Taming?

[stolbert89]

hey everyone, I've had a male veiled for about a month now. He is close to 4 months old. He is not exactly the friendliest little guy. Really it is more of him being really scared of me. If I walk into the room he will lean towards the opposite side of the branch from me. When I take him outside for some sun he will try to escape from me or hiss at times. He has only eaten from my had twice and he wont any more. Is there any way I can get him to become a little bit friendlier? I was thinking about free ranging him, would that help (If done properly)? Any stories of how your chameleon used to be mean but is not anymore would be encouraging. Thanks

 

[AReptile]

The only advisable thing to try and calm them down is handfeeding. Don't try to handle it regularly as chameleons dont respond well to the stresses of regular handling. I have a chameleon similar to yours and in her cage she is very territorial towards me but when she is let out periodically she is a little more mellow than in her enclosure. Still gapes though regardless. Don't give up on the hand feeding!

 

[carol5208]

Yes, free ranging would help immensely. Well, it has in my case and other members on here also. Chameleons are more territorial in their cages. I started to handle mine at first with a small branch and got him to climb onto it. Did not force the issue, just caught him at the right moment. Try opening the door of the cage and see if you can get him to come out on the door. If so, then try gently placing your hand under his chin and lifting up and see if you can get him to climb onto your hand. Also, try hand feeding him when he is out of the cage rather than in. And yes, when I first got mine at 4 months old he was not friendly at all. But I pursued handling him. Not stressing him out so much though. If he is that bad about being handled then you need to back off and give him some space. The thing that really turned my chameleon around was letting him climb out of the cage. His personality changed completely. He is now 10 months old and I can stick my hand in the cage and he will climb on it to come out. So yes, there is definitely hope, but there are instances where some chams just never take to handling!

 

[bridgofaith]

I can tell you from my personal experience that free ranging changes attitudes and aggression. I have 2 male panthers that were in cages their entire life. They were VERY aggressive. If I even tried to put my hand in the cage, I risked a nasty bite. Jann told me to give free ranging a try and see what happens. All I can say is WOW! Huge difference in just a matter of days! I have NO problem handling them now. They freely come to me, never hiss or gape or attempt to bite. They do not run and hide either. It doesn't matter who comes in the house, they don't know a stranger. They are friendly to everyone. I have 4 chams at them moment that are free ranged. The 2 adult male panthers and 2 juvie veileds from Jann. All of them are friendly and non-aggressive. The ones unfortunately still in cages are super aggressive. I would definitely give free ranging a try.

 

[jannb]

I free range both my chameleons but they have always been very sweet. My daughter has bought WC chams in the past and they were very aggressive until she started free ranging. Now her WC Nosy Be is 8 years old and he is just as sweet as my Luie but he didn't come that way.

Veileds can be very territorial when caged. I would recommend putting a tree or large plant in front of his opened cage door and watch from a distance and see if he'll come out. Once out they are usually much nicer. If you have a safe area to set up a free range it would be an excellent idea for your guy.

 

[stolbert89]

Thanks for the responses. I will give the free ranging a try and see what happens.

 

[jackscham]

Free ranging is a whole new ball game. Good luck if you go in that direction. Your chameleons behaviour is quite normal. Keep in mind, most chameleons generally don't respond well to regular handling. Sometimes even the colour of your clothing can cause your cham to react in an aggressive manner. Hand feeding can help him get over the anxiety of your hand entering his enclosure. NEVER force anything on him! When he is ready, he will come. Be patient.
Good luck!

 

[JaxyGirl]

Hi there! I also free range my male Jackson's cham. He's always been a sweet boy but is even sweeter now. The thing that you have to understand about free ranging is that you have to provide all the important elements out of the cage that you would have in a cage. You must supply the correct lighting..UVB and UVA. You must provide a way for your cham to capture their food either by hand feeding (which mine does) or by cup feeding otherwise you'll have feeders running around your house. You must provide a way for them to get water whether it is a drip method, spraying or mist king but all the while maintaining an area that is somewhat waterproof so you don't get stagnant water on your carpets etc. Free ranging is very very rewarding but you definitely need the right setup. If you do a search you should come up with ideas that other people have had

 

[Olimpia]

I've switched to free ranging all five of mine full time only in the last month, but the diference is very noticable. I'll focus on my biggest panther, Cerberus. Cerberus wasn't always really mean, since I hand fed right from when I got him, but as soon as he reached puberty he immediately became much more territorial and aggressive towards me. So much so that there was NO way to get him out of the cage without having to use a stick.

Only 2 weeks ago I made a huge free range and have Cerb living in there full time. Well, he's like a different animal. We're not best friends yet, but gosh, the difference is so rewarding. Now I can pet his chin without him just puffing up and threatening a bite just by seeing my hand. That to me is a big difference. And I'm sure that by the end of the month he'll be crawling on me out of his own free will.

And all the results have been super positive with all the others as well. From my wild caught Othello to my newest baby, not only are they visibly happier and more active, but by not being cornered in a cage they just aren't afraid of me anymore. Which if you ask me, means they live a much more stress-free life.

So it's something to consider, but in my opinion, it's such a rewarding way to keep one of these great animals. They have so much personality when they aren't cooped up in a cage!

 

[stolbert89]

ok, so what would be the best approach in yalls opinion? Should I wait a week or two for him to free range before i try to do anything with him? When I enter the room he just hides lol. He does seem to be much happier now that he is out of his cage permanently. And when you say you use a stick, do you mean that you place it by him and hope he grabs onto it? Seems the only way he will do that is if he sees me and takes off onto it haha

 

[carol5208]

yes, take the branch or stick and approach him slowly with it. Try and place it under his front two feet or chin and kind of lift up on it gently and see if you can get him to climb onto it. Have you tried handfeeding him at all or is the that just out of the question due to his running away when he sees you?

 

[stolbert89]

He ate from my hand several times after I had him for a week but then he stopped. I am putting silk worms on the end of the branch I am using and he is eating off of that just fine. I am thinking about doing that for a little bit and gradually working my way up to using my hand again. Do you think that would be good to try?

 

[Eppler]

I tried using a stick but he instantly started attacking it and slapping his tail at it so we don’t play that game anymore!

 

[Daguerreotype13]

I tried using a stick but he instantly started attacking it and slapping his tail at it so we don’t play that game anymore!

He slapped his tail at it? i've never heard of that behavior before i didn't know they did that?

 

[Eppler]

First and last time I saw that out of him!!