Meet Lizzie

[lily2521]

Yep...boy cham with a girl name My new 3 month old male carpet cham. I'm pretty sure he's saying hi in the 2nd picture.

Just got him today. Within 5 minutes he was up at his basking spot warming up. So excited he's finally here! Thanks to everyone on these forums for helping me get ready for him over the last month, your comments here have been a huge help to me!

 

[brownie64]

He is a very cute I mean good looking boy. Congratulations!

 

[lily2521]

Is it normal for them to be fairly dark (unhappy?) at first? When I first got him home today he was a bright green, but now has been pretty dark in color for the last few hours

 

[lily2521]

Is it normal for them to be fairly dark (unhappy?) at first? When I first got him home today he was a bright green, but now has been pretty dark in color for the last few hours

Well after he fell asleep his bright green color came back, so I'm not as worried about his color now.

We even saw him eat a bunch of crickets this morning!

 

[kwengkynator]

Mine did the same thing, getting very agitated with me presence at first. They usually are very unsocial during the early days. Just make sure there is enough vegetation for him to hide so that he can be calm. Dont be worried that there is much interaction between you two. Let him get used to the new environment. First day or two dont get to close too much but make sure you are there when you are feeding him, just toss in the crickets. Make sure also the the cage is small enough for him to find them :3

After 2nd or on 3rd day always be around him. I do my homework and have my laptop around his cage so he can see me. Not too close though, make sure to avoid too much eye contact just keep him at the corner of your eyes.

4th or 5th day after he got used to your presence, like basking even when you're around hunting food etc, HAND FEED ;3 Its the best tool for bonding. Make sure to skip at least 1 meal before hand feeding for the 1st time, for motivation. Now done expect too much results at first but be patient.

After around a week and a half or 2 maybe 3 weeks, after successful sessions of hand feeding maybe open the cage. Make sure that he can sense it open and be there. The extra space he will go out. Let him roam.. KEEP YOUR EYES ON HIM. They can be tricky.

This is one of the most important part, when its time to put him back to the cage. I recommend using a flexivine or a twig put it infront of him and try being in a high angle cause they like climbing high areas. Give him a gentle and SLOW approach tap on the leg or tail. Viola he is on your twig. Now cup feed him there with his favorite food while being SLOW AND GENTLE. Once the dark colors fade and he starts eating from the cup thats when trust is forged and the bond is made. Then he might climb on your shirt and your arms and your face dont rush him. When hes had enough and after you took a few dozen pictures of your 1st physical mutual interaction with him (believe me I did!) make him go back to the stick and put it back in his cage.

This is what I used to make my cham open up to me. :3

Now disclaimer, I'm not an expert I'm just saying this basing on what worked best for me. The dark colors yeah you will get that a lot at first, I did. Just retract slowly give him space and try again. Always approach below SLOWLY no sudden movements.

Hope this helps!