Veiled Attitude

[insert name here]

I hear pretty often how veileds are more tempermental than panthers. But can they be raised in a way such as handfeeding, contact etc. That they are just as nice as any panther raised the same way?

 

[SoCaliSon]

I raised my veiled by hand feeding, and he is as friendly as could be now. Couldn't really tell you if it was how I fed him, or if he is just a friendly dude... But he doesn't have a mean bone in him.

I do tend to think that if you raise a cham from 3 or so months, by handfeeding, and respecting his space, and keeping your intereactions with him as stress free with the cham as possible, that you will end up a more comfortable adult, that is not aggressive towards you. People think that daily forced handling ius the way to "tame" them and it is not... It will just make them hate you even more. You can't tame them... But you can respect their space enough so that they become comfortable with you.

 

[fozzie]

my chameleon loves being handled i dont force her i wait till shes ready to come to me ive only had her a few weeks now

 

[insert name here]

So the trick is to just not try and pick them up if they start showing stress colors and what not? Only when they are willing?

 

[fozzie]

if she starts to go dark then i leave her alone i dont want to stress her out but yea i try to encourage her a little just the usual putting my hand near her to c if she wants to come out for a while and she always does.

 

[SoCaliSon]

Here is a copy and paste of a post I typed out in a thread a month or so ago...
This explains it in a bit more detail.

I happen to be of the thinking that you can condition the way chameleons react to your presence, especially if you raise them from a young age. Not by daily forced handling until you "break" them, but instead by focusing on the comfort level of the cham, allowing them to do things on their terms and working with them while giving them enough space to feel comfortable. I do this by hand feeding my chams daily. With some new arrivals it takes a little bit for them to start to do this. Once they learn that when they see you, They may get fed, you have made a big step. If you are interacting with your cham and you notice territorial or defensive behaviors, back off a little bit, slow down, see if they will relax, don't force anything, and if they fail to calm down in your presence, leave them alone. Forcing an interaction at that point will just be adding to their stress, and will teach them that an interaction with you is a stressful scary thing. I think this is when people end up with chams that do nothing but hide in their enclosure, and retreat from the owner. You want them to relate you with good things, like food and comfort. Every cham that I daily hand feed like this, at some point, whether it be days, weeks, or months will eventually decide on one feeding when my arm comes in there, to head out my arm to explore on their own. This is the other great step, they have become comfortable enough around you to have a direct interaction with you on their own terms, with no stress involved. Stay calm and collected while holding the cham, making no fast motions, and give all of your attention to the cham, and whether or not they are comfortable. The same sort of thing applies, watch their behavior for signs of stress, if something starts to bother them allow them to climb back into their cage. Once you are handling the cham on their terms, this is a great time to offer a treat and try to get them to eat for you while being handled. This will just be another way for them to relate your interaction with food. It is all about respect for the animal, respect their space, respect their behavior, and you will receive a rewarding relationship with your cham in return. I have used this method with all my chams, and out of all the panthers and Veileds that I keep... I do not have a single pissy cham that will hiss or lunge, all will eat from my hand, and all stay calm for me if I need to remove them from their cage. I have no way of knowing if all chams would take to this the same way, This is just what I have learned to work in keeping the chams I have. I still think that my chams had just as much chance to be pissy as any other, I just think that with how I have raised them they don't see any need to be pissy or territorial, I respect their space.

~Joe

 

[SliK JiM]

I've always hand fed my guy treats, so I've always assumed that has helped me. I've never purposely tried to handle him, if he wants to come out, he comes out, has a wander and goes back in. Normally I can get away with my hands and arms in his enclosure (to move stuff/clean etc) and he doesn't seem to mind at all. There will be some times when he doesn't like it, and he lets me know, so I back off and leave him to it.

Sadly, the trick is to never 'pick' them up unless they want to come out. Just offer them a open palm, and if they climb on to you, then it's fair game (normally, if you put your hand between them and somewhere they're trying to go, they don't mind as much, but you have to be patient and steady, and if they walk off, its best to let them go) Also, don't forcibly pick them up as this will end in disaster! (Unless of course you have to like taking it to the vets or something)

 

[Gluuvan]

very informative thanks for the post.

 

[hallenhe]

To add to SliK JiM's posting, if you have to pick them up and they're hesitating, I've found holding a treat where they can see it but have to climb onto you to get it has worked very well.

 

[SliK JiM]

To add to SliK JiM's posting, if you have to pick them up and they're hesitating, I've found holding a treat where they can see it but have to climb onto you to get it has worked very well.

I always used to try that, but the damn waxies would fall off!