JGuinan007
Avid Member
My Cham hates me I rarely touch her
Handling help!
- Thread starter Bristoladrianna
- Start date
xraygirl
Established Member
When I first got both of my male panthers, I left them alone for a while... Maybe a old month to two months before I did anything more than putting feeders in, adding water to the drippers, and cage cleaning. Once they started to calm down when I was near the cage, I would open the door, if they didn't gape, puff up, run away,mets, I would offer a feeder in my hand. Once they started to eat from my hand, I would offer light chin rubs. If they didn't run away, I would do this for only a few seconds.
It took a good year and a half on my first panther to be "willing" to come out on his own. My other one I picked up off craigslist was continuously grabbed from his very tiny tank, and rough handled. He was very flighty, and would try to leap off your hand. I did not push him at all. I left him alone until he would calm down whenever I walked into the room. He got to the point of hand feeding then I hooked a fake vine branch to a free range, to the inside of his cage, and would walk to the other side of my room. Didn't take him long to figure this out. Then I would gradually use my hand as the "vine", so that the hand = food or free range time.
It took him only 10 months to be willing to come out of this cage. As soon as I walk into the room, he'll start scratching wanting to come out. He boogies out of the cage, on my arm and I take him to his free range and he'll roam the living room. Most times when I'm studying at my desk, he climbs up my desk lamp cord and sits on top of the desk light. Why he does this, maybe because he sees a light source as a heat source. But I keep a basking lamp on his free range all the time and he never uses it. No, I don't travel with my guys other than going to the vet, which I use a vet that does house calls now.
Do I believe chameleons are affectionate? I don't know. My two are sweet. I've not gotten hisses or have they attempted to bite me. However, any signs of "hey, leave me alone!", I leave them alone. Seems like some can handle handling more than others.
I think you should leave your guy be in his cage.. Let him get used to his new home and his surroundings. Only interact to give him food in his cup, misting, putting water in his dripper, cleaning, etc. I wouldn't push the dowel rod and handling much. If he's trying to hide he is very stressed out.
It's rewarding when you have the patience to let them understand that hands = ok things. I come home everyday and open Flash's door, and walk away, if he comes to the front, then he wants out and I let him roam. If he stays on his branch, then I close his door and leave him be. My other boy isn't as keen on coming out of his cage, but when he does he shows the "interest" I let him take his time to decide on what to do. When I first got Flash, seeing his very flighty behavior told me that he was going to be a true look, no touch chameleon. But he has calmed down quite a bit with patience. He doesn't try to leap off my hand, he doesn't try to scramble away from me. He has really mellowed out. But, like I said, there are days where they don't wanna be messed with, and I don't mess with them.
This is just my opinion. I've only had my guys for a combined 3 years, and I still constantly read and learn more about them, so I'm not saying I'm a experienced or a pro keeper.... But this is what I've seen personally with my own guys, what I've read, and what I see from others. I would never say that a chameleon is a beginner pet, or they are all so lovey dovey, because they aren't. I believe they have different personalities though. However, the forceful taming is really blown out of proportion, I've seen so many threads of people asking about how to tame their chameleons, and how to do it quickly. I can see why people want to do this because of all the images and threads talking about handling chameleons easily. People should really understand that a chameleon should never be considered a lovey cuddly pet, because most aren't. But, there are some people out there who have some sweet natured chameleons.
Again, just my two cents. I don't really want to be attacked over it.
It took a good year and a half on my first panther to be "willing" to come out on his own. My other one I picked up off craigslist was continuously grabbed from his very tiny tank, and rough handled. He was very flighty, and would try to leap off your hand. I did not push him at all. I left him alone until he would calm down whenever I walked into the room. He got to the point of hand feeding then I hooked a fake vine branch to a free range, to the inside of his cage, and would walk to the other side of my room. Didn't take him long to figure this out. Then I would gradually use my hand as the "vine", so that the hand = food or free range time.
It took him only 10 months to be willing to come out of this cage. As soon as I walk into the room, he'll start scratching wanting to come out. He boogies out of the cage, on my arm and I take him to his free range and he'll roam the living room. Most times when I'm studying at my desk, he climbs up my desk lamp cord and sits on top of the desk light. Why he does this, maybe because he sees a light source as a heat source. But I keep a basking lamp on his free range all the time and he never uses it. No, I don't travel with my guys other than going to the vet, which I use a vet that does house calls now.
Do I believe chameleons are affectionate? I don't know. My two are sweet. I've not gotten hisses or have they attempted to bite me. However, any signs of "hey, leave me alone!", I leave them alone. Seems like some can handle handling more than others.
I think you should leave your guy be in his cage.. Let him get used to his new home and his surroundings. Only interact to give him food in his cup, misting, putting water in his dripper, cleaning, etc. I wouldn't push the dowel rod and handling much. If he's trying to hide he is very stressed out.
It's rewarding when you have the patience to let them understand that hands = ok things. I come home everyday and open Flash's door, and walk away, if he comes to the front, then he wants out and I let him roam. If he stays on his branch, then I close his door and leave him be. My other boy isn't as keen on coming out of his cage, but when he does he shows the "interest" I let him take his time to decide on what to do. When I first got Flash, seeing his very flighty behavior told me that he was going to be a true look, no touch chameleon. But he has calmed down quite a bit with patience. He doesn't try to leap off my hand, he doesn't try to scramble away from me. He has really mellowed out. But, like I said, there are days where they don't wanna be messed with, and I don't mess with them.
This is just my opinion. I've only had my guys for a combined 3 years, and I still constantly read and learn more about them, so I'm not saying I'm a experienced or a pro keeper.... But this is what I've seen personally with my own guys, what I've read, and what I see from others. I would never say that a chameleon is a beginner pet, or they are all so lovey dovey, because they aren't. I believe they have different personalities though. However, the forceful taming is really blown out of proportion, I've seen so many threads of people asking about how to tame their chameleons, and how to do it quickly. I can see why people want to do this because of all the images and threads talking about handling chameleons easily. People should really understand that a chameleon should never be considered a lovey cuddly pet, because most aren't. But, there are some people out there who have some sweet natured chameleons.
Again, just my two cents. I don't really want to be attacked over it.
absolutbill
Chameleon Enthusiast
I've had chameleons for nearly 8 years now, and so feel that I'm ready to address this issue. I am a strong believer in taking your time, and being patient in order to have a chameleon become comfortable with you. The method posted above about sitting outside the cage and gradually moving closer is one that I personally use. I have other pets, so free-ranging is not possible for me, though it would be my first choice if my situation changed.
To say that ALL chameleons are not social is just ridiculous. One cannot group an entire species of animal together with one trait. It's akin to saying, "all Americans are ..., or all French people are ...". Chameleons are individuals and I don't think that I'm anthromorphizing to say this. Some will be cranky, some will be sweet, but at the end of the day it's our job as responsible keepers to make them the most comfortable they can be. If they are destined to be cranky, so be it, as long as we understand that's the inherent emotions of the animal and not a response to pain or discomfort.
I've personally seen Jann interact with her chameleons and until you do it's easy to say that they are just "loving her for food". However, those chameleons really do have a bond with her that goes beyond any sort of food-love blackmail. They are truly members of her family, and to see their healthy condition, and dare I say a light in their eyes when she is around is nothing short of amazing.
The other thing to consider is that as we continue to breed chameleons in captivity they are further and further removed from their wild ancestry. They become tamer simply due to their genetics. Consider wild dogs - puppies bred and raised in the wild would not make good pets, but as they are removed from the wild and bred to domestic dogs their wildness will pass out of them through the generations.
The higher death rate of chameleons that you are siting on here is due more to poor husbandry and not taking the time to properly care for them. The posts mention poor supplementation, bad lighting, incorrect gut loading processes, and the list goes on. Keepers who are willing to take the time to slowly acclimate their new chameleon to being held are not the ones posting about deceased pets.
Finally, it has been stated that chameleons are only interested in people as providers of food. If that were the case then wouldn't the chameleon flee back to it's cage when it became apparent that food was not available at the moment? We will never truly know the depths of a chameleon's ability to feel and process those emotions, so at then end of the day this is complete conjecture. All we can do is care for them with the depth and breadth of knowledge this forum provides and rely on our own observations of our own chameleons to judge the best courses of action for each situation.
To say that ALL chameleons are not social is just ridiculous. One cannot group an entire species of animal together with one trait. It's akin to saying, "all Americans are ..., or all French people are ...". Chameleons are individuals and I don't think that I'm anthromorphizing to say this. Some will be cranky, some will be sweet, but at the end of the day it's our job as responsible keepers to make them the most comfortable they can be. If they are destined to be cranky, so be it, as long as we understand that's the inherent emotions of the animal and not a response to pain or discomfort.
I've personally seen Jann interact with her chameleons and until you do it's easy to say that they are just "loving her for food". However, those chameleons really do have a bond with her that goes beyond any sort of food-love blackmail. They are truly members of her family, and to see their healthy condition, and dare I say a light in their eyes when she is around is nothing short of amazing.
The other thing to consider is that as we continue to breed chameleons in captivity they are further and further removed from their wild ancestry. They become tamer simply due to their genetics. Consider wild dogs - puppies bred and raised in the wild would not make good pets, but as they are removed from the wild and bred to domestic dogs their wildness will pass out of them through the generations.
The higher death rate of chameleons that you are siting on here is due more to poor husbandry and not taking the time to properly care for them. The posts mention poor supplementation, bad lighting, incorrect gut loading processes, and the list goes on. Keepers who are willing to take the time to slowly acclimate their new chameleon to being held are not the ones posting about deceased pets.
Finally, it has been stated that chameleons are only interested in people as providers of food. If that were the case then wouldn't the chameleon flee back to it's cage when it became apparent that food was not available at the moment? We will never truly know the depths of a chameleon's ability to feel and process those emotions, so at then end of the day this is complete conjecture. All we can do is care for them with the depth and breadth of knowledge this forum provides and rely on our own observations of our own chameleons to judge the best courses of action for each situation.
Bristoladrianna
New Member
Thank you all for the great responses and advice!!!
All chams are different,no matter is the tamest cham you been handled every day,sometimes they will have their mood swings off day,it wont even come towards you like they did yesterday,the key of interact with a cham,required to read their moments n behavior,you will have to know what your own chams like,and when is the best time to handle him or her,just like the tamest lion raise in a human world,it can still have a killer instinct to hunt to turn around n bite, we can never know which cham like to being handle,but the length of time plus your interaction with your own cham will definitely be a major key role to successfully in handling your precious chamys
Orcawhale
Member
I've had my 3 month Veiled Cham for about a month, and he still freaks every time I put my hand in the cage. I'll spend the next few weeks trying this method out... All I want is my Cham to put up, and have a positive relationship with me..
Orcawhale
Member
Yesterday I realized why I like these forums so much, because 98% of the members are very responsible people. You have to be to own a chameleon. I've been a member for about 2 weeks, and haven't had a negative exchange with anyone. Thats something you don't get on regular forums. I'm so thankful for all the helpful people here!Chameleons are use to roaming free and not being cramped in a cage. Even chameleons in the wild are social especially to humans. In Madagascar and South Africa when my husband or I offered an extended hand most crawler right on. Some were even hanging out together in the same tree/bush. I have personally had chameleons that enjoyed each other's company. See Jr. and Hendershot's photo below. They were best buds.
I treat my chameleons with love and respect. They are loved very much and a very BIG part of our family. They enjoy doing allot of the same things that we do just like any other pet. They often travel with us especially to the vets and enjoy looking out the car window. Their vet is 5 hours away so we stay in a hotel one or two nights and they are perfect travelers. We even have certain restaurants that we go to with outside seating and the chameleons are always welcome. Once when it rained we were even invited inside the restaurant with the chameleons. Everybody doesn't feel the same way as jajeanpierre but I'm sure most want speak up and allot aren't active on the forums anymore because of the closed minded people here. I truly love the chameleons and have stuck around to help the animal and their keepers even thought I have been picked on here before especially in the past but now days allot more people are open to free range and handling and see just how beneficial it is to a chameleon.
Orcawhale
Member
How do you suggest I attempt to make "friends" with my 3 month Veiled? He currently hisses every time my hand goes in the cage, whether to hold him, or to adjust a branch...
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