what do you think is best??
- Thread starter sulley
- Start date
Psychobunny
Avid Member
My guyz climb right on me when I open their cage, but before they did that,
I had to hand feed them coax them onto my finger with food sometimes until they were used to me.
I did have to force them out sometimes to go outside and change cages, and they would hiss at me, but they are all tame now, except Kokie, who is still new and very shy.
I dont really think there is a "best way", it's just whatever feels right for you and your cham.
I had to hand feed them coax them onto my finger with food sometimes until they were used to me.
I did have to force them out sometimes to go outside and change cages, and they would hiss at me, but they are all tame now, except Kokie, who is still new and very shy.
I dont really think there is a "best way", it's just whatever feels right for you and your cham.
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Hi: I believe in leaving them alone and if they wish they will come to you.I don't think any animal should be forced to come to you or grabbed for our pleasure. I have bearded dragons as well and all have came to me and i can handle all but on their terms-after all they are wild and only on lone to us to look after and care for to the best of our ability. Buttons
Olimpia
Biologist & Ecologist
In my opinion, I think that any animal will be calmer and more comfortable if they are comfortable with people and the daily routine. I've been working with wild animals for 15-16 years and unless you need to rehabilitate and reintroduce them to the wild, the theory is the same. It's always better for an animal that is going to be forced to live in captivity, whether it's an owl, a monkey, or a chameleon, to feel as comfortable as possible with humans, our husbandry routine, and mild handling for health purposes. A chameleon that is scared out of it's mind of people will be much more miserable in a cage in your home than a chameleon that is comfortable at least with the sight of you.
This doesn't mean pull them out of their cage and force them to interact with you for hours every day, but work with them slowly and patiently to build up trust - start with hand-feeding to associate yourself with food. Then perhaps move on to bribing them onto your arm. Then handle them for short, rare stints of time and build up.
Even if you never get them to be comfortable with handling, having a chameleon that doesn't turn pitch-black, hiss furiously, and fall all over itself out of terror whenever you open the cage is already a small victory. And he'll be happier for it, since it's inevitable that you'll need to clean the cage, mess with the misting nozzles, pick up dead feeders, etc.
I've gotten even my most aggressive chameleons to relax to the point where they would tolerate short stints of handling, which made a HUGE difference in our lives when they needed to be taken to the vet, treated with eye ointment, weighed to monitor health, etc.
This doesn't mean pull them out of their cage and force them to interact with you for hours every day, but work with them slowly and patiently to build up trust - start with hand-feeding to associate yourself with food. Then perhaps move on to bribing them onto your arm. Then handle them for short, rare stints of time and build up.
Even if you never get them to be comfortable with handling, having a chameleon that doesn't turn pitch-black, hiss furiously, and fall all over itself out of terror whenever you open the cage is already a small victory. And he'll be happier for it, since it's inevitable that you'll need to clean the cage, mess with the misting nozzles, pick up dead feeders, etc.
I've gotten even my most aggressive chameleons to relax to the point where they would tolerate short stints of handling, which made a HUGE difference in our lives when they needed to be taken to the vet, treated with eye ointment, weighed to monitor health, etc.
Olimpia
Biologist & Ecologist
It depends. If you have a fairly mellow chameleon to begin with their temperament may not go towards more aggressive (although teenage hormones tend to do this sometimes to males in particular). If you have a really terrified/aggressive chameleon then they may or may not get used to you just by seeing you mess around the cage every day.
I had 2 like this who just really hated me, and I left them completely alone for the first year of their lives. That wasn't working to ease their stress (they still hated just seeing me in the room) so I started working with them. We started hand-feeding, free-ranging, short handling sessions and their temperament changed over several months and they were different animals after that. They would come up to eat from my hand, they wouldn't lunge, bite, or throw themselves off if I had to move them (although they would still puff), and they allowed me to give them meds if they needed them.
Not every animal is the same and not everyone agrees that chameleons should be messed with, but if you use a little common sense and fit a plan to your own animal so you don't push his boundaries too much (which is worse) you could at least have a chameleon that doesn't care whether you are messing around with the cage or not (because indifference is better than long-term fear). And if you can do hand feeding, even better! I think it's a great way to get a close-up look at your animal without removing them from the cage; you can see their eyes, their casque, body weight, tongue function, etc., and spot issues you might miss otherwise if they just always run away to a dark back corner of the cage.
I had 2 like this who just really hated me, and I left them completely alone for the first year of their lives. That wasn't working to ease their stress (they still hated just seeing me in the room) so I started working with them. We started hand-feeding, free-ranging, short handling sessions and their temperament changed over several months and they were different animals after that. They would come up to eat from my hand, they wouldn't lunge, bite, or throw themselves off if I had to move them (although they would still puff), and they allowed me to give them meds if they needed them.
Not every animal is the same and not everyone agrees that chameleons should be messed with, but if you use a little common sense and fit a plan to your own animal so you don't push his boundaries too much (which is worse) you could at least have a chameleon that doesn't care whether you are messing around with the cage or not (because indifference is better than long-term fear). And if you can do hand feeding, even better! I think it's a great way to get a close-up look at your animal without removing them from the cage; you can see their eyes, their casque, body weight, tongue function, etc., and spot issues you might miss otherwise if they just always run away to a dark back corner of the cage.
Hi: Olimpia; My new baby is not at all fightened of me. He constantly stays in front of cage and basks, and doe's not run away from me. I think he already associates me with food. When i go in his cage he stays put and i feel that is progress.I have only had him 5-days and i feel he's doing well.Going into his cage seems to him like it's a normal thing for me to do. I guess that is why he don't react.And i have him by my bathroom, which i am always going too. And i guess he knows i'm no threat to him.Buttons
