im struggling...

[chameleon_lover_nj]

okay, so ive had my veiled for about a month now (woohoo!!) and she's been getting a lot more comfortable in her enclosure, eating consistently, etc. i need to do enclosure maintenance (and also perhaps selfishly want to pick her up) and i dont know how!! im extremely scared and whenever she stands me up i get extremely nervous. i really do not know how to go about this and recently ive had no time to begin hand taming her.

aside from that, also maybe this sounds stupid but is it okay that im not spending every moment spraying her tank, feeding, misting, etc? when researching it seemed a lot more overwhelming than it actually has been so i dont know if im doing something wrong.

help!!

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi. I wish I could get a video of how I get my feisty veiled girl out, but I lack anything to hold my camera and need both hands for her. I’ll describe it best I can. With one hand, I approach her slowly from one side or front. While she’s focused on that hand, I then try to be sly with my other hand and have that one approach her from the other side in the back. Of course, with those googly eyes, there’s no being sly and she’ll turn to try to get at that hand. Then it’s a matter of trying to confuse her and whichever hand is able to reach her without hurting her or getting bit is the winner. And make sure to keep your hands below her body. Being above her will be extra stressful and we’re already causing enough of that. Be confident and sure in your motions. Usually, once on the hand, they calm down…at least mine does.
So, caring for any animal does involve a daily investment of time. If you do not have an automatic misting system, you should be misting the leaves for at least two full minutes right before lights go on and off. If the urates are a bit too dark yellow or orange, you’ll need to provide additional hydration during the day, thru either another 1-2 minute misting or use of a dripper for about 15-20 minutes. Doing a quick daily spot cleaning of any poo or dead/dropped leaves, etc is a good practice and just a few seconds per day cuts down on needing to do intensive deep cleaning. Of course, providing food is essential and how much and how often depends on your girl’s age. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/veiled-chameleon-laying-101.2488/ This may help you with that. You’ll also need to care for your feeder insects - keeping their bins clean and feeding them. Then of course, you need to be checking on your animal and its well-being at least once daily. Hopefully you’re making time to enjoy watching/looking at your chameleon too. None of it really takes long to do.

 

[Carlton]

Good advice above OP. I've been fortunate not to end up with any particularly spicy chams, even rescued wildcaughts. If any cham has an excuse to get physical with a keeper it's them .

Sometimes when getting a new cham more used to me, I'd hold a branch in one hand and coax the cham to step on it using my other hand. Then walk away from the cage while holding them. The cage is territory that must be defended. A cham will often lose much of its attitude when away from its territory. I might just sit somewhere quietly holding the stick/cham for a while. Maybe near a window so the cham can get a little distracted by the view and forget they're close to the thing they distrust. Spending time closer to me (but not being touched) helps it learn I am not dangerous...just a rather strange looking fixture in their day-to-day lives.

Remember, no cham enjoys being stared at...so while holding the cham I make a point NOT to stare directly at it the whole time. Just take a casual glance at it occasionally instead. For most animals, a direct stare is a threat. Chams know what's about to happen when THEY stare at something and they'll tend to interpret your stare the same way. Avert your gaze as much as you can.

Hand feeding helps too, as the cham learns you are a source of good things. Sometimes I've held a stick toward a cham in one hand and a favorite feeder in an open container in the other. I hold it far enough away that the cham will need to step onto the stick and move towards me in order to get the treat. I'll try this for a few minutes, but if the cham doesn't take the offer, I'll walk away and try again later. They don't have much of an attention span so it's pointless to persist. Its stressful too. More short sessions will work better than one long one.

As for feeling you aren't spending enough time caring for your cham, what's happened is that you've settled into a routine. You've figured out little efficiencies in how you do things. Established routines simply take less time to complete. Reminds me of new parents who just brought their first baby home. At first, they hover and flutter around anxiously, worrying and second guessing themselves about it every moment. As days & weeks go by, they do less and less of it.

One other thing to think about is what you actually are afraid of. Getting bitten? It's understandable, but none of the species typically kept in captivity can really hurt you. A bite is more startling than harmful even if a cham has been warning & bluffing you before ever following through. As they say, fear of the unknown is often worse than reality. When I first started keeping Melleri I wondered just how powerful their bite would be. They're big. All of mine were wild caught but only one was nasty. I was very anxious about handling it. Finally, I got fed up with worrying about it. The next time the cham struck at me I didn't pull away. I let it bite and kept still until it released me. It didn't chew, it let go. All that happened was a slight cut and bruised thumbnail. Not nearly as terrible as I thought. Once I'd gotten that over with the cham's bluster didn't bother me nearly as much. Kind of a "bite the bullet and let the bullet bite" approach.

After that, if one my chams blustered at me I viewed its attempt to intimidate me with more humor. I'd just chuckle at it (well, not directly at its face...no reason to humiliate the poor little guy) and found it endearing, not scary.

 

[Jorge1025]

We all struggle with these things
The trick to it , is actually a trick.
Stop starring at it. That Won't help.
Use good. Only hand feed and I put a clos d fist in the enclosure, then open my hand and "Wala!" Out comes a Big ol Bug!

Do this every time.
Every time.
Every single time.

I'll send a video.