my chameleon hates me

sammyskate703

sammyskate703

New Member
My chameleon really doesnt like me. He will never crawl on to me. Im treating him properly. I think the reason is either because he is a baby or I got him from petsmart and they might not have treated him proparley. He is around 3 inches. Please help
 
From what I've read and experienced most veileds are like this. It's just how they are, there's nothing you are doing wrong.
 
Have patience with him. Some chams never like anyone. If you go VERY SLOW with him and give him plenty of time he might come around. Try letting him take a worm from you hand. Do that for awhile and then maybe he might get use to you. Jann
 
My boyfriend and I just recently got a lil baby girl from Petco. She was very friendly and climbed right onto me when we were on our way home. But, ever since we put her in her new cage, she hasn't been the same. I'm thinking she just has to get used to her surroundings until she feels comfy. So that could be the case for your chameleon...just try to give her time to get used to her surroundings. Good Luck!:)
 
Chances are, your chameleon will never like you, sadly. Most don't willingly choose to hang out with their keepers. Some will go as far at to attack their keepers, and veileds are known to be especially grumpy. Make sure you don't force handling and keep your contact with your little one to a minimum, at least for the first few weeks. They don't learn to trust you through handling, but probably more through seeing your face when you feed and mist them. And really, only time will tell whether you are lucky enough to end up with a "friendly" chameleon, because most of us aren't!
 
There are a couple of things you can try. First of all, be careful to be wearing the right colors when around him. I keep some kaki colored, and dull green shirts around to throw on over my clothes when I approach my chams. This makes a HUGE difference. If they see me in the wrong colors they get upset.

Always approach very slowly. With no fast handmovements.

Secondly, he will be friendlier if outside his cage. He is territorial and doesn't like the idea of someone entering his zone. You can try this, but you have to be there to supervise him lest he head for something dangerous, like his hot lights, etc.- place some reptivines or a plant or something near the open door of his cage. He will likely be overcome with curiousity and roaming instinct and will climb out in a few mintues. (You may need to "hide" in order for him to feel confident enough to climb out. Once he climbs out into the room you will find him to be more friendly. But observe his colors. If he turns a happy bright-ish green color then he is OK with this game. If he shys or turns dark or spotty, then he is stressed. So play it by ear, and follow his signals.
 
My cham hates being taken out of his enclosure, once hes out he isn't that aggresive but is very scared so I usually leave him to it as chameleons amongst other lizards are more for viewing
 
gesang said:
There are a couple of things you can try. First of all, be careful to be wearing the right colors when around him. I keep some kaki colored, and dull green shirts around to throw on over my clothes when I approach my chams. This makes a HUGE difference. If they see me in the wrong colors they get upset.

Always approach very slowly. With no fast handmovements.

Secondly, he will be friendlier if outside his cage. He is territorial and doesn't like the idea of someone entering his zone. You can try this, but you have to be there to supervise him lest he head for something dangerous, like his hot lights, etc.- place some reptivines or a plant or something near the open door of his cage. He will likely be overcome with curiousity and roaming instinct and will climb out in a few mintues. (You may need to "hide" in order for him to feel confident enough to climb out. Once he climbs out into the room you will find him to be more friendly. But observe his colors. If he turns a happy bright-ish green color then he is OK with this game. If he shys or turns dark or spotty, then he is stressed. So play it by ear, and follow his signals.
Click to expand...

This is a very good tip and exactly how I deal with my eternally grumpy veiled chameleon. He is incredibly nasty but extremely curious of things outside his cage. What I did is, instead of vine, I put a whole plant (medium size ficus or umbrella) in front of his open cage.

He will slowly climb the plant and i Just took the plant with him on the top for sunning outside.
Gesang also mentioned about the color of your shirt.
That is also a good point. To be honest, borrowing Cesar Millan's term, I think chameleon instinctively read his owner's "energy" thru colors.
When I wear black, red, or dark brown, both my chameleons (they are male) immediately run away or hiss.
wearing white, mellow blue, and green shirt give the idea to my chameleon that i am a happy or peaceful. They will not be as aggressive.

Another tips that i can add is by relaxing yourself when you want to take him out.
Since your chameleon "hears" by sensing vibration, I'm quite sure that he can "sense" your racing heart beat and perceive it as a threat.
So, relax and enjoy the moment.

Also, there are times when you can't force your chameleon to go out.
He will keep insisting to be in the cage.
In that moment, it's useless to force him. Let him calm down and try again tomorrow.
 
Last edited:
Some of the other members have given you excellent advice. A couple of other things to keep in mind.
1. How long have you had him? No matter what kind of cham you buy or wherever you buy it from, they will need some time to adjust to their new enviroment. Some take several weeks, some take just a few days. During this time, leave him alone as much as possible. Also you can expect that he might not eat as much either. All this is quite normal. It would all be very new to him and until he knows he is safe, he will be on his guard and ready to attack everyone and everything.

2. How old is he? When they are really young everything wants to eat them and they know that. That is nature and it's in his nature to protect himself. Until he get to know he isn't on your menu he might be a little testy. Also when you look at him i'm assuming you look at him with both of your eyes, right? Just like he looks at something before he eats it. Some chill out a little as they get older, some don't.

My first veil was a 2 yr old male that promptly bit me at the show the first time i picked him up. Took me another month before i would hold him again. Now he readily comes to me, when HE wants, and will even fall asleep on my arm. Go slow and give him time and when HE wants and if HE feels like it , he will come to you. It's a crapshoot what kind of personality he will have. By the way, if he does get to like you and then in a few months becomes pi...y again, its just him being a teenager. The fun never ends with these guys.

Debby
 
I just got a wild caught cham and to get her to get used to me I handle her before I feed her. The affects were immediate. Within a couple days she realized that I mean food and after she is held she will get food. I hold my hand under her and she climbs on, sometimes hisses a bit, but then calms. Relating food and holding has worked really well for me.
 
Hi SammySkate!
I think it is a the fact that he's still a baby and needs to get used to you and your routine around him!
If you have to get him out of his cage, use a small kitchen rag and shield your fingers underneath the rag so that if he tries to bite you, his mouth hits the rag instead of your fingers!!
In time, he will gradually know that you are a provider of his meals and will see you opening his cage as a positive association!!
He will learn to climb on your arm and even on your should and top of head....Again, he's still so young and tiny.....Better to wait when he gets older and larger in size for him to climb on you because he could accidently slip while being on you and fall straight to the ground.

Good luck and in time, he will be more receptive to you!!

Christine
 
One of my male panthers is actually starting to warm up to me a little bit. He is 1 year and a half. This guy up untill about a month ago would fire up as soon as I would even start to go near. Now he comes running. I dont know if he is slow and just figured out I feed him:rolleyes: or if he is just calming down in his older years. Only time will tell. Oh and the pissyness is kinda nice. It shows there true nature and it doesnt take much to fire them up.
 
another good tip is to continually feed by hand, after a while they'll associate you with feeding time and will love to see the sight of you.
This was my own experience with our panther anyway, its a good way of building up trust.

But to be fair, your cham sounds very young, so this sort of behaviour is very natural, it just takes time and patience.

I have a femal mellers that used to go black very quickly and hissed at me when I got near her, already after 3-4 weeks ive noticed she's starting to trust me and comes to the front of the cage for hand feeding when im there.
She very rarely hisses at me, and doesnt go anywhere near as black.
 
I dont mean to sound like a jerk and change the subject...but could you fill out this. Its only because when i see petsmart,i think of glass cages,waterfalls,no supplements,and improper lighting. Its the info they give their customers and its not right. You may not have a problem now, but you might if you keep following petsmarts suggestions,IF you do that is.


Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage construction (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and type of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Location - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.

It just gives us an idea of whats goin on:eek:
 
I dont understand everbodies need to handle their chams. It´s not that kind of pet.

Of course at some occations you need to handle the to check on their health etc. But just handling them, why?

The times I need to take out my cham I use a stick that she can climb on to instead of me sticking in my hand.
 
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