How can I get my male veiled Cham to like me?!!

[Jeffrey212]

Okay so two years ago I got my first veiled chameleon, sadly he passed away in August R.I.P Jeffrey. He was so friendly and comfortable that he'd want to come out of his cage as soon as I got home from school. just recently I got a new male veiled (3-4 months) and he is so aggressive towards me. I got him a month ago and I recently started to see if he would come onto my hand. The first time he bite me a soon as I came in range with him. The next day I tried again and he hid from me. I've literally tried everything to try to get him comfortable with my hand and none of it works! (I really only want to hold him so I can clean his cage!) can someone please help me!

 

[NinjaFeet]

Check Psychobunny's blog on taming your chameleon. Was a good read.

 

[Jeffrey212]

Okay thank you!

 

[larrodinero]

Does he eat from a bowl or hunt his food?

 

[frikitiki]

try dressing up like a hornworm. It takes time and patience to earn there trust. Remember to them you are a predator.

 

[ZiggyStardust]

As disappointing as it might be - sometimes (especially with male Veileds) they are just never people lizards.

Ziggy, my adult male Veiled is exactly like this - he is absolutely fine with all aspects of being around me - he doesn't run and hide when he sees me and will tolerate my presence right in front of him, even with the Reptibreeze doors open and I am so close that I can touch him, but if I do go to touch him - he puffs up, gapes, hisses and lunges at me if he thinks that I am going to try and pick him up.

As a result, I leave him alone, unless I absolutely have to get him out (for a Vet visit, for example) or alternatively, he decides that he does want to come out. He does, occasionally and if he is in the mood will happily come out onto my hand for a bit of free ranging onto the large umbrella plant that I have near his cage.

But these instances are few and far between.

I have come to accept and love him just the way that he is, all the same and I honestly don't see the point of stressing him to the max just so I have a little holding him time.

The other side of the coin is my male Ambilobe, who although is a tad nervous and doesn't exactly relish being held, he does so without going absolutely mental, hissing and getting all upset.

They all have their different personalities. You can certainly make things easier by working with him, offering food by hand and making sure that he does get as used to you as possible, but you really must bear in mind that he may never like being held or handled. Some of them just don't.

 

[junglefries]

Find him during his passive stage, and work during those periods. Some chams go thru moods, and can be coaxed from there. Others are nice and others 'jeffrie dahmers'. Moody periods can last the mating season or even just a month, be patient and watch.

 

[ZiggyStardust]

Find him during his passive stage, and work during those periods. Some chams go thru moods, and can be coaxed from there. Others are nice and others 'jeffrie dahmers'. Moody periods can last the mating season or even just a month, be patient and watch.

hahaha!!! As Chameleons go, I must have a Hannibal Lecter!!!!

 

[vermeleon]

We are also trying to get our Veiled used to us too for the last 45 days. We think he wants us to die and go away hopefully with the cage door open.

 

[ZiggyStardust]

We are also trying to get our Veiled used to us too for the last 45 days. We think he wants us to die and go away hopefully with the cage door open.

He may well sweeten up.

Try and offer him some free ranging.... when I was at my wits end a few months ago, the wonderful JannB told me to try free ranging - on his terms of course - and it has made a real difference.

if you can't do this, then my advice is to just persevere.... Male Veileds can be really really cage aggressive and may never get beyond a certain point as regards their acceptance of humans and handling.

If you have a Veiled that doesn't respond to things such as hand feeding, opening the cage door and leaving them to their own devices (you must make sure, if doing this, that you have a safe habitat for him to come out and roam, i.e. no open windows or cats for example) and he gets no better within a period of about 6 months, then you must come to the conclusion that the chameleon that you have just does not like being handled and accept him for what he is. Some are friendly, some not - a bit like people, really.

I absolutely love my Ziggy to bits and it took me a while to accept the fact that he will always see me as a bit of a threat and never really want to come out, unless very rarely, on his terms. But now I have - and I love him just as much as I do my male Panther, who is much more friendly.

I get a lot of pleasure just watching Ziggy - happy and healthy, roaming around his reptibreeze cage, knowing that I am doing an A1 job of looking after him and that he is thriving in every sense of the word.

Some chameleons are like Marine Fish - beautiful and interesting - but watched and enjoyed from afar.

 

[MeruJack]

I have taught some of my chameleons to come when I open the door and tap on one of the vines with a wooden dowel. The chameleon then climbs on the wooden dowel (stick) and I take it to a free range tree to hang out on for a couple of hours. If I tap on the vine and the chameleon doesn't climb on then I figure he or she wants to stay in its cage instead. I use the same dowel to move them from free range back to their enclosures. You could try using a stick rather than your hand to remove him. That way if he gets aggressive, you won't get bit.

 

[Jeffrey212]

Sorry I haven't been able to reply with finals at school and stuff, but I've been hand feeding him hornworms for a while and everytime I start to inch back the worm he'll just ignore it or he'll become angry when he can't reach it (he refuses to get on my hand to reach it) I think I just got Unlucky with him. And I hate having to clean the cage with him inside because I feel like it puts more stress on him!

 

[junglefries]

Takes time for this process, somtimes weeks to months. Free ranging, leaving cage open, mating, hand feeding can all help. Try using a mist system, so he doesn't hate you for spraying him. Get him a wife, and he will be happy for you to pick him up. Will be mad though, upon times not going to wife's cage, and will pace more looking for her. There are many ways to accomplish this, you have to spend the time watching your individual. Some though, just plain need Lithium.

 

[Phinfan31]

Some might not agree with me here...and keep in mind I've only been an owner for about 3 months now...

BUT, I've noticed that with my little guy he is wayyyyy more submissive at night. This may be because hes getting tired...i dunno. I have to figure that if hes a little more tired, hes less likely to rage. If this is the case for you then you will get that important "bonding time" without as much as a fight as normal and over time I think he'll warm up to you more.

As others said...he thinks you're gonna eat him. Enough times of showing that you're not gonna do that and he should eventually chill...

Just my opinion. Not speaking from any sort of extensive knowledge or experience though.

 

[reptileguy112]

I bond with mine by handfeeding