Friendly Veiled Chameleon

[mesmoria]

This is my female veiled Chameleon and her name is Sangria

I’ve had her since she was a tiny green bean at 3-4 months old, and now she is around 9-10 months! I’ve learned a lot from the people on this forum just by reading so many conversations, and I’m still learning as I go along.

However, I have a question. Is it possible for chameleons, veiled chameleons in this case, to be easy tempered and tolerable with human contact? I’ve read that veiled chameleons can be quite temperamental, and I know it’s true.

I’ve always respected her boundaries and I’ve always kept my handling to a minimum unless it is absolutely necessary. The only time I ever “handle” her is when I am cleaning her enclosure and have to gently relocate her, or I bring her outside on my patio to free roam on her tree. I have been hand feeding her for quite a long time now as well.

Don’t get me wrong. There are times where she is absolutely bothered and gives attitude. As of lately, I’ve noticed a welcoming change.

When I open her cage, she’ll immediately come down from the highest point (her basking spot) and come face to face with me. Almost as if she’s saying “Hello” in her own way? Not only that, but lately she’s started to reach out towards me (literally reach out) and climb on me. Even if I’m simply sitting there in front of the cage not doing anything, or if I’m checking the plants in the bottom of her enclosure for poop to clean. She won’t bite, she won’t hiss. She’ll just chill out on my arm and still be a bright green with no indication of stress or anxiety. At that point, I still don’t touch her.

Like this afternoon, I opened the cage door to check for anything I may need to clean. She immediately came racing down the tree branch and got right in my face. Literally our noses almost touching, kind of freaked me out because I thought maybe she was going to chomp on my nose but she didn’t. She ended up crawling onto my hand and she hung out with me for 30 minutes before I gently put her back.

I let her do these things on her own accord and I’m wondering if anyone has experienced this kind of friendliness before.

I’m just a little shocked because her personality has completely flipped around. I suppose the months of hand feeding and trying to build a relationship of trust is starting to pay off. Anyone ever experience something like this with their Cham?

I love my little lizard so I really do welcome the change.

 

[jannb]

I have kept veileds for many years and they have all been friendly toward me.

 

[Beman]

So first you have to look at their enclosure overall. Is it set up correctly for them? A veiled will want to come out if it wants to find a better place to be. Also you have a female. She is getting to the age where she will lay eggs. So you have to then ensure she has a proper lay bin as a permanent fixture in the cage. Again wanting to get out to find a place to lay. But looking at their enclosure is the first step in knowing are they just bonding to you or are they looking for somewhere better to be.

They can be nice and they can flip and be aggressive. Most of the time being aggressive will come in defense of their enclosure and space.

Temperaments can change as they mature and with the seasons. spring time they can become more aggressive just because they are looking for a mate.

 

[mesmoria]

I have kept veileds for many years and they have all been friendly toward me.

Nice! I’ve read from quite a few conversations that they can be the most temperamental. She’s my first one, so I wasn’t sure

 

[Lindasjackson]

She’s beautiful! not All chams are the same and I guess you just got a friendly one. I think it helps that you’ve had her since she was a baby and you’ve hand fed her right along. She may be coming right to you because she thinks you may have food but its more fun to think it’s because she likes you!

 

[mesmoria]

So first you have to look at their enclosure overall. Is it set up correctly for them? A veiled will want to come out if it wants to find a better place to be. Also you have a female. She is getting to the age where she will lay eggs. So you have to then ensure she has a proper lay bin as a permanent fixture in the cage. Again wanting to get out to find a place to lay. But looking at their enclosure is the first step in knowing are they just bonding to you or are they looking for somewhere better to be.

They can be nice and they can flip and be aggressive. Most of the time being aggressive will come in defense of their enclosure and space.

Temperaments can change as they mature and with the seasons. spring time they can become more aggressive just because they are looking for a mate.

I do have an egg laying bin for her, however it’s in a separate enclosure. I haven’t seen any indication that she’s gravid or any jelly beans poking out from her sides, but I am always looking just in case. Every day.

Her enclosure is rather tall and she’s happy with it, plenty of room for her. She has the luxury of free roaming often and I believe that is what entices her to come out too. Can’t say I blame her, I wouldn’t want to be in a cage for so many hours.

 

[mesmoria]

She’s beautiful! not All chams are the same and I guess you just got a friendly one. I think it helps that you’ve had her since she was a baby and you’ve hand fed her right along. She may be coming right to you because she thinks you may have food but its more fun to think it’s because she likes you!

Thank you <3 I hope she develops more colors sometime soon.

And I’m sure that’s the main reason, hahaha! I’m just glad there is trust there.

 

[Beman]

I do have an egg laying bin for her, however it’s in a separate enclosure. I haven’t seen any indication that she’s gravid or any jelly beans poking out from her sides, but I am always looking just in case. Every day.

Her enclosure is rather tall and she’s happy with it, plenty of room for her. She has the luxury of free roaming often and I believe that is what entices her to come out too. Can’t say I blame her, I wouldn’t want to be in a cage for so many hours.

So the lay bin should be a permanent part of her enclosure, you would not want to move her to another space. Having a ton of plants in the cage from top to bottom makes them feel more secure in their space.

If you want to know if she is doing it because of the enclosure then post a picture of the entire enclosure lighting down with the dimensions of the enclosure.

 

[kinyonga]

I agree with @Beman ....the egg laying bin should be in the cage at all times. If it's not you could miss the sometimes subtle indications that she needs to lay.

 

[mesmoria]

I agree with @Beman ....the egg laying bin should be in the cage at all times. If it's not you could miss the sometimes subtle indications that she needs to lay.

Gotcha. I thought since she didn’t show any signs of being pregnant and no eggs coming out of her sides, to just keep it separate until I noticed something. I’ll move it to the inside. First time having a female veiled so I appreciate any advice.

 

[Macy&Pixie the chameleons]

This is my female veiled Chameleon and her name is Sangria

I’ve had her since she was a tiny green bean at 3-4 months old, and now she is around 9-10 months! I’ve learned a lot from the people on this forum just by reading so many conversations, and I’m still learning as I go along.

However, I have a question. Is it possible for chameleons, veiled chameleons in this case, to be easy tempered and tolerable with human contact? I’ve read that veiled chameleons can be quite temperamental, and I know it’s true.

I’ve always respected her boundaries and I’ve always kept my handling to a minimum unless it is absolutely necessary. The only time I ever “handle” her is when I am cleaning her enclosure and have to gently relocate her, or I bring her outside on my patio to free roam on her tree. I have been hand feeding her for quite a long time now as well.

Don’t get me wrong. There are times where she is absolutely bothered and gives attitude. As of lately, I’ve noticed a welcoming change.

When I open her cage, she’ll immediately come down from the highest point (her basking spot) and come face to face with me. Almost as if she’s saying “Hello” in her own way? Not only that, but lately she’s started to reach out towards me (literally reach out) and climb on me. Even if I’m simply sitting there in front of the cage not doing anything, or if I’m checking the plants in the bottom of her enclosure for poop to clean. She won’t bite, she won’t hiss. She’ll just chill out on my arm and still be a bright green with no indication of stress or anxiety. At that point, I still don’t touch her.

Like this afternoon, I opened the cage door to check for anything I may need to clean. She immediately came racing down the tree branch and got right in my face. Literally our noses almost touching, kind of freaked me out because I thought maybe she was going to chomp on my nose but she didn’t. She ended up crawling onto my hand and she hung out with me for 30 minutes before I gently put her back.

I let her do these things on her own accord and I’m wondering if anyone has experienced this kind of friendliness before.

I’m just a little shocked because her personality has completely flipped around. I suppose the months of hand feeding and trying to build a relationship of trust is starting to pay off. Anyone ever experience something like this with their Cham?

I love my little lizard so I really do welcome the change.

OMG mine is the same way except she's 13 months old and she's still a tiny green bean, she was abused by her previous owner and now she's permanently tiny.