Shy Guy

mil0

Member
Your Chameleon - Juno a Veiled male - somewhere around 2-4 months im not entirely sure. I have only had him for a week and a half

Handling - I moved him into his cage after i received his package in shipping

Feeding - I am feeding him around 7 - 13 small crickets every day, they are gut loaded with collard greens, oranges, and carrots.

Supplements -
  • Rep-Cal Calcium without D3 - every feeding session

  • Zoo Med Repti Calcium with D3 - once every other week

  • Rep-Cal Multivitamin - once every other week (alternated with D3 calcium)

Watering - I have a monsoon automatic mister - it mists for around 45 seconds every 4 1/2 hours, dries out between mistings. He is interested by water and doesn’t look dehydrated from what i can tell

Fecal Description - Not been tested for parasites yet, I haven't seen any fecal matter because I don't want to look for it in his cage, I can tell he gets stressed from me poking around in there. But he is eating well and has a good appetite so im sure he has pooped

History - from backwater reptiles, they said he was going to be subadult, though he his much smaller than that. I dont know much about his history

Cage Type - Screen mesh cage - 2” deep x 2” wide x 4” tall (2 sides are covered)

Lighting -
  • Reptisun 5.0 UVB

  • ZooMed 75 watt nocturnal Infrared heat lamp (im switching this out for a zoo med reptile basking spot lamp 75 watts)
  • they are both on at 7-8 am and go off at 8 pm
Temperature - the temp at the bottom is 70 degrees Fahrenheit and the basking spot is 85 to 90ish degrees Fahrenheit (there is a temp gauge at the top and bottom of cage)

Humidity - What are your humidity levels? What do you use to measure humidity? I use a Repti fogger that doesn't particularly have a schedule and an automatic mister for water (see watering) humidity is around 70% usually and 65% when the cage dries off

Plants - I have a Ficus tree, a hanging Pothos plant, and a very small Schefflera. Also a fake plant on the side that provides a little more privacy and im planning on adding two more fake ones to the corners. There is also a collard plant at the bottom if he ever wants a snack, but he doesn't go to the bottom of the cage really

Placement - The cage has a little over 2 ½ feet distance from the ceiling, it is resting on a table about 2 and a half feet tall. The cage is in a room without many people, only me. There is also a large window next to the cage but the room is still pretty dim and the light doesn’t directly shine into the cage.

Location - I live in the United States in California around the Bay area our house stays from 65-75 degrees (F) usually

Current Problem - I need to take him out of his cage to adjust plants and clean, but he is really nervous and every time I open the cage door he either learns to hide behind the branch he is on or walks quickly away to avoid me. I'm trying not to stress him out but I don't know how to start to get him to trust me. The crickets I have are small and if i tried to bribe him i feel like I would accidentally kill the cricket or drop it or he wouldn’t be interested. I have been trying to sit next to his cage so he gets used to my presence and move slowly and put my hand under him but I don’t want to forcibly pick him up. Should I buy worms for him? How can I get him to warm up to me more and not be so afraid? should I wait until he gets more used to me?
 
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here is the enclosure right now
 
Sometimes they just don't ever really warm up to you, but that's not saying anything about you, but all chameleons have different personalities and I think that is one of the reasons many of us are drawn to them. Like you said maybe try a hornworm or a superworm with hand flat and see if it will get his attention. It can take time not days or weeks but sometimes months. Stay calm and it will work out just fine. Remember chameleons should be seen more as eye candy then a snuggle pet.

Oh usually when they are that young, they always are shy at first, like i said give it time then one day you will become his tree.
 
Sometimes they just don't ever really warm up to you, but that's not saying anything about you, but all chameleons have different personalities and I think that is one of the reasons many of us are drawn to them. Like you said maybe try a hornworm or a superworm with hand flat and see if it will get his attention. It can take time not days or weeks but sometimes months. Stay calm and it will work out just fine. Remember chameleons should be seen more as eye candy then a snuggle pet.

alright yeah, I dont really want to just hold him, but I do need to take him out to clean and check his health and stuff. I'll try to give him some worms to see if that spikes his interest.
 
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