bad boy of the clutch?

[ash321]

Hi everyone!

Hope your all good,

I've reasontly got a blue bar ambilobe panther! He's about 4 months old now, I wondering If I've just managed to pick out a very grumpy cham out of the clutch or if its just cos he's young and maybe he might grow out of it?

I don't handle him at all cos I havnt wanted to stress him out but I've had to take him out about 3 times to clean the tank out and also atempted to get him to walk onto my hand, each time I've took him out to clean the tank he's bitten me pritty hard and been very scatty almost jumping out of my hands!
When I do try and get him to come onto my hand in the viv he hiss's and goes for me?!?!

I know a lot of chams will open their mouths as if they're gonna go for you but dnt actually follow it through!
I don't want my lil guy to hate me forever!!!
Does anyone own a chameleon like this ? Do you think he'll grow out of it?! Have you got any advice for me ? ?

Thanks in advance!

 

[JFKazz]

I also have had a female veiled that acts the same way. I have had her for over a year and she acts exactly the same. I want to get her out! I was told by the pet shop that just getting her out and getting her used to me was the only way to break that habit, however she won't let me get close without biting me at all. I too am curious as to how to solve this problem.

 

[CarlyMK]

He sounds sassy haha! I don't think theres any way to tell now if he'll grow out of it... All I can suggest is to start trying to hand feed him, slowly! Theres a great hand feeding thread on this forum if you search for it, food association is a good way to bond. If they don't want to be handled I don't think forcing them into it is a good idea like the pet store suggested.. Just my opinion though, hope this helps!

 

[ash321]

I also have had a female veiled that acts the same way. I have had her for over a year and she acts exactly the same. I want to get her out! I was told by the pet shop that just getting her out and getting her used to me was the only way to break that habit, however she won't let me get close without biting me at all. I too am curious as to how to solve this problem.

It is very fustrating isn't it!! My lil guy is still pritty tiny but the bite on him isn't tiny at all! He's a fiesty lil gremlin lol a friend of mine has a blue bar which is about 8 months and his is amazingly tame, come to you everytime you go to the window and drinks str8 from the spray bottle everytime you go to spray the tank I guess he's got a pritty special cham thou!

Fingers crossed for your yemen too!!

 

[dom1959]

are you guys able to hand feed?
minion has developed more tolerance for me the more
i have been able to hand feed.
once they are hand feeding they have less fear
of the hand as it approaches them.

 

[ash321]

He sounds sassy haha! I don't think theres any way to tell now if he'll grow out of it... All I can suggest is to start trying to hand feed him, slowly! Theres a great hand feeding thread on this forum if you search for it, food association is a good way to bond. If they don't want to be handled I don't think forcing them into it is a good idea like the pet store suggested.. Just my opinion though, hope this helps!

I agree I wouldnt want to forcefully handle him as I dnt think it works like that lol dnt think a bond will be made, I have tried hand feeding a lil bit atm the crickets I'm feeding him are so small that its quite hard to do! Ill check out that thread thou and get some tips! Thankyou

 

[ash321]

are you guys able to hand feed?
minion has developed more tolerance for me the more
i have been able to hand feed.
once they are hand feeding they have less fear
of the hand as it approaches them.

I'm hoping that it turns out like tht for me and him too but at the moment the crickets are so small its pritty hard to do!

 

[reptoman]

Try and hand feed some silks or horns and get him to get on your hand to get closer to the worm.
I have had a few that would bite as juveniles but calmed down when they hit around 10 months or so. Hopefully you know never to reach over top of a Cham. Always come from underneath. Even the calmest will freak if you go over their head to grab them.

 

[JFKazz]

Try and hand feed some silks or horns and get him to get on your hand to get closer to the worm.
I have had a few that would bite as juveniles but calmed down when they hit around 10 months or so. Hopefully you know never to reach over top of a Cham. Always come from underneath. Even the calmest will freak if you go over their head to grab them.

Funny that is what the pet store told me to do........

 

[reptoman]

Funny that is what the pet store told me to do........

For once the pet store knows what they are talking about

 

[ash321]

Try and hand feed some silks or horns and get him to get on your hand to get closer to the worm.
I have had a few that would bite as juveniles but calmed down when they hit around 10 months or so. Hopefully you know never to reach over top of a Cham. Always come from underneath. Even the calmest will freak if you go over their head to grab them.

That's a real good bit of advice which I havnt tried or thought of trying yet so thanks ill give that a go!! Yeah I never go to pick him up from behind or above but even getting underneath him is pritty tricky cos he goes for me either way lol! Spose it is nice to see his red colours so brightly though aha

 

[MollyT]

I feel your pain. Literally. Mine gets so agressive and hateful even if I'm just trying to wipe out the bottom of his cage or fix his dowel rods. I don't even have to be even near him and he will hiss loudly and try to bite me. He's a mean little guy! He has bit me and I was surprised at how bad it hurt. He is 5 months old now and it has not gotten any better. He will hand feed like a champ, which means he must trust me...just doesn't want anything else to do with me. 'Feed me then go away!' haha My husband will get him out maybe once every couple of weeks, just to make sure he doesn't get too violent. When we do that, he is nervous and will hiss and act nasty. I honestly think I'm going to stop getting him out. It seems to be too stressful on him. Sorry I don't have any advice...just wanted to let you know you are not alone. I have, however, started to laugh about it. That helps. At first I felt bad bc I wanted him to like me, then I just figured that he is who he is and I just have a grumpy little dude! I love the little guy, though..and it does make those moments when he handfeeds that much more special. Good luck!

 

[ash321]

Molly I'm pleased I'm not the only one!

So I just almost had a huge break through!!! After 45 minutes of trying to hand feed I came seconds away from success soo... I crouched down below his viv so he didn't feel as threatened with me towering over him and reached my arm above my head with my hand just infront of him and 3 inches away with a meal worm squeezed between my fingers so it would wriggle around and get his attention on the food rather than my hand, the first one he didn't react to atall and I held it for about 15 minutes he obviously noticed cos he didn't move away but it ended up wriggling out of my fingers.. The second happened the same but fell out of my fingers quicker /: but then on the 3rd one he seemed to be gettin pritty excited until it fell out of my fingers again!! Now you can probably guess what happened... On the 4th mealworm I held up for about 5-10 minutes and he was literally just about to take it from my fingers had his toungue out ready for action then booom. Bloody dropped it jus as he was about to extend jis toungue out to get it!! Am completely gutted. did try again but he had enough by that point and walked off. Can't believe it but I guess I was doing something right and will give it another go in the morning! /:

 

[MollyT]

That is good! I have the worst time hand feeding superworms and when I tried mealworms, it was the same. I drop them every time!! I will usually just handfeed with crickets now. I will either get them by a leg or by those prong-like things that stick out both sides of the end. That way, even if I'm holding on too hard, they will just rip off when his tongue pulls back on them. Plus, they wriggle around really good. It might just be a personal thing, but Kush always goes for the cricket faster than he would any worm. If I can get my little green meanie to handfeed...I know you will be fine!! haha

 

[ash321]

That is good! I have the worst time hand feeding superworms and when I tried mealworms, it was the same. I drop them every time!! I will usually just handfeed with crickets now. I will either get them by a leg or by those prong-like things that stick out both sides of the end. That way, even if I'm holding on too hard, they will just rip off when his tongue pulls back on them. Plus, they wriggle around really good. It might just be a personal thing, but Kush always goes for the cricket faster than he would any worm. If I can get my little green meanie to handfeed...I know you will be fine!! haha

I've only really properly tried with mealworms now and I'm confident he'll be handfeeding soon if I don't keep dropping them! The crickets I'm feeding him atm are so small that its almost impossible! I think ill try some waxworms soon too but they'll be equally as hard to hold I think lol yeah I think ill invest in some of them prongs on my next shop, they seem to make things much easier! I wanna see kush the lil gremlin! Haha

 

[ash321]

SUCCESS!!! Done it for the first time this morning. Am chuffed

 

[MollyT]

YAY!! So glad you got him to handfeed! It is such a good feeling! That is Kush in my avatar. I was going to post another couple of pics of him, but my husband just reformatted our computer a few days ago, and now I have no pictures on my computer. I will post some when I figure out what I did with my sd cards. Let's see some pics of your little dude!

 

[reptoman]

Cool! Glad to hear it worked out. It amazes me how some of my chams seem to enjoy interacting with people. Great first step!