Need to get her out, HOW?

[Progrmor]

Hi.
My 2 months old female velied is not allowing me to come near her. And now that I REALLY need to clean her cage I cant get her out! As soon as I open the doors to her enclosure she runs away in to her big ficus-plant and hides, and when she gets there I have no chance even locate her or find her.

And when I do caught her in the roof or something she wont enter my hand even if I put a finger under her chin. I´ve had her for like 4 weeks now and she has no problem walking around all over the cage when im 4 feet away sitting in the same room.

What should I do?

 

[sandrachameleon]

clean around her.
or
buy some gloves, and gently reach in and take her out (the gloves will protect you from bites). You may be able to distract her with one hand wiggling behind her, while the other hand gentle comes from below. moving the rear hand towards her may encourage her to climb up onto the other hand without her realizing what is happening.
or
wait until she is sleeping, put a dish towel over her, gently remove her and then clean.

 

[Progrmor]

clean around her.
or
buy some gloves, and gently reach in and take her out (the gloves will protect you from bites). You may be able to distract her with one hand wiggling behind her, while the other hand gentle comes from below. moving the rear hand towards her may encourage her to climb up onto the other hand without her realizing what is happening.
or
wait until she is sleeping, put a dish towel over her, gently remove her and then clean.

The major problem is that I cant even get close to her, how will I make her stay still as I enter the chamber of coverness?

She is the size of my thumb, im not scared of her bites Also, she has never shown any signs of aggresivity, just that she is scared.

But can I just "grab" her around her body? I get the feeling she will get hurt, even if I do it really gently.

 

[Ninkylou]

My little guy is not a fan. I would assume you need to clean the bottom of the enclosure and she is most likely at the top. I just reach in and do what I need to do, he just stays out of the way. I wipe down the bottom and such. I double cup the feeding cup so I only have to take one out. it makes it easier to get food ready as well. I have holes drilled in the cup that I have secured to vines so water drains out.

Lots of little things you can do to make cleaning easier.

 

[Progrmor]

My little guy is not a fan. I would assume you need to clean the bottom of the enclosure and she is most likely at the top. I just reach in and do what I need to do, he just stays out of the way. I wipe down the bottom and such. I double cup the feeding cup so I only have to take one out. it makes it easier to get food ready as well. I have holes drilled in the cup that I have secured to vines so water drains out.

Lots of little things you can do to make cleaning easier.

That would work, but since I got a major branch in the cage wich holds up pretty much everything in the enclosure has some mold I need to remove. I do really need to pick everything out and in again. Also clean pretty much the whole cage and the content.

 

[sandrachameleon]

But can I just "grab" her around her body? I get the feeling she will get hurt, even if I do it really gently.

better to lift from below such that her weight is supported on her legs. you don't want to break ribs.

did you try the suggestion re having one hand behind and the other (or a stick) below and in front?
or try waiting for her to be asleep?

 

[ridgebax1]

I take a long fairly sturdy branch and place it under Omar's front legs and gently push a little bit under his chest so he puts his feet on the branch as he steps on the branch I lift it a little so he brings his back feet onto it. Once he is on the branch I remove him from the cage.

 

[junglefries]

Goodnews: the young ones are (99 out of 100) skittish. you have the opportunity to make a secure and friendly cham. i try to always clean the cages at the same time, same way and method. this will let them know what is about to happen won't hurt them when you are done. when feeding, do the same, etc... that way every time you open her door, she can recognize the pattern and predict what you are doing. be patient and in time, upon her maturing, you may have a friend rather than a rattlesnake. i have some females that are just as friendly as my cocker spaniel. routine. routine. routine. it will make things easier for both of you.

 

[Daybed]

What I used to do when my little guy used to run is slowly remove item by item and clean it as I go. I would leave his favorite branch for last and take the branch out with him on it haha. He eventually go used to it and it got alot easier

 

[Tyaeda]

You mentioned that she hides in her ficus? Could you remove the ficus with her in it, and put the ficus somewhere while you clean?

I know you'll want to wash the plant the best you can too, so maybe once she's out, it'll be easier to handle her.

My cham likes to be picked up, but he hasn't always been like that. I used the technique Sandra was talking about.

Never pull her off any branches, and you should always approach from underneath. If you try to grab from over top of her, it will freak her out... she'll probably think you're a bird trying to prey on her.

 

[sandrachameleon]

routine. routine. routine. it will make things easier for both of you.

I agree with this statement

 

[Jelloman]

It is tempting to get the chameleon to do what you want when you want but they take a lot of time to make a decision. If you can leave the cage door open with a potted plant outside and perhaps a stick bridge that leads out your cham may venture out to explore. Just observe from a distance but stay close! Once you get them in and out a few times in this way they will start to be more courageous.

 

[melble68]

And once again another great thread with tons of awesome advice to try. I'm sure this is an issue for many at times. I love this forum.

 

[Progrmor]

It is tempting to get the chameleon to do what you want when you want but they take a lot of time to make a decision. If you can leave the cage door open with a potted plant outside and perhaps a stick bridge that leads out your cham may venture out to explore. Just observe from a distance but stay close! Once you get them in and out a few times in this way they will start to be more courageous.

Thank you! I´ll try that!

And once again another great thread with tons of awesome advice to try. I'm sure this is an issue for many at times. I love this forum.

I agree! Im stuck reading all the threads been posted at this forum, it´s like a drug!

 

[Progrmor]

Guys.. Im stuck. She wont ever come to my hand when I got treats for her, there´s no way she will. And I know have figured out that her fav "branch" is actually the ficus And that is the plant that is centered in the cage and not moveable.

So here is what I will try to do:
As soon as she dares to get out of her hide, I will snatch her as gently as I can. And then try handfeed her when she is in my hand. Alternative I will let her eat out of a bowl when she is in my hand. Will this maybe help her understand that my hand isn´t dangerous? Or will this just make things worse?