So how does the tongue feel when they shoot you with it?

[Throwingstones]

my girl is starting to get more comfortable with us but I think she wants to test and see if our hands are food? I’m afraid if she does shoot her tongue at me I might yank my hand back and take her tongue with it. Maybe if I’m prepared on how it might feel I will be more confident because right now when I see her prepare to shoot I take my hand back.
I do want to get to the point of her being comfortable enough to be held so I can do some extra cleaning in the enclosure. But I know she’s more of a looking pet than a holding pet.

 

[elizaann2]

It’s hard to describe. It’s like a little mini sticky pad thing that hits you quickly then leaves. If you are worried about your reaction I would wait until you feel more confident to hand feed her.

When you feel ready place a bug in the palm of you hand and let her get it. That way you don’t risk holding too tight to the bug and cause her tongue any damage.

 

[Throwingstones]

It’s hard to describe. It’s like a little mini sticky pad thing that hits you quickly then leaves. If you are worried about your reaction I would wait until you feel more confident to hand feed her.

When you feel ready place a bug in the palm of you hand and let her get it. That way you don’t risk holding too tight to the bug and cause her tongue any damage.

Like one of those slap sticky hands you would get in the 50 cent machines?
When I feed her a horn worm treat I lay it on top of a Tupperware lid and hold it out for her and that’s not too bad.

 

[elizaann2]

Like one of those slap sticky hands you would get in the 50 cent machines?
When I feed her a horn worm treat I lay it on top of a Tupperware lid and hold it out for her and that’s not too bad.

Ya I’d say pretty similar to one of those.

That’s very smart! Hornworms have grabby feet and can cling on to things like branches and material.

 

[dinomom]

my girl is starting to get more comfortable with us but I think she wants to test and see if our hands are food? I’m afraid if she does shoot her tongue at me I might yank my hand back and take her tongue with it. Maybe if I’m prepared on how it might feel I will be more confident because right now when I see her prepare to shoot I take my hand back.
I do want to get to the point of her being comfortable enough to be held so I can do some extra cleaning in the enclosure. But I know she’s more of a looking pet than a holding pet.

Don't worry! It's not that weird. My Meller's tongue feels like a big sticky suction cup that covers around the entire bug and onto my hand , and the veiled has more finesse to hit only the top of the bug and not touch me.

The only thing I recommend is putting the bug on the back of your hand- if you use your palm sometimes they think your finger is a worm and try to shoot it. Of course this does not hurt but I feel bad for the confused cham.

Think of it as the ultimate compliment if she is comfortable enough to see you as no threat at all and take food from your hand!

 

[Beman]

Its mostly sticky... But I warn you because Beman like to target my hands since he thinks they are the bringers of food. If they target you it will not hurt unless they hit something like an eye. But the most important thing you can do is not pull away. I always let my hand move towards him when he does this then he releases it because it is not food. But it takes them a minute to let go of you cause their tongue is stuck. And the last thing you want to do is hyper extend their tongue and cause damage.

 

[Throwingstones]

Its mostly sticky... But I warn you because Beman like to target my hands since he thinks they are the bringers of food. If they target you it will not hurt unless they hit something like an eye. But the most important thing you can do is not pull away. I always let my hand move towards him when he does this then he releases it because it is not food. But it takes them a minute to let go of you cause their tongue is stuck. And the last thing you want to do is hyper extend their tongue and cause damage.

That would be so insane if she took my contact out of my eye. Idk if my eye dr would be horrified or glad I finally took my contacts out
Also if she does end up slapping my hand with her tongue, would she keep doing it in the future or would she learn right away that my hand is not food.

 

[elizaann2]

That would be so insane if she took my contact out of my eye. Idk if my eye dr would be horrified or glad I finally took my contacts out
Also if she does end up slapping my hand with her tongue, would she keep doing it in the future or would she learn right away that my hand is not food.

It might depend on the chameleon...

 

[Gloriawood]

That would be so insane if she took my contact out of my eye. Idk if my eye dr would be horrified or glad I finally took my contacts out
Also if she does end up slapping my hand with her tongue, would she keep doing it in the future or would she learn right away that my hand is not food.

Mine does it allllll the time. I keep my nails painted and he thinks they are bugs I guess. He specifically goes for my fingernails, especially when they are sparkly. He quickly realizes it’s not food and let’s go, but continues to do it

 

[Beman]

That would be so insane if she took my contact out of my eye. Idk if my eye dr would be horrified or glad I finally took my contacts out
Also if she does end up slapping my hand with her tongue, would she keep doing it in the future or would she learn right away that my hand is not food.

Beman is 5 years old and he still will try to target my hands... One of the downsides to hand feeding which I started with him at 4 months old. I have to watch him really closely when I open the door so I can move if he looks like he will shoot.

 

[dinomom]

That would be so insane if she took my contact out of my eye. Idk if my eye dr would be horrified or glad I finally took my contacts out
Also if she does end up slapping my hand with her tongue, would she keep doing it in the future or would she learn right away that my hand is not food.

I think they are "smart" in that they are highly evolved to locate food and its source. In the wild they can't ever afford to miss an opportunity for a meal. I think it is too much to expect them to learn that hands = food is not the same as hands ARE food. And even if they do...their brain says "if there is an off chance that that finger is actually a silkworm....what have I got to lose"

 

[MissSkittles]

Stella…it’s always Stella doing something. If I forget to hide my fingers or can’t, she’s trying to shoot at them to eat them. When she realizes they aren’t for eating, she then has to bite them. How on earth she even thinks that she could choke down a worm as fat as my fingers, I don’t even know. Reminds me of this. *posting for those that may not have seen it before.

 

[snitz427]

They dont often touch my skin - they get pretty good at judging the distance and force. When they do, its a sticky thud. BUT! Sometimes their tongue sticks to my hand, and a natural reaction is to move your hand, which can injure or even pull out their tongue. So I sometimes wet my hands (wont stick if wet), or just focus really hard on not moving at all until they have fully retracted the bug. If they get me, I move my hand closer for them to try to get unstuck… which sometimes might include an accidental nibble in the process.

dont mean to make it sound scary, it is an awesome experience to hand feed - just be aware of the tongue and never jerk away.

 

[dinomom]

Stella…it’s always Stella doing something. If I forget to hide my fingers or can’t, she’s trying to shoot at them to eat them. When she realizes they aren’t for eating, she then has to bite them. How on earth she even thinks that she could choke down a worm as fat as my fingers, I don’t even know. Reminds me of this. *posting for those that may not have seen it before.

Well it just never gets old....

 

[Throwingstones]

They dont often touch my skin - they get pretty good at judging the distance and force. When they do, its a sticky thud. BUT! Sometimes their tongue sticks to my hand, and a natural reaction is to move your hand, which can injure or even pull out their tongue. So I sometimes wet my hands (wont stick if wet), or just focus really hard on not moving at all until they have fully retracted the bug. If they get me, I move my hand closer for them to try to get unstuck… which sometimes might include an accidental nibble in the process.

dont mean to make it sound scary, it is an awesome experience to hand feed - just be aware of the tongue and never jerk away.

Wet hands, smart! I will try that.
Follow up question, how much does a bite hurt?

 

[Shauna_T]

They dont often touch my skin - they get pretty good at judging the distance and force. When they do, its a sticky thud. BUT! Sometimes their tongue sticks to my hand, and a natural reaction is to move your hand, which can injure or even pull out their tongue. So I sometimes wet my hands (wont stick if wet), or just focus really hard on not moving at all until they have fully retracted the bug. If they get me, I move my hand closer for them to try to get unstuck… which sometimes might include an accidental nibble in the process.

dont mean to make it sound scary, it is an awesome experience to hand feed - just be aware of the tongue and never jerk away.

I imaging it's kinda like when you first start feeding a snake frozen thawed Rats at first you want to jerk back when they strik but you know if you do and they have accidentally grabbed the Tongs you can hurt them so you have to control yourself. So I have to say I'm glad I have some experience with not moving. I am very excited to hand feed. I can't wait to feed a horned worm from my lips lol I sounds gross but I seen a video of Carolyn from framschams do it with a super (but I can't do it with one of them their hard bodies would give me the creeps) so I decided to try a horned worm hahaha. She said I have to record it so I will. Lol

 

[snitz427]

Wet hands, smart! I will try that.
Follow up question, how much does a bite hurt?

I’ve only been bitten once… And that was by accident. It’s pretty easy to read their body language when they don’t want to be messed with and might bite. All of my guys are pretty laid-back, except Clarice… Rest in peace. The one that bit me was actually just trying to overzealously chomp on a silk worm that I offered. They’re very old and have trouble with certain distances so I usually would bring the bug very close for them to gently shoot their tongue at. On this particular day, he must have been starving, because instead of his typical gentile melm, he chomped. He immediately realized he bit me, and seemed kind of embarrassed about it… It hurt about as much as it would, if you accidentally nicked yourself with a knife while cutting fruit. They are sharp little teeth with quite a bit of force behind them! But in reality that was about the extent of the bite. If I do get a sassy attitude… They usually Bluff and headbutt me rather than snap at me. Either way that’s enough for me to know that they don’t want to be bothered today and try again another day.

 

[Throwingstones]

I imaging it's kinda like when you first start feeding a snake frozen thawed Rats at first you want to jerk back when they strik but you know if you do and they have accidentally grabbed the Tongs you can hurt them so you have to control yourself. So I have to say I'm glad I have some experience with not moving. I am very excited to hand feed. I can't wait to feed a horned worm from my lips lol I sounds gross but I seen a video of Carolyn from framschams do it with a super (but I can't do it with one of them their hard bodies would give me the creeps) so I decided to try a horned worm hahaha. She said I have to record it so I will. Lol

I am impatiently waiting for the video! That would be so cool to see.

 

[MissSkittles]

Clarice… Rest in peace.

Oh no! I’m sorry.

 

[Beman]

Clarice… Rest in peace

Awwwww so sorry Natalie