Moody Veild

[New Owner]

when we bought Anya 2 days ago she was very social and loved to be held but lately she has been moody. Is it because she is in a new environment?

 

[KamaKamaChameleon!]

give her time

 

[Thehippie]

shes stressed from the move she just needs time chams are like fish look don't touch unless they want it

 

[Graves923]

Veiled are notorious for having a defensive temperament. If you just got her two days ago, the only interaction you should have is when feeding or cleaning the cage. Give the chameleon time to adjust to the new home with minimal stress.

Chameleons by nature are a solitary animal so naturally and contact with a living creature bigger than them is stressful.

You can do a search of the forum for guides on building a trust with the chameleon. It will take a lot of work at a slow and steady pace to build the trust and some veiled just never trust humans. My veiled, for example, tries to bite me any time I open his cage but loves when my fiance cleans his cage and will climb out onto her shoulder while she walks around our home... I attribute this due to when I had to medicate him for a bacterial infection which he absolutely hated.

 

[Harley510]

When I first got my female veiled the only interaction she got from me was cleaning/misting/feeding for the first 3 weeks.
In my opinion you should give her 2+ weeks to get in routine/comfortable with her home.Then start trying to hand feed her worms/crickets. I wouldn’t handle more then one or twice a week( if or when she does bite it doesn’t hurt )

 

[GregJD]

Veiled chameleons are grumpy. I personally love it. Gary, mine, always acts so big and tough. But he's actually sweet.
Give her time to settle down, make sure she's in the room you spend the most time in. She will come around if she can see you plenty. Make sure her enclosure has plenty of hid spots. That'll boost her confidence since she knows she's able to get away.
Make sure you have a free range spot for her, that makes them plenty friendly. And talk to her. . .she can't hear you, but she'll see your face, learn you, and become comfortable.
Gary gets mad now if I dont take him out and let him hit on my wife.
Theyre great chameleons of you have about 2 weeks worth of patience. Dont give up!

 

[Graves923]

...( if or when she does bite it doesn’t hurt )

Ever been bitten by an adult? My male reminded me the other day that he doesnt like when I stick my hands in his cage to clean. This is the aftermath which was totally my fault for not paying attention to where he was and how fast he can move when he wants to... Always give these animals some respect because they can draw blood when they want to.

 

[Rontti]

Ever been bitten by an adult? My male reminded me the other day that he doesnt like when I stick my hands in his cage to clean. This is the aftermath which was totally my fault for not paying attention to where he was and how fast he can move when he wants to... Always give these animals some respect because they can draw blood when they want to.
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Where did you get that sign?! It's amazing!! (my male has also bitten me twice when I had to take him to the vet)

 

[Harley510]

Ever been bitten by an adult? My male reminded me the other day that he doesnt like when I stick my hands in his cage to clean. This is the aftermath which was totally my fault for not paying attention to where he was and how fast he can move when he wants to... Always give these animals some respect because they can draw blood when they want to.
View attachment 220056

Luckily no lol my female bit me months ago because i was trying to get the squished cricket out of her claws and she didn’t approve too much