handling a baby Panther

[Gianfranco]

Yesterday I brought home my first chameleon, a 4 months old male Ambilobe. I would like to start handling him but I don't know how, he is still quite scared and when I approach with my hand he starts hissing and tries to bite me. Any tricks for an unexperienced Cham lover like me?
Thanks in advance.

 

[boj3434]

screameleons has a video on handling and I just saw one from tikitiki too. Just take your time and dont force him. try getting him used to handfeeding first then move to luring him out. I did it with mine and now he cant wait to get out of his cage he sprints out everytime i open it. good luck

 

[pssh]

I recommend not handling them more than once a week for 5-10 minutes for a health check and for some pictures. They stress easily and stress kills. You should especially be leaving him alone since he's new. Chameleons aren't exactly handle-able pets.

Other exceptions to the once a week rule would be for showers, outside sun time, and if the chameleon voluntarily walks out onto your hand while your hand is at the front of the cage.

 

[tkilgour]

Exactly what pssh said. A new arrival I would only handle if totally necessary.

 

[OOOst16]

As a new cham owner I would aslo be doing hard core research for care and enclosure. Unless you alredy have. Most new cham owners think they know what there doing untill they come here ( example = me)....there's a lot to this hobby and I can't stress how important research is.