Did I make my 4mon. old panther chameleon more timid and will he always be like this?

[VisionaryTrance]

I bought my first 4 month year old male panther chameleon 3 days ago. The other day I took him out of his cage and let my mom hold him (I now know that handling so close to introduction to a new environment is not good). He was crawling on her hands fast and she ended up picking him up by his body in a grabbing way and when she did this his mouth was gaping open, as if he was very stressed. He now seems to be more timid than he was when I first got him and I am wondering if he is more timid now because of how my mom handled my chameleon.

Whenever I open the cage now he seems to avoid me more and hide behind leaves or sticks, and he wont let me hand feed him anymore like I was able to when I first put him in his cage. Whenever i try to pick him up (and i don't often) he tries to get away and/or starts to turn black or brown on various parts of his body.

Will he be this timid from now on and is it because of how my mom handled him?
How can I make him more tame and willing to confront me and hand feed him?

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

First, just reaching your hand in the cage to pick him up will make him much more timid or in some cases aggressive. You need to build trust through hand feeding. Once he will hand feed, slowly draw him onto your hand with food. Do this regularly until he comes running. This will work with most Chams but like people they are all different and some never come around.

Yes, I believe your mom handling him will probably set you back. You will have to very slowly earn back his trust.

 

[shmeenakoz]

Read Psychobunnys blog "The taming of the chameleon", this may be just the thing you need! It is VERY helpful!! Most babies are timid at first but they do come around with much time and patience. It will happen but don't force it, learn when to call it a day. Id say the mishandling is a minor set back since he is so new and young. Good luck, hope this helps and welcome

 

[xephyr17]

There are some good videos on youtube as well which I've been applying and it's helped

 

[VisionaryTrance]

I will be going on a 1 week trip to Canada in less than a week and I will be bringing my cham to a friends house to be taken care of, any advice? I was going to put him in a shoebox so he would go to sleep but I will only be taking him 10-15 minutes away.

 

[sharp229]

Here's a link to the article mentioned previously:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/psychobunny/746-taming-chameleon.html

I don't think one handling incident will be a very big setback, but in general it could take many months before he gets used to you.

A shoebox should be fine if it has one or more secure branches inside for him to hold onto and plenty of ventilation holes. Is he going to be in the same cage or a new cage while at your friend's house?

 

[heather89]

I would be careful with excessive, rough, or forceful handling. I got a chameleon from someone who didn't know how to take care of chameleons when she was 5 months old. He had taken her out of the cage by by her body and would keep her on his hand while waving it around and talking. He was like "Look she's all black and standing on her back legs with her hands in, she must like being held!" I've had her 4 months and she still to this day doesn't trust anyone or anything. Poor thing.

 

[VisionaryTrance]

Here's a link to the article mentioned previously:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/psychobunny/746-taming-chameleon.html

I don't think one handling incident will be a very big setback, but in general it could take many months before he gets used to you.

A shoebox should be fine if it has one or more secure branches inside for him to hold onto and plenty of ventilation holes. Is he going to be in the same cage or a new cage while at your friend's house?

He will be in the same cage at my friends house , im not sure if i should just leave him in his cage for the the ride or put him in the shoebox, as he may run if i try to take him out of his cage and i dont want to forcefully pick him up. My friend has had many reptiles and should take good care of him but is there anything else i should tell him on how to feed him?

 

[VisionaryTrance]

UPDATE: this morning after holding a couple crickets in front of him for a long time i was able to hand feed him only 2 then he was uninterested and walked away. I then put more in his cage and saw him eating them without hesitation

 

[melble68]

3 days is no time at all for him to get totally comfy w/ his new "home" with you. My Nosy Be just here towards the end of July is turning 1 yr old, and he just only very recently started taking feeders from my fingers. Patience is the best thing right now. I don't think you have anything to worry about.

Put yourself in a chameleon's perspective. They generally don't like the over the top approach. I always try to come from under. Let him walk onto you hand kind of a thing, or come from underneath. Come in slow and calm. He'll also get used to how you approach and such. He's new to you, and you are new to him. You'll be ok. Just take your time.

 

[VisionaryTrance]

Could i leave my cham in his cage when i transport him from house to house by car? (Approximately 10-15 minutes away)

 

[sharp229]

If you can secure the cage well in your car and everything inside the cage is well secured it should not be a problem for a short drive. You could put a blanket over the cage while transferring to and from the car to reduce his stress.