She still won't warm up to me...

[Kays04]

I got my female veiled chameleon back in March 2008 for my birthday. The owner of the pet store we bought her at breeds them himself and handles them enough (not excessively). He told me to leave her alone for 1-2 weeks then try to gradually get her used to me by putting my hand near her and eventually she'll be able to be handled by me. Well, it's now practically January 2009 and she still won't allow me to handle her. She has improved since I first got her though. At first even approaching the cage to feed her she was puffing up, getting dark and hissing with her mouth open. Now she just stares and slowly backs away. Should I be continuing with what I'm doing or should I be a little more assertive? I know handling chameleons isn't good to do a lot of the time but when it comes to cleaning her enclosure, etc. it would be nice to be able to take her out without a huge ordeal.

 

[dodolah]

I got my female veiled chameleon back in March 2008 for my birthday. The owner of the pet store we bought her at breeds them himself and handles them enough (not excessively). He told me to leave her alone for 1-2 weeks then try to gradually get her used to me by putting my hand near her and eventually she'll be able to be handled by me. Well, it's now practically January 2009 and she still won't allow me to handle her. She has improved since I first got her though. At first even approaching the cage to feed her she was puffing up, getting dark and hissing with her mouth open. Now she just stares and slowly backs away. Should I be continuing with what I'm doing or should I be a little more assertive? I know handling chameleons isn't good to do a lot of the time but when it comes to cleaning her enclosure, etc. it would be nice to be able to take her out without a huge ordeal.

I am not a proponent of handling chameleon.
I have never handled all my chameleons. and so far, ALL my chameleons with the exception of 1 panther are somewhat tame.

After months of feeding and care, seems like all my chameleons realize and associate me as a positive event.
my male veiled and 1 ambilobe get crazy and immediately rush to the front whenever they see me.

specifically the ambilobe, he will get ready to shoot. He knew that I am there to feed him.
the veiled will immediately go up my hand coz he knew when I am around that means a trip to outside for sunlight time.

None of these 2 has ever been handled.
During the juvenile stage, my veiled is very aggressive. But, he has mellowed down now.
So, be patience with your veiled. And, seriously, I don't buy the advice of handling chameleons as a mean of taming them.

Your chameleon will decide for itself to warm up to you.
she might or she might not.
we, as keepers, just have to deal with it.

But, check here: https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-handle-chameleon-18438/

Hope that helps

 

[MutantHybrid]

Excellent advice by Dodolah. Each chameleon is different in temperament, one might be aggressive while another is tame. Many chameleon owners use food as a positive reinforcer for their chameleon by holding a prey item in their hand or in a small cup close to the chameleon. Eventually, the chameleon might tolerate your presence and begin to feed by hand. After that, it gets easier. In any event, most chameleons simply do not like to be cuddled and handled.

My female Veiled tends to be quite tolerant of me getting close to her, literally face to face within a few inches, however; the moment I open her cage and place a hand in she retreats. This is a carryover from being in a pet store where she was looked at a lot and the handlers did not know what they were doing when moving the chamleons during cleaning. Now she does not trust hands coming near her as she thinks that she will get grabbed from behind rather than gently lifted after securing a good grip on her own. She is getting more tolerant of me opening the cage over time as she realizes that I am usually placing food in or removing something that should not be there, not trying to grab her. It will just take time for her to feel secure in her home with a big, hairy, primate tromping around.

 

[Kays04]

This is my girl, Shylah, shortly after I got her. She's quite a bit bigger now

 

[Kays04]

Thanks to both of you for your advice... this is my first chameleon so I am trying to learn everything I can and from reliable sources

 

[Brad Ramsey]

I don't think you should put much hope in your chameleon "warming up" to you.
Male veileds seem much more tolerant of people than females.
However, getting her to take food from your hand is a strong possibility.
Females like to eat.
My girl will hiss and gape and lash her tail if I try to approach her unless I am holding a cricket or superworm ... then she practically trips over herself trying to get to me and the feeder.
This is very rewarding interaction and the best you can hope for with a female (in my opinion).
Of course there are exceptions to every rule and they all do have their own personalities.

-Brad

 

[nick barta]

Shy

Ardie Abate, who is a leader in USA chameleon husbandry, said this to me when I asked her if it was "OK to handle my chameleons": "You represent to the chameleon a predator which is thousands times it's own size. How would you like something the size of a house reaching to you and plucking you out of your yard?"
It was good advise then, and still good advice today.
To think that if a Chameleon doesn't want to walk up our arm means it DOESN"T like us, or if it does walk up our arm it DOES like us, is IMO not correct thinking. We are not raising a domesticated cat or dog which responds favorably to attention (ok not ALL cats) we are raising a solitary animal, who by all measures does not "need" handling for successful husbandry.
We may want the "handling" process, but it probably does not benifit the chamelleon in any way. The more we involve ourselves with these little dinosaurs, the more we find it is a labor of love and care toward them, and really not about what we want!
All that being said, we all handle our chameleons for cage cleaning, medical exams, picture sessions, and "can I see him uncle Nick" moments, which is understandable. To handle the chameleon on a regular basis would almost surely cause stress beyond the chameleons normal level.
Good fortune with your new chameleon, he depends on you for EVERYTHING!!

Nick Barta

 

[Kays04]

Exactly what I was thinking... we are a lot larger than they are and that would be a big factor in their relationship with us. I 100% respect reptiles and amphibians. I have had a variety of them over the last 10 years but this is my first chameleon. All I want is for her to be more comfortable with me taking her out of the cage for cleanings, etc. I'm definitely not the type to want to handle them just because I can.

You all are so knowledgeable on this forum. I'm so glad I came across it. Thanks everyone!

 

[nick barta]

handling Chams

You are welcome, we all are learners here, not experts!!

 

[MutantHybrid]

It was only a couple months ago I started off with only past knowledge of reptiles in general, but no experience to speak of with chameleons. I have kept anoles, turtles, a Decay's snake, a striped water snake, a Horned Lizard, and an assortment of other creepy crawlies. Shifting to chameleons is a bit like keeping an ant farm with docile little black ants for a year and then suddenly trying to raise Australian "Jack Jumpers" or Bulldog Ants in the same ant farm. There are more intricacies and specialized bits of knowledge that, while useful for the other species, are imperative to know for your chameleon's health and happiness. I am certainly not all that knowledgable of chameleons, but if my observations of habit and health of my own can help others, I offer them. This forum is full of specialists, long time breeders and keepers, and experts from all over. They have helped me out quite a bit since I joined up a few weeks ago.