Raising veilds and temperament!

[Mike H.]

Hello! my big ol male has a temperament to him! ever since he was kinda young. I was curious as to if you were to raise a veiled from young (hatchling) and treated him right, would he still have a temperament? is temperament genetic or environmental? thank you!

 

[Carlton]

Having a "temperamental" veiled is often just luck of the draw. Chams are intelligent enough to be individuals, regardless of genetics or environment. What you can do is recognize what seems to irritate him more often and adjust your activity around his territory accordingly. How old is he now? When their hormones start kicking in they can go through a pissy teenager phase but mellow out slightly as they age. Very hard to predict. You won't really force him into being nicer but you can teach him that you are not a threat, that you are a source for good things by hand feeding him favorite treats and respecting his space. You may not be able to handle him as often as some other people do. If he is pissy right when you approach him or try to pick him up maybe you are handling him too often.

 

[absolutbill]

Veileds are also well-known for being cage aggressive. If you are able to free-range you may have a better chance of having a nicely tempered chameleon, though because chameleons are individuals this is by no means guaranteed. Patience and repetition is best - we were just without power for a week from the hurricane, so I had to carry my guy out to the porch to sun. By the 2nd day he started to realize the routine and had no issues the rest of the week with being taken out to his tree. Good luck!