Can I clean my chams cage while he's asleep? Please help

[Bekkageary]

Hi, I'm new to chameleon forums, I've got a Cham who is about 3 or 4 months old. I purchased him from a pet store about a month ago and cleaning the terrianum was easy the first 3 times but for some reason he is getting very aggressive now even when I walk up to the glass very slowly. I'm not sure how to get him out to clean and I need to desperately. Can I clean it when he is asleep or will that anger him more? Please help.

 

[Inky]

males tend to get more terrtitorial as they grow , im taking it under the assumption you have a male because you used terms like he , him. this is normal behavoir for aging chameleons. what i would do is feed him a treat as you enter the cage like a wax worm or a butter worm or whatever you chameleon loves to eat. this should calm him down for a second so you can clean your cage

 

[Dumzy]

Inkys idea is good, you could also get a big plant like shleffara or ficus, and get him to climb out onto a stick and u can set him on the plant while you clean his cage.

 

[Bekkageary]

He won't let me go near him without hissing and changing into his defensive colors. Can I take him out when he's asleep or will he be even angrier

 

[Inky]

He won't let me go near him without hissing and changing into his defensive colors. Can I take him out when he's asleep or will he be even angrier

think about it like this, when im sleeping and when someone wakes me up in the middle of the night im going to be pissed about it. honestly if the treat idea wont work try doing this. when he is on a branch or tree take out the plant or stick while he is still on it and set it down some where while you clean the cage keep a eye on him so he doest run off . after your done pick the stick back up and put it back were it was

 

[Dumzy]

He won't let me go near him without hissing and changing into his defensive colors. Can I take him out when he's asleep or will he be even angrier

He would probably be angrier, i wouldnt, i would take his favorite food, pull its legs off and set it on the stick then put the stick infront of him, he will then climb out onto the stick to get the food.

 

[Bekkageary]

Okay thank you so much

 

[Chameleon Crazy Chick]

Well, try to gain his trust, then he won't be as pissed. Hopefully.

 

[Camillesmum]

I'm really new so don't have a clue but the person we brought our cham from said that she was really aggressive but she used to wear gloves & use a stick to get her out & she'd actually calm when she was out so she could start bribing her with treats so they could form a better relationship. She loves being handled now

 

[broderp]

males tend to get more terrtitorial as they grow , im taking it under the assumption you have a male because you used terms like he , him. this is normal behavoir for aging chameleons. what i would do is feed him a treat as you enter the cage like a wax worm or a butter worm or whatever you chameleon loves to eat. this should calm him down for a second so you can clean your cage

Inkys idea is good, you could also get a big plant like shleffara or ficus, and get him to climb out onto a stick and u can set him on the plant while you clean his cage.

Well, try to gain his trust, then he won't be as pissed. Hopefully.

The OP is getting a lot of good "canned" advise. It's all good in the long run, but doesn't really solve the immediate need. I'm not trying to be rude, but in the first example, a second or two distraction (if it works) may not be enough. The second advise given assumes he will respond to a stick. My Cham responds WORSE to a stick being put near him than if I put my hand in. Climbing on a stick that in turn will be carried by a massive human you are afraid of doesn't sound logical.

The third example makes perfect sense, but again this takes weeks to accomplish.

Here's my take, depending on what you need to do. You should define what your goal is and see if there is anything you can do to accomplish it with him still in the cage.

Example One (these were some of mine): I needed to trim some dead leaves off the plants in the back of his terrarium. My Cham got defensive as soon as my hand went in. I ignored him and he went to the opposite side of the terrarium and hide behind some leaves. I did what I needed and he (after throwing his fit) went his way and watched me.

Example Two: Misting. Up until recently, I had to hand mist every day and pick up standing water and poop. As soon as the door opened, my little Sherman ran for the hills after a show of anger. I once again ignored him and misted around him. Over the course of a week or two, he began to ignore the fact I was misting.

In the above two examples I not only did what I needed, but was also building the trust (even without food) that what I was doing was inconsequential to him and that I was not a threat.

Example Three: I needed to install a Mist King. I can't speak for all Chams, but my little Panther tries to climbs up and out when threatened. To install the Mist King, I needed to remove the top along with a lot of electrical stuff. I had no choice but to SLOWLY approach him with my hands cupped and when he ran to the mesh top, I very slowly and gently cupped my hands over him and even more gently closed them around him. When I felt he let go of the screen I enclosed him in my hands completely. He wasn't happy, he was very bright colored but NOT hissing or bloating up (perhaps due partially to the previous amount of exposure he has had to my hands being in his terrarium for maintenance) and I placed him in a box and closed it. I installed my Mist King (took about 30 minutes) and when I opened the box the instinct to climb out was there so he literately climbed out and went up my arm. I took advantage of this and handled him for a few minutes then placed him back in his terrarium.

Every situation is different. If your Cham hisses and bites, you may need leather gloves just to get near him. I have a female Veiled who hated everyone, even she learned to tolerate me being in the enclosure to clean up, but never became tame in the sense she never let me pick her up or hold her.

 

[Bekkageary]

@broderp thank you so so much, this is exactly what I needed