my chameleon hates me!

[sagolle]

I know this sounds ridiculous but since the day we brought our 3 month old panther chameleon home we haven't been able to get near the cage without him freaking out! I know they aren't pets that are meant to be handled but I feel like I stress him out no matter what I do, even when I adjust the dripper he freaks. Is there any way to change this? We are trying to hand feed him, he eventually will eat it but only after lots of hissing!

 

[Mijah139]

Unfortunately, all you can really do is be patient and understand that your chameleon may always be this way. Be sure to be quiet and slow when approaching him, but dont be "sneaky" like a predator. Make sure the colors you are wearing arent upsetting him.

 

[werecat]

It took about two months for our panther to get used to us. He would freak out whenever we walked in his room. He finally got used to us but still freaks out sometimes. Whenever we go in the room we slowly pop our head in first so as not to completely surprise him. It just takes lots and LOTS of time. Try hand feeding. That helped for us. Now he'll take one or two items from us each feeding. Ours does not like us very much but does not hate or completely fear us now. That may be the best possible outcome in some situations. Good luck!

 

[NosyBe15]

if he is that bad already it just could be his personality and you didnt luck out and get a nice one..

Try hand feeding... it will take a TON of patience, but sometimes they come around.

 

[ridgebax1]

What exactly do you mean by freaking out? Personally I would not try to hand feed at this point. I think I would leave him be as much as you can for now. Do what you need to for care as quickly and concisely as you can and maybe the last part of your routine could be to put his food in his cage. Over time he may come to realize that food follows your presence in and around his cage and stop freaking out. Occasionally when I approach Clouseau's cage he will puff up and stand on his back legs. I just stop what I am doing for a minute and resume when he calms down. As soon as his food goes in though he is in hunt mode.

After he starts accepting you being in the room and approaching his cage you can try more interaction like hand feeding. Omar was just the opposite, when he was a baby he seemed to like coming out of his cage and eating from his bin etc. Then one day (and I do mean like OVERNIGHT) he changed into this ferocious beast! Now when I approach his cage he will lean over away from me and pretend to be invisible behind whatever branch he is sitting on.

 

[Mredhorse]

Not to change the subject but where did you get your panther from and is it possible your wearing dark clothing or have dark nails? (just a stab in the dark) There was a member that had her nails done earlier and her chameleon did react differently.

 

[sagolle]

I got him from kammerflage kreations. I don't have dark clothes or nails. I'm going to take the patience route and just try offering him food whenever I open his cage. I'm thinking I just got the grumpy one of the bunch!

 

[Tyaeda]

Do you have any pictures of your enclosure we could see?

It could make him feel more safe and comfortable, even with you around, if he's got lots of places he can hide in. Try adding more foliage and more branches for him to get around on.

The colour of the clothing I wear has a big impact on how Mr.Pink reacts to my presence. Bright yellows, oranges, greens, and sometimes blues make him feel threatened. Wearing dull coloured clothing like greys, black, and other neutral and natural colours are what he responds best too.


Good luck! Hopefully he comes around, so you can at least feed him and adjust things without worrying if it's stressing him out.

 

[EpicWin]

Don't worry about it for now... I got mine at 5 months and even then, he was wary of me. But over time, he started to realize I'm much more of a help than he ever thought! Now, I can't open the cage without him rushing to my arm to climb to the top of my head. 3 months is not much in the grand scheme of about 8 years! (S?)He'll warm up to you.

 

[sagolle]

Here are some pictures of him and his enclosure. I also added a picture of some hornworms that I just bought and was wondering if they were too big to feed him?

 

[EpicWin]

He's still so little! He's not old enough to trust yet... give it a few months and there will be plenty of opportunities to prove your loyalty haha

 

[Decadancin]

It doesn't appear to be an issue, but are there any doorways near the enclosure? Sometimes your approach to the cage can be sudden from a nearby door and cause stress. We will often go the long way around just so our cham can see what we are doing . I'd say you just need some time for him to settle in and get used to the surroundings. Also, some chameleons will go through phases like that and then just "grow" out of it. I know that there are some unfriendly chams out there, but I think it has more to do with how they are approached.