tameing my panther chameleon

[bluechameleon]

hi
im new to this site so sorry if i make mistakes.
i brought it think a 9 month old panther chameleon from a captive bred breeder. my chameleon is amazing and i love him but he dosnt love me
he puffs up at me and if i get too close trys to bite.what i dont undertsand is that he hand feeds off me locusts,mealworms,occcasally wax worms then the minute he takes the food he turns nasty.i know he scared and frightened but i saw the dad of my chameleon the breeder opened the cage and the daddy chameleon climbed on his arm and sat there he was lovly.i was just wandering if anyone had any tips for taming my chameleon??? any advice is good am i going the right way? should i just be patience?

 

[DavidBuchan]

Hello, welcome to the forum How long have you had him for? Hand feeding like you are doing is the best way to get him used to you and associating you with good things. It does take a lot of patience for this, my female Veiled was over a year old before she was happy to come and see me whenever I opened her door. My male is still a bit moody sometimes.
A 9 month old male is going through his adolescent phase and most chameleons are more territorial and mean and this time, so don't worry, in a few months he will probably calm right down. Some chams are just more friendly than others, so if he still acts nasty when he's all grown up you'll just have to respect that and not handle him unless you need to.

 

[cla2806]

At least you can hand feed! My 10 month old Nosy be hates me.. I try to hand feed and he looks at the food and I can see he thinks "Ooo Ooo!!!" And then he sees my hand and he's like "nope!" Puffs up and turns around like I'm awful. I hope one day he will be ok with me as for handling I know it won't happen umless I have to takw him out. Different chams different personalities!

 

[Olimpia]

Here's a blog that I hope you find useful: http://muchadoaboutchameleons.blogspot.com/2012/04/to-handle-or-not-to-handle.html
It's not guaranteed to work for all chameleons, of course, but even my nastiest ones have relaxed around me using these tips. Handfeeding, outside time, and slow, gentle movements are your friends! As is patience.

 

[slinko9]

That was a very in formative article Olimpia!!!! Thanks!!

 

[Olimpia]

I'm happy you think so! We get this question a lot, so I figured it merited a walk-through of common tips. Again, it won't work on every chameleon but it can't hurt to try.

 

[Psychobunny]

That was very well written olimpia

You will need to get used to holding your hand very still.
If, at any point, your cham shows fear, pull out slowly. Never make fast movements and dont try to get them on a stick to get them out.

They seem to think it's a snake and freak out!!

I use a small Reptibreez for their outside sunning.
I just put some fake vines and leaves in it, open the door and hold it up to their cage and just let them climb in it and take it outside.

After a while, they will recognize the small cage and understand it means outside sun time.
Smeagol now gets very excited and practicly flies into the cage as soon as I hold it up

 

[bluechameleon]

hi
i think ive had him for 4 weeks now

 

[bluechameleon]

hi
i think ive had him for 4 weeks now

 

[bluechameleon]

sorry still getting used to this form posted two messages didnt mean to
thanks for your help and ive had him for 4 weeks

 

[bluechameleon]

Hello, welcome to the forum How long have you had him for? Hand feeding like you are doing is the best way to get him used to you and associating you with good things. It does take a lot of patience for this, my female Veiled was over a year old before she was happy to come and see me whenever I opened her door. My male is still a bit moody sometimes.
A 9 month old male is going through his adolescent phase and most chameleons are more territorial and mean and this time, so don't worry, in a few months he will probably calm right down. Some chams are just more friendly than others, so if he still acts nasty when he's all grown up you'll just have to respect that and not handle him unless you need to.

i have had him for about 4 weeks now maybe five he lives in my room with me so he sees me everyday. thanks for your help

 

[bluechameleon]

i clicked on quote with reply but i cant see my reply message????

 

[Calypso]

Sweet article Olimpia. I'll try some of those tips as well. I know each individual is different, and we just have to take it slow. Some good friendly hand feeding is the best start to promote good feelings.