fine his temps are in order but hes a cham so he's going to be moody. any way to make him more friendly?

 

[camimom]

so Leonard has been very much a lonner. its hard to get him out of his cage without him histin or going crazy. his food and water are fine his temps are in order but hes a cham so he's going to be moody. any way to make him more friendly?

You can try hand feeding him. this will help him associate your hands with food and good stuff. otherwise, its just how he is.

 

[LeorandtheChameleon]

i have tried countless times that he hisses at it and tried to lunge at it same with jer. he's only 5months but i want him to be comfy and trust me and my boyfriend.

 

[camimom]

i have tried countless times that he hisses at it and tried to lunge at it same with jer. he's only 5months but i want him to be comfy and trust me and my boyfriend.

it takes time for them to adjust to you. and some never will. just keep trying, be patient, and keep trying. and trying. and trying. lol

 

[maximus10]

the way i did it was by popping the top of his cage off and letting him climb out of his territory ... once on top he was easy to handle.. now he chills with me no problem

 

[lisa h]

Leonard is a chameleon, not a puppy. He has no reason to be "friendly" -- he's a territorial prey animal, not a social pack animal. Chameleons are animals to be enjoyed from a distance. I don't understand why people want to make them "pets".

 

[camimom]

Leonard is a chameleon, not a puppy. He has no reason to be "friendly" -- he's a territorial prey animal, not a social pack animal. Chameleons are animals to be enjoyed from a distance. I don't understand why people want to make them "pets".

SOem chams are very friendly. and sometimes people are able to get the cham more used to being handled. Im not saying they should be cuddled, but its nice to have a cham who will at least tolerate you some, especially if said cham needs to go to the vet. jsut saying.

 

[ruru]

one of my boys was as evil and mean as could be ever since he was small enough to sit on my pinky, i know why his daddy was called "lucifer" LOL but anyways ...he is still grumpy to this day some chameleons will never change...he is getting more trusting now a days where i can actually take him out to clean his cage and re-arrange stuff with out him lunging and biting....maybe you'll get lucky like me and he will dull it down a bit as he gets older....there is really no way to "tame" a chameleon...u can get them to maybe trust you more or associate you with good and not the bad....if you want a reptile thats more handle-able id recommend something more along the lines of a beardie.

 

[millerman6401]

i know this may get some negetive comments but in general i find veield way more agressive as a species compared to panthers or jacksons. i also take into account that every cham is diffrent and im sure there are very nice veileds and terribly mean panthers and jacksons but this is just what i have observed while keeping all three.

 

[ruru]

i know this may get some negetive comments but in general i find veield way more agressive as a species compared to panthers or jacksons. i also take into account that every cham is diffrent and im sure there are very nice veileds and terribly mean panthers and jacksons but this is just what i have observed while keeping all three.

LOL my veileds are both as sweet as can be!!!
and my panther was/is the devil haha
exact opposite
but to each their own and it really does depend on the cham like you said

 

[millerman6401]

LOL my veileds are both as sweet as can be!!!
and my panther was/is the devil haha
exact opposite
but to each their own and it really does depend on the cham like you said

...figures ... i miss my jacksons, he was so tame i never once had a problem with hissing or biting! i could litterally do anything to him and hed be so chill.... :/ i wanna get another one but i have a panther and a veiled right now and dont have the space or time, even though i have an abundance of feeders!

 

[lisa h]

SOem chams are very friendly. and sometimes people are able to get the cham more used to being handled. Im not saying they should be cuddled, but its nice to have a cham who will at least tolerate you some, especially if said cham needs to go to the vet. jsut saying.

IMO they need to be handled to go to the vet, have regular "wellness" checks by their keeper, cage cleaning, and to be taken outside (if that's what you do). I don't think they need to be handled frequently, or be friendly, for that matter. In the almost year I have had my Werner's I have touched her maybe four times. I clean her enclosure with her in it and she has not needed to go to the vet. Some of my pymies were touched to take them out of their shipping containers while others were allowed to come out on their own. My previous chameleons -- same deal. If I want friendly I have other animals to fill that need.

This issue is one of my pet peeves. It gets asked far too often, and I don't feel that chameleons (and some other animals we keep as pets) need to be friendly. Zoos are able to manage animals without making them "pets". People want friendly to fill their own human needs without regard for the animal. Again, jmo.

 

[Elizadolots]

I agree with lisa h.

I haven't taken either of my chameleons out of their cages for months.

That seems to work.

I can understand the desire to have a friendly chameleon, but not all are and like any pet, it's a roll of the dice. You don't know that the Golden Retriever you buy might not turn out to be one of the rare anti-social Goldens.

I will say that chameleons are largely not warm and cuddly so expecting one to be is sort of like expecting a chihuahua to love strangers...sure, some do, but it's not why you buy them.

Learn to appreciate from afar. I derive incredible pleasure from coming home from work and successfully finding my chameleons in their cages. To me, that's a good moment. Sadly, sometimes I don't....(my cages are packed with very healthy pothos plants).

I have a very one sided conversation with each of them a couple of times a day while I'm refilling drippers or misting. That's pretty much the interaction.

 

[LeorandtheChameleon]

im not trying to cuddle with my little guy. but he gets so upset anytime i mist or have to take him out. rather for the vet, or a deep clean. i just want him to be comfy around me and trust me.

 

[Hoj]

it does take time and patience, all of my chams tolerate handling but a few do not like it all, and a few love to crawl all over me.
I have always started with hand feeding and never reaching for them, just let them decide to crawl onto you
I do however see a lot of value in being able to handle your cham, check ups, vet visits, cage cleaning, etc
I also shower all my chams weekly and if they couldnt be handled they would miss out
just my 2 cents.

 

[cooper9934]

Veiled

My veiled is grumpy too. I used to try to take him out once a week but now I don't even do that. I havn't handeled him in a few months except the time I left the cage open and found him climbing up a bookcase on the other side of the room ... when I picked him up he was really cold too.

Usually when I get close to the cage he looks at me and backs up... If it wasn't so sad I would say its funny. Just yesterday he let me sit by him without running.

He used to eat out of my hand all the time but he hasn't for about a month. He is prob about a year old.

So, I came to the fact that I won't hold him or handle him because he really dosn't like it... but I'm ok with that. He is still really cool to look at.