Handling panther chameleon and when? attitude problems, etc...

[unixmiah]

I have maybe 6 weeks old Panther Chameleon. I want to start hand feeding him and start handling him. I read somewhere that you should never handle a baby, they are fragile and yo shouldn't stress them out.


He did however was welcoming, he reached out to me, esp. fingers-- he did come and walk on my hands. It's been few weeks now after reading something on here to leave him. But now, he's more afraid, the less I handle him the less distant he becomes.

When I open to give him the small crickets, he runs and hides and does this thing where he rolls on a branch and moves like a clock to hide his face or if he sees my face, so weird.

When do I start handing him? when is it safe? do I wait until his skin gets thicker? not sure, what I can do to avoid any attitude problems they may have when they are older? shouldn't I start handling him now so he doesn't do that?

 

[Carlton]

I have maybe 6 weeks old Panther Chameleon. I want to start hand feeding him and start handling him. I read somewhere that you should never handle a baby, they are fragile and yo shouldn't stress them out.

Not true at all. However, yes they are fragile so you want to handle them carefully (no grabbing them off a branch, covering them with your hand, or spooking them so they fall onto a hard floor).


He did however was welcoming, he reached out to me, esp. fingers-- he did come and walk on my hands. It's been few weeks now after reading something on here to leave him. But now, he's more afraid, the less I handle him the less distant he becomes.

A lot of this is finding a balance between no handling at all, or too much that builds up his overall stress level. Occasional brief handling won't hurt. As you two get to know each other it will be clearer to you when you've gone too far for his comfort level. He's still very young, so patience is key.


When I open to give him the small crickets, he runs and hides and does this thing where he rolls on a branch and moves like a clock to hide his face or if he sees my face, so weird.

Not unusual at all. Put in his feeders anyway and back off.

When do I start handing him? when is it safe? do I wait until his skin gets thicker? not sure, what I can do to avoid any attitude problems they may have when they are older? shouldn't I start handling him now so he doesn't do that?

It has nothing to do with his skin thickness. In addition to offering food by hand, doing your daily routines around his cage, you can also briefly put a hand near him, touch his branch, etc. and he'll learn that you are not going to hurt him. It just takes patience.

 

[jcarlsen]

I have maybe 6 weeks old Panther Chameleon. I want to start hand feeding him and start handling him. I read somewhere that you should never handle a baby, they are fragile and yo shouldn't stress them out.


He did however was welcoming, he reached out to me, esp. fingers-- he did come and walk on my hands. It's been few weeks now after reading something on here to leave him. But now, he's more afraid, the less I handle him the less distant he becomes.

When I open to give him the small crickets, he runs and hides and does this thing where he rolls on a branch and moves like a clock to hide his face or if he sees my face, so weird.

When do I start handing him? when is it safe? do I wait until his skin gets thicker? not sure, what I can do to avoid any attitude problems they may have when they are older? shouldn't I start handling him now so he doesn't do that?

Honestly, the best answer you're going to get is that it varies with chameleons and that you shouldn't try to push your chameleon into handling. Work on the hand feeding as it gets a bit older, but for now just focus on keeping it alive and well.

Many people mistakenly buy chameleons thinking they're handling type pets, and for some it is the case and others it's simply not. If you see your chameleon getting stressed by something you're doing, back off for now. Like Carlton said, just put the feeders in and give the cham privacy.