New Chameleon!

I went to take the ficus out and water it this morning, and hes starting hissing at me :) but im guessing it's just because hes new and doesn't really know where he is. So im going to let him settle down today and try to hold him tuesday or wed. Even though alot of people say to not hold them, I still need him to be nice and not a jerk. If ya know what I mean. :rolleyes:
 
LOL.....i never back down on hissing. The more my chameleon hisses at me...i tend to try to grab and handle them. Sooner or later, they will get so used to you that they will even allow hand feeding.:D I am evil. They have to be trained. The proper way to hold them is by placing your hand underneath the chin and gently coax them to climb up. If you try to grab from above, it is regarded as a threat and they willl react to it; biting/hissing.
 
Hm, no sure if I want him to bite me :eek: I think i'll just give him a week to get settled but put my hand a little closer every day. Until, he gets usd to me cleaning his cage.
 
ReptileGirl111, take his behavior as a sign of good health. Ones that hiss, lunge, bite and display aggression towards you are usually healthy. When you have had a sick one it is sad to see how passive they become. The return of the anger/aggression always makes you feel better after seeing them in a sicken state.

Do not try and tame. I really try not to touch mine. I really have a hard time understanding why some people feel like they have to handle them constantly or to tame them. I had to remove my male the other day. Now normally if I had to do this it would be at night and I would remove the branch he was on. As the situation worked out it was mid day and he had to be transported to my new house. It is not comfortable to have one of these guys on your arm. The whole time I was waiting for the bite that never came. He streches the length of my forearm. If he gets fiesty it would be a pain in the butt to deal with because I will have to do so without hurting him. That is why I try not to touch mine. It is like having an aquarium.

I pick the poop up every other day with them in the cage. Just keep your eye on them while you are doing this. I have had my female charge me a couple of times. I would assume she was getting more territorial because of egg production. Once a week I remove them at night while they are sleeping. They stay on the branch they are on. I put them on the bed in a different room and disassemble the cage. Most of the chameleons I have been around sleep pretty hard. Mine usually do not know that this process has even taken place. As an extra precaution (because of a dropping situation) I do not turn on the room light rather leave the room door open with the hall light on so I can see what I am doing while removing them.
 
Hmm... I'm going to try not to hold him a lot but I don't want him to be a little jerk whenever I need to take him out of his cage to clean it.
 
The cleaning that would require taking him out should happen maybe once a month?
The plants should be left in place and watered in the enclosure.
Changing/moving things in the environment will only stress him out.
Try not to have delusions about your new charge....this animal will not like you. They are "zoo-level" reptiles that need and want to be left alone.

-Brad
 
You need to figure out how to do this without disturbing his environment.
By moving that plant in and out every week you disrupt/invade his territory (these are EXTREMELY territorial animals) and sacrafice any feelings of security he may have about his home.
Not to be an alarmist, but in the chameleon world, stress very often leads to illness and death.
Most of us have figured out how to keep live plants in the enclosure and drain or trap the water.
I use deep trays in the bottom under the plants and actually don't have to water them all that often with all the misting that goes on.
Others have drains drilled in the floor of the enclosure and catch water underneath with a bucket.
How are you collecting the water from his drip system?

-Brad
 
I put the large ficus in a watering saucer that is very close fitting to the pot, I also have a smaller umbrella plant that I put in there yesterday, to see if having a smaller height plant will encourage Butter to explore the lower 1/3 of his enclosure.

In the mornings, after misting, I wait about 10 minutes, then just wipe out the bottom of the cage (mine is some sort of plastic) with a paper towel. It takes about a minute, and since Butter's cage has an opening at the bottom, he barely moves anymore, just gives me "stink eye" for invading space violations.
 
agreed, if you are ever at a show and choosing from a number of chameleons, pick one that blows up at you and extends his chin, this is a sign of dieselness displayed at a young age will almost garuntee you a powerhouse
 
What kind of cage do you have him in?

A saucer will work but really with all the watering your going to do it seems like it would flood. Constant saturation of the roots can cause them to rot also.

I personally think it is better to get all the water out of the cage.
 
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