new cham

[ria1983]

hi iv had my new cham for nearly a week now hes eating fine but everytime i go near his viv he hides hes only 3 months old and i want to get him out of this habbit as i dont want him being a scared lizard when he is older he spends most of the day hiding behind a branch and when i go to the viv to look at him he hides even more i try to handle him but by the time iv got his two front legs on my hand he quickly steps off and literally runs away please help

 

[Metric]

This is normal behavior for a chameleon, they are very solitary animals, If you were looking for a reptile you could handle that won't be scared or aggressive around you, you might want to return that cham and get a bearded dragon or something.

 

[draetish]

First of all you haven't had him long enough for him to realize that you are not going to hurt him and you are the one that provides for him. Also he is very young and handling at this time is not recommended. He needs at least a couple of months to acclimate and grow without being scared. Try hand feeding right now and when you do approach him do it very slowly. If he runs, just keep your hand still where you have it with the bug and see if he comes back to get it. He is still unsure of alot of things right now, be patient.

 

[laurie]

Man you have a baby, give him some time. Most chameleons will become less afraid of you, some will tolerate you, and a rare one will allow you to hold it often. imo holding it often is the very, very best you should ever hope for. Don't expect it, as chameleons are not a holding, cuddling,friendly, pet. You won't get to decide when he stopping hiding, he will decide these things for himself. If you aren't ready for this kind of reptile then I would rethink what I wanted to have, jmo

 

[sandrachameleon]

hi iv had my new cham for nearly a week now hes eating fine but everytime i go near his viv he hides hes only 3 months old

This is normal.
Give him time to get used to things, including the big potential predator that is you. Do not handle him unless necessary - big scary hands grabbing at him will only make him associate you with stressful times. move extremely slowly whenever you are near his cage. Fast movements are scary.

One thing to try, if you are keen to watch him without scaring him. Sit a couple meters away on the floor below his cage. Stay there, not moving, for a long while (and I dont mean 5 minutes). Then slowly inch closer, still down low and slow. If he hides, you got close too fast. Wait until he's sorta forgotten about you before you get closer. Eventually you will be sitting near the cage, and can watch him from there.

 

[ria1983]

yeah i know they dont like being handled much as i have done alot of research on him i just wanted to make sure everything iv done is ok i havn't gone into this lightly and have kept and succesfully bread and raised bearded dragons but thanks for advice