Chameleon handling

[chamleon]

SENIOR MEMBERS ONLY PLEASE
I got a 3mo. veiled chameleon from a breeder about a month ago. I am wondering weather or not it would be beneficial to handle him. In the long run, i want him to be comfortable around me. I know that some people say that they are all look no touch so i don't want any answers like that. I am planning to take him outside and give him some worms once hes on my hand and keep it up. There is just 1 problem... he is only willing to get on my hand when he leaves his territory (cage) i cant get near him without him running then hissing and stuff. Should i just put my hand behind him and lead him out onto the plant outside of his cage or what?

Thanks in advance!

 

[zlew]

First of all, if you say you don't want to hear a certain answer(s), then your question has no value and you shouldn't be asking it.

Second- you need to earn his trust before you start handling him. You should only be taking him out if absolutely necessary until such time as he stops running and hissing at you. To do this, you need to start doing basic care without disrupting him. You can also try hand feeding him. This is a great way to build trust between a chameleon and an owner. If he won't take the bug from your hand, try putting it on a leaf/branch and pulling your hand away. (one bug at a time). If he goes for it, then you can try it again with your hand a little closer. This worked really well with my chameleon. But, some chameleons can never be handled. Others love it. He may never want to come out, or go on your hand, and you may have to live with that. When he stops puffing his chin at your hand, move slowly with one finger perpendicular to his body under his chin, then lift his head so his feet go on your fingers. Keep lifting and if he doesn't bring up his back feet, stop lifting and just sit there for awhile, then try again in an hour or two.

 

[ChameleonKid69]

With my chameleons I handle as often as I can. And all my chameleons learned how to hand feed and that's the only way they eat now even the babies know how to hand feed. And also it's good to handle coz sometimes when it's hot outside u want to take him outside with litte to not effort

 

[chamleon]

Honestly, i have done tons of research.

i really have done tons of research and i hand feed and all and he has NO problem with it at all. I guess the wait was just too painful for me to not post this thread. And to help out other cham owners.

 

[zlew]

Try the finger-lifting thing I said.

 

[kwengkynator]

If youre gonna expect that your chameleon will come to you like a dog each time you put your hand out on the cage well I would say that you would be disappointed. These reptiles are not capable of learning love and affection. If youre looking for answers that will strengthen your bond with your cham and make them more tolerant and tame then we can provide answers.


NOTE: Young chams (4 months less) are usually VERY tolerant with handling these early stages are one of their most social times. I've seen a rather rebellious stage after this. Dont get spoiled with expectations of handling after 5 or 6 months. Push through and give your cham space but keep trying. Then you'll get your reward.


Here is something I posted a while back. This tells my taming techniques and procedures. It has yielded great results. Now my chams never hides from me. I sometimes give them a couple pat on the tail or crest.

For me my hand feeding /taming techniques works on a few factors; comfort and motivation. I make sure that before even trying hand feeding my cham is situated in the new environment. I just cup feed then. After a couple of days when they start roaming and being comfortable to the new environment I increase my presence around the enclosure. I grab my bean bag and chill right by the enclosure. Surf the web watch youtube, netflix for hours. This will make him get used to my presence. After around 3 or 5 days when you see your cham comfortably roaming around the enclosure, eating, drinking and doing their normal bidding while you're around looking at your cham. At this point your cham is comfortable well more like "tolerant" of you

At this point hand feeding attempts begin. On the days that I have to get up early for work around, 5 A.M. and leave half and hour later I skip filling up their feeder cup. When I get back from work around 3 or 4 PM. This period of no available food should motivate them a bit. I attempt preliminary hand feeding. This is when I put the feeder cup (an item the associate with food, comfort and inanimate object that is safe) on my hand and hold it close to them. Its gonna take a few attempts but when they are comfortable eating like this the finals phase begins. Direct hand feeding. Keep on trying no sudden movements (get used to staying still for 5 mins) and the comfort and motivation combination should make them "tolerate" your actions and BAM that awesome glorious moment when they eat out of your hand

I've had great success with this method. Really makes your cham tolerant with you and its a nice feeling when they hand feed

Patience and baby steps dont rush it and youll be handsomely rewarded!


p.s. Just because were not senior members doesn't mean we cant give great tips Although I must admit that I've been corrected by a senior before. Check and balance

 

[chamleon]

Baby Steps...

Thanks for the replies guys! My chameleon will now put a hand on me to lean in as i slowly move his feeder dish away! Hoping to find a good day to take him out for the first time where he can get some natural sun. (Bi-Polar weather here in North Carolina) Even though its winter it gets up to 75 F! I heard from MANY people that if you take good care of them and be persistent when handling, they will stop getting stressed altogether. I will ALWAYS try to make it a good experience for the cham every time i take him out.

 

[chamleon]

however...

if i move my finger toward him to pick him up he gets stressed a little

 

[ChamDE86]

if i move my finger toward him to pick him up he gets stressed a little

A trick I started using is to put the feeder on the screen cage and use your finger as a bridge from cham to food. Mine usually hops right on my finger and snatches the feeder up. I'm not sure what it is, but my cham tends to go nuts after I place the feeder on the cage. He eats from my finger like a champ, but it usually takes 20-30 seconds of enticing. The key is to show patience, so if he's stressing out, stop and try again the next day.

 

[ChamDE86]

My guy use to get really dark and stressed out when handling. Now he's a bit better. I like to handle my cham for a couple of minutes everyday.