My chameleon is very nervous

[Lucy1995]

Hi guys,

Had my Yemen/veiled chameleon about a month now and was told I could handle him after a month of letting him settle - he was also due to be cleaned out.

I’ve managed to get him to hand feed from me sometimes but when I tried to coax him onto my hand he was so scared and hid away. In the end I managed to get him out by removing the plastic plant he hid in and he did eventually climb up my arm but went very fast and skittish so I put him on a plastic tree I got for him while I cleaned his viv out.

He hissed at me a few times when I tried getting him off his tree and back into his viv and then decided to sit on top of his heat lamp guard and wouldn’t get off so I turned the heat lamp off to prevent burns. He has only gone in the heat guard twice and seems to of done it when being put in the viv.

Any advice would be appreciated as I hate to think of him being scared of me and don’t want to stress him out.

 

[Syreptyon]

Unfortunately, this is just the nature of chameleons (especially veileds). While it's true that it's recommended to let them settle for at least a month before trying to handle them, just know that this does not mean that they will be okay with you after a month. Many owners are never able to handle their chameleons regularly. It's all in their individual personality and rule of thumb is to listen to their body language. It can take months or years to get a cham to properly trust you.

Some things you can try: (1) just leave the cage door open sometimes. Removing that barrier may make him realize you aren't an immediate threat. (2) Keep on trying to hand feed for sure - a lot of people have success by getting their chams to associate you with food. (3) With the door open, just hold your hand in the cage. Don't approach him with it, just let it hang out in there. This can sometimes condition chams to stop seeing your hand as a threat. I usually avoid making eye contact while doing this, as that always seems to make chams wary

 

[Lucy1995]

Unfortunately, this is just the nature of chameleons (especially veileds). While it's true that it's recommended to let them settle for at least a month before trying to handle them, just know that this does not mean that they will be okay with you after a month. Many owners are never able to handle their chameleons regularly. It's all in their individual personality and rule of thumb is to listen to their body language. It can take months or years to get a cham to properly trust you.

Some things you can try: (1) just leave the cage door open sometimes. Removing that barrier may make him realize you aren't an immediate threat. (2) Keep on trying to hand feed for sure - a lot of people have success by getting their chams to associate you with food. (3) With the door open, just hold your hand in the cage. Don't approach him with it, just let it hang out in there. This can sometimes condition chams to stop seeing your hand as a threat. I usually avoid making eye contact while doing this, as that always seems to make chams wary

Thanks, I try to hand feed once most days. When I first got him he kept hissing, gaping, puffing up and going black. He hasn’t done that for a few weeks and has been letting me hand feed so thought he was getting better. I have noticed if I do try to do anything in his viv he either hides in a plant or hangs upside down on his big branch. I don’t mind if he doesn’t let me handle him but will need to when the viv needs a full clean and would hate to think I’m scaring him.

 

[Velanoris]

Letting them climb on you on their own terms is the best way to go in my opinion, forcing them on to you will be counter productive in getting them to trust you. I've held my hand out for upwards of an hour before he finally climbed on. Also if you can give some sort of reward afterwards it will reinforce that good behavior. For example when he climbs on me by himself if the weather permits I will immidietely take him outside to enjoy some natural sunlight. So now every time I offer him my hand he wants to come right on because he gets to go outside! That's the idea anyway, still working toward that point myself with my 6 month

 

[CamrynTheCham22]

Just know that every chameleon is different. Some do enjoy being held, and others are best left alone. My girl is very prickly when it comes to that. I have handled her plenty of times, but when there is a choice, she stays away. It is just her nature. Don't force anything on your chameleon, and if he wants to climb on you, great!
If you open his cage and all he wants to do is climb on you, do not mistake this for affection. They could be uncomfortable or unsatisfied with their cage, and you should probably consult a chameleon expert or specialist unless the issue is plain as day.
Handling is a bit of a controversial topic, but overall, your chameleon should not be stressed. Don't force anything, and let what is going to happen, happen.

 

[Lucy1995]

Just know that every chameleon is different. Some do enjoy being held, and others are best left alone. My girl is very prickly when it comes to that. I have handled her plenty of times, but when there is a choice, she stays away. It is just her nature. Don't force anything on your chameleon, and if he wants to climb on you, great!
If you open his cage and all he wants to do is climb on you, do not mistake this for affection. They could be uncomfortable or unsatisfied with their cage, and you should probably consult a chameleon expert or specialist unless the issue is plain as day.
Handling is a bit of a controversial topic, but overall, your chameleon should not be stressed. Don't force anything, and let what is going to happen, happen.

He seems to be happy in his cage just doesn’t like me putting my hand in unless I have food. He is still fairly new to me as I am to him so I’m guessing is may just take time.

 

[Lucy1995]

Letting them climb on you on their own terms is the best way to go in my opinion, forcing them on to you will be counter productive in getting them to trust you. I've held my hand out for upwards of an hour before he finally climbed on. Also if you can give some sort of reward afterwards it will reinforce that good behavior. For example when he climbs on me by himself if the weather permits I will immidietely take him outside to enjoy some natural sunlight. So now every time I offer him my hand he wants to come right on because he gets to go outside! That's the idea anyway, still working toward that point myself with my 6 month

I don’t have this option as unfortunately in England it isn’t that warm and I do get lots of birds in my garden. I put him on a plastic tree while I was cleaning the viv which he seems to like but struggled to get him off and back into the viv so ended up moving the tree with him on over there. And once he was back in all he wanted to do was get as high as possible to get away from me. I’m just gunna have to be patient with him I guess and hopefully he’ll like me eventually.