My boss's wife gave me a male 2 1/2 year old Chameleon today - Baloo. I'm not 100% sure on the species but it looks like a panther. It came with all the lights, the enclosure, everything. But in the 2 and a half years they had him, they held him once so now he refuses any sort of contact and bites. Any suggestions on how I could go about taming him? Or anything that a newbie should know? I've read the care sheets on here and they matched up to what his wife was telling me. I'm kind of intimidated by everything. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
New Chameleon Owner.
- Thread starter Rakiga
- Start date
SaintJimmy
Avid Member
Please attach a picture of the lights, cage, cage interior (decorations, plants, vines, etc) and the chameleon itself.
This will help us get you started.
I'm glad you have found a caresheet already. Print that out and stick to it! Caresheets are a great source of info, especially from chameleon forums (this site lol).
learning:
http://muchadoaboutchameleons.blogspot.com/
read entries in Olimpia's blog that interest you. great way to learn about chameleons.
youtube.com has TONS of chameleon owner videos, just search panther chameleon care or panther chameleon setups (this is a great one for taming: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0jporn8euc)
handling:
Just remember all chams are different. He might just be a grumpy cham.
http://chamworld.blogspot.com/2008/01/handling-your-chameleon.html
http://screameleons.com/category/handling/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/psychobunny/746-taming-chameleon.html
Good luck.
Don't hesitate to ask q's if you have them.
This will help us get you started.
I'm glad you have found a caresheet already. Print that out and stick to it! Caresheets are a great source of info, especially from chameleon forums (this site lol).
learning:
http://muchadoaboutchameleons.blogspot.com/
read entries in Olimpia's blog that interest you. great way to learn about chameleons.
youtube.com has TONS of chameleon owner videos, just search panther chameleon care or panther chameleon setups (this is a great one for taming: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0jporn8euc)
handling:
Just remember all chams are different. He might just be a grumpy cham.
http://chamworld.blogspot.com/2008/01/handling-your-chameleon.html
http://screameleons.com/category/handling/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/psychobunny/746-taming-chameleon.html
Good luck.
Don't hesitate to ask q's if you have them.
teejayteej
New Member
Welcome to the forum. Keep you head up ... it will take time but you can see if you can get him or her to come around. Some of the people on here have some they have gotten Wild Caught (WC) so there is hope. 
Some of the veteran owners on here Will be able to give you ideas.
Some of the veteran owners on here Will be able to give you ideas.i maybe wrong but, feeding it while holding a container or getting it to climb on a stick that your holding. Just take it slow and work on it everyday with giving it as little stress as possible. I had an INSANELY aggressive 5 foot iguana that I tamed so its possible.
Even though two completely different reptiles it just took time and allot of patients. I basically let him free roam my room and live on my dresser. First few weeks he whipped the crap out of me when i walked by but he got us to it and then one day the sucker crawled in my bed in the middle of the night. Freaked me out but that was the sign he trusted me and from that day on he was super friendly, but would dive bomb people for bean burritos. every other food was fine but he would try to steal your bean burrito.
Even though two completely different reptiles it just took time and allot of patients. I basically let him free roam my room and live on my dresser. First few weeks he whipped the crap out of me when i walked by but he got us to it and then one day the sucker crawled in my bed in the middle of the night. Freaked me out but that was the sign he trusted me and from that day on he was super friendly, but would dive bomb people for bean burritos. every other food was fine but he would try to steal your bean burrito.
Please attach a picture of the lights, cage, cage interior (decorations, plants, vines, etc) and the chameleon itself.
This will help us get you started.
I'm glad you have found a caresheet already. Print that out and stick to it! Caresheets are a great source of info, especially from chameleon forums (this site lol).
learning:
http://muchadoaboutchameleons.blogspot.com/
read entries in Olimpia's blog that interest you. great way to learn about chameleons.
youtube.com has TONS of chameleon owner videos, just search panther chameleon care or panther chameleon setups (this is a great one for taming: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0jporn8euc)
handling:
Just remember all chams are different. He might just be a grumpy cham.
http://chamworld.blogspot.com/2008/01/handling-your-chameleon.html
http://screameleons.com/category/handling/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/psychobunny/746-taming-chameleon.html
Good luck.
Don't hesitate to ask q's if you have them.
Here are a couple pictures of little Baloo and his enclosure. The lights are one for the live plants, uvb, and the 75 watt regular light bulb that his wife had in prior. Keep in mind I just got this today so everything is as is.
Attachments
That bean burrito. x) I would have named him Burrito.
Djturna4thakidz
Established Member
Hello and welcome! You prob need to add a little more foliage and hiding spots. Has he been spending a lot of time at the bottom? It looks like he needs some sticks so he can get back up to the top.
He's just down there because when I put him in the tank when I moved it into my house. And I went ahead and put him to bed cause he was stressed. Just hasn't made his way up yet. If tomorrow he hasn't, I'll get more or rearrange.
Djturna4thakidz
Established Member
Yeah he should be easily able to climb back up. They like to be high up so not being able to climb will stress him out. I leave my chams alone for at least 3 weeks once i get them so they get used to their new living situation.
Yeah. I plan to give him a while before trying to interact with him. But I already know he will still be feisty. I watched that video Jimmy posted and it gave me a decent idea. I'll have to get some super worms after a few weeks and try food association. And other ideas to go along with food association?
azgnoinc
New Member
Welcome to the forums, you are in the right spot to get help and ideas from experienced keepers- so you are off to a good start. I agree with getting more foliage in there asap, it will help him feel more secure in his surroundings.
As for your chameleon- absolutely he is a Panther, and I would bet that his locale is Nosy Be due to his solid blue color. Now- on to the "handling" part of your question: Some Panthers are super friendly, some are super aggressive and just do NOT want to be handled, so here is where I would start- get some big fat juicy hornworms & start with placing one very slowly in his enclosure where he can see YOU place it there and see how fast he slams it, if he seems to ignore it then try a different "treat", maybe a nice fat dubia, or even a big superworm, you need to find out what he really likes, then SLOWLY try and get him to hand feed from you. This WILL take time and some patience, and he may not come around to it, but then he might come around very quickly. I have a female who does not tolerate handling, but I have gotten her to come around to hand feeding & she knows when I show up & open her enclosure that odds are pretty good she's getting a treat. Whatever you do, DON'T try and rush it with him cause you will stress him out & possibly get bit in the process- and yes they have teeth and yes it hurts & yes they can draw blood (pretty easily actually) - but don't let this scare you or intimidate you cause all of us have gone through it at one time or another with different chams. Good luck with him, keep asking questions & posting pics cause that is a very good looking boy you have there!!
As for your chameleon- absolutely he is a Panther, and I would bet that his locale is Nosy Be due to his solid blue color. Now- on to the "handling" part of your question: Some Panthers are super friendly, some are super aggressive and just do NOT want to be handled, so here is where I would start- get some big fat juicy hornworms & start with placing one very slowly in his enclosure where he can see YOU place it there and see how fast he slams it, if he seems to ignore it then try a different "treat", maybe a nice fat dubia, or even a big superworm, you need to find out what he really likes, then SLOWLY try and get him to hand feed from you. This WILL take time and some patience, and he may not come around to it, but then he might come around very quickly. I have a female who does not tolerate handling, but I have gotten her to come around to hand feeding & she knows when I show up & open her enclosure that odds are pretty good she's getting a treat. Whatever you do, DON'T try and rush it with him cause you will stress him out & possibly get bit in the process- and yes they have teeth and yes it hurts & yes they can draw blood (pretty easily actually) - but don't let this scare you or intimidate you cause all of us have gone through it at one time or another with different chams. Good luck with him, keep asking questions & posting pics cause that is a very good looking boy you have there!!
I appreciate all the info. I'd like to avoid being bitten if possible but I know that it may happen. I had a Savannah monitor at one point and it was almost inevitable to be bitten or tail whipped while trying to tame him. I like the shade of blue he turns at night. Its beautiful. I've wanted a cham for a while and would've liked to have gotten one as a baby but Baloo and everything he came with was free so I can't complain. I hope he will warm up to me, I like having a pet I can interact with. I have a bearded dragon and she was always a sweetheart. All of this is a little intimidating but I'll try my best to make sure he's a happy cham.
Mew
New Member
I'm sure you've gotten lots of great information from other users already, but I can go into the behavior. I have owned two chameleons now, and I manage the pet center of the pet store I work at. Chameleons are NOT social creatures for the most part. They usually do not like to be kept together, and they most often avoid interactions with humans. Now, obviously, this isn't all encompassing, but in general this is the case. I had a veiled for a year before I had to give it to a good home because I moved and didn't want to stress him, but he would hiss and snap at me even while I was just misting the tank. However, my newest friend Merlin, a jackson, loves to hang out with me, and my shoulder and my head are some of his favorite places to be. He was fairly shy at first though, and for perhaps the first week he avoided my hand like the plague. Now I can't even mist the tank without him crawling out and coming to a rest on my shoulder.
Remember that each chameleon has a unique personality, and it's important not to overstep his boundaries as it will cause undue stress. Reach your hand in and offer it to it as a perch, always approaching from the front at eye level; if it hisses or backs away, simply take your hand away. Chameleons don't have the mental capacity to form opinions about individual humans, however they can attach you to positive experiences such as feeding and watering. Just give it time, it may warm up to you eventually. Remember though, chameleons are more often than not more of a look don't touch animal.
Hope you have a great adventure with your new friend, and I wish you the best of luck
There really aren't any reptiles quite like them out there, trust me, I've had most of them This forum is the right place to be, I can't begin to tell you how helpful and knowledgeable everyone here is.
Remember that each chameleon has a unique personality, and it's important not to overstep his boundaries as it will cause undue stress. Reach your hand in and offer it to it as a perch, always approaching from the front at eye level; if it hisses or backs away, simply take your hand away. Chameleons don't have the mental capacity to form opinions about individual humans, however they can attach you to positive experiences such as feeding and watering. Just give it time, it may warm up to you eventually. Remember though, chameleons are more often than not more of a look don't touch animal.
Hope you have a great adventure with your new friend, and I wish you the best of luck
There really aren't any reptiles quite like them out there, trust me, I've had most of them This forum is the right place to be, I can't begin to tell you how helpful and knowledgeable everyone here is.
Tyaeda
Established Member
That's a really nice setup you got for free! So much potential, you could make it look amazing in there! 
I say go nuts with the foliage. The more spaces to hide and climb the better. He'll feel more comfortable in his house and that might eventually help with taming.
Hand feeding is a really good idea too. If he associates you to where all the food comes from, he'll be less threatened by you.
Some chameleons just hate to be handled... while others love being out of the cage with their owner. Mine likes to come out sometimes, and he tells me by running to the door and running onto my extended hand. Other times, when he's had enough of my presence, he starts puffing up, or hissing a little bit. He's never tried to bite me... maybe yours will take a little more time.
I say go nuts with the foliage. The more spaces to hide and climb the better. He'll feel more comfortable in his house and that might eventually help with taming.
Hand feeding is a really good idea too. If he associates you to where all the food comes from, he'll be less threatened by you.
Some chameleons just hate to be handled... while others love being out of the cage with their owner. Mine likes to come out sometimes, and he tells me by running to the door and running onto my extended hand. Other times, when he's had enough of my presence, he starts puffing up, or hissing a little bit. He's never tried to bite me... maybe yours will take a little more time.
I got up this morning and he was high up in the foliage, basking away.
As for misting, I spray him directly along with the foliage to make it humid, right?
