Hi guys need some help with handling my baby veiled chameleon

I have a pygmy chameleon and I only handle her when I clean out her enclosure. She doesn't run away from me when I do, but I know she hates it so I just let her be. Give the little guy a chance to get used to you and his new home. Even if he doesn't let you hold him maybe you'll be satisfied just seeing and knowing he's happy. They may not be the most loving pets but they have a way of growing on you. Good luck!!!
 
My age, 6 years old.

I impulse bought him cause i watched the trailer for "Rango".

I know they're gutloaded because I can just see through the crickets with my X-ray vision and tell lol.

From here on out I will not answer the obvious retorts but just couldn't resist those goofy questions that did not even broach the topic at hand.

Thanks though on seeing that i rescued the little guy from petco. with every intention.

With all that aside and not needing to handle them ever being "ornamental pieces" and on those terms well with that logic... what if my little guy gets sick??? How do i get him to a vet? when he feels like letting me lol???

still haven't got any handling tips?? guess i better hope those problems never arise?
 
OK, I have to admit, I was not too impressed with the tone of voice you've given the more mature members of this forum...but I will answer your question the best I can.

When I want my cham to come to me, I open the cage door, stick my hand near him...and wait. If he wants to chill, he will walk onto my hand and then I will hold him for a bit before transferring him to something vertical he can climb - a bush I have inside, my shirt, my hair, etc. If, after three to five minutes, he still doesn't walk onto my hand, I just close the cage and try again later. it's extremely stressful for them to have someone reach in and try to snatch them, not to mention dangerous. They have very delicate legs, so you can't exactly pull them off a branch or something like that. If you need to get him to the vet, I've always taken the entire cage with me in the car. I know it sounds excessive, but it's a lot LESS stressful for the cham. I know some people have traveling cages they use and that would work too.
 
you very well could be 6, lol?

some people hold a stick out for the cham to climb onto - some take the stick or whatever he is on out. i personally take my finger and put it under his chin and lift a little bit and usually he will just climb up. doesnt always work.

if you REALLY have to get him out and cant, you could just take everything out so theres nothing for him to really climb on. if you are taking him back to the store i suppose you could even just bring the whole enclosure and have them get him.

lol
 
Handling tip:
We have a chameleon that does not like to be handled. AT ALL. I leave her alone. If I have to get her out of the cage I do one of two things:
1. Put on gloves because I am a sissy and she bites.
2. Go to my husband and say "honey can you move Penelope for me"

She has been a mean nasty biter since we brought her home at three weeks old. She is happy to hand feed but that's all the "affection" we get from her.

You can try leaving the cage open and put a plant out side it and maybe he will come out on his own. Someday. Even fearful or aggressive chameleons tend to chill once out side their cage.

The things people are saying to you are for a reason. If you try to force everything in a hurry your chameleon will probably never want to be handled and will remain fearful.

If you really have to have a chameleon that you can handle try an older (sub-adult or adult) CB Jackson's or k. multi. They tend to be a bit more easy going.
 
I have a 4 month old veiled male, and he loves me to death (although I haven't got him to hand feed or eat out of a cup I'm holding), and even then I only handle him every so often, general only to put him on his free range to clean his cage, or to put him on his pothos plant to take him outside.

Sometimes he runs from my hand in which case I back off immediately, but generally he'll walk right onto my hand from a branch , it makes me so happy when he does:D


But I'm fully expecting a 180 degree turn in his temperment when he fully matures:(
 
Actually, it is important to have your crickets gut loaded.. its nothing to make fun about.

Taking care of an animal is serious stuff. If you want to do things you have to do them right.
 
ShortStack said:
Actually, it is important to have your crickets gut loaded.. its nothing to make fun about.

Taking care of an animal is serious stuff. If you want to do things you have to do them right.
Click to expand...

Thanks, trust me though they're gutloaded though. I've done talked to very helpful people such as David, Camimom etc already. :confused:
 
SamanthaElle said:
When I clicked on that Youtube vid of your cham I was expecting him have an epileptic seizure or for his eyes to pop out of his head like a jack-in-the-box. All our chams do this! Its a cup your shoving in his face! What do you expect your cham to do? Thats how they are, love them for it!

Please refrain from having an attitude towards all members of the group. The tone you have been using is not welcome here.
Click to expand...

"expecting"? :rolleyes: well maybe you shouldn't jump to conclusions and talk condescending towards new members miss 65 posts representative of all "members of the group". Seriously you're the main one that got me going with a mild "tone". You even came back to type it in red? lol wow.

If a moderator finds a problem with me i'll gladly oblige but you hun sorry I'll just ignore your every post. Maybe check your tone and reflect on it. thanks though.

To everyone else like I said who actually helped MUCH appreciated sorry I let a few smug comments get to me and for that I do apologize.

Many great and helpful people here. Obviously like all forums there are some that just come out swinging and expect people to roll over and take it.
 
TheSeymoursDOTcom said:
"expecting"? :rolleyes: well maybe you shouldn't jump to conclusions and talk condescending towards new members miss 65 posts representative of all "members of the group". Seriously you're the main one that got me going with a mild "tone". You even came back to type it in red? lol wow.

If a moderator finds a problem with me i'll gladly oblige but you hun sorry I'll just ignore your every post. Maybe check your tone and reflect on it. thanks though.

To everyone else like I said who actually helped MUCH appreciated sorry I let a few smug comments get to me and for that I do apologize.

Many great and helpful people here. Obviously like all forums there are some that just come out swinging and expect people to roll over and take it.
Click to expand...

So now that you have received information, tips, and help on how to handle the chameleon, what are your plans? Do you plan to keep the little guy? I would give him a chance if I were you. ;)

They can grow to be awesome creatures, and you'll love him if he's friendly. (by the looks of your video, it looks like he might be in the future with some work)
 
Pilotman800 said:
So now that you have received information, tips, and help on how to handle the chameleon, what are your plans? Do you plan to keep the little guy? I would give him a chance if I were you. ;)

They can grow to be awesome creatures, and you'll love him if he's friendly. (by the looks of your video, it looks like he might be in the future with some work)
Click to expand...

Thanks Pilot, I am defin. leaning towards keeping the little guy. I do realize i acted hastily on my starting thread/post.

I've just been worrying myself sick over this little guy. I do realize I let the stress of it all get to me and that all pets take time. he just seemed so calm and relaxed is why i moved my hand towards him today and just got sad that he ran.

I do realize and understand his and my needs. I've been stressing out over him just as much as he has been. I guess I just let my own selfishness stress get the best of me too.

.. and sorry Samantha and anyone else I might have offended. I have just been very stressed and worried about the little guy and i semi cracked.
 
TheSeymoursDOTcom said:
Thanks Pilot, I am defin. leaning towards keeping the little guy. I do realize i acted hastily on my starting thread/post.

I've just been worrying myself sick over this little guy. I do realize I let the stress of it all get to me and that all pets take time. he just seemed so calm and relaxed is why i moved my hand towards him today and just got sad that he ran.

I do realize and understand his and my needs. I've been stressing out over him just as much as he has been. I guess I just let my own selfishness stress get the best of me too.

.. and sorry Samantha and anyone else I might have offended. I have just been very stressed and worried about the little guy and i semi cracked.
Click to expand...

...thanks. I am very much offended, in fact extremely hurt by most of the things you said.

With that aside, these little guys are wonderful little creatures that are extremely rewarding to care for. I wish the best for you and your veiled.
 
Now I've seen the video as well, and it seems like a totally normal Chameleon, I hope that it is just the worry and stress of keeping your first Cham which led to your seeming to be very impatient with him. Maybe the talk of returning him after less than a week, when he's not done anything unusual..............but the people on this forum generally care more about the chams feelings than the owners who seem to be unaware of what a chameleon needs. I consider that to be a good thing in general.........there are some very young people who turn up on the forum, with no idea at all - so I think the questions you were asked are reasonable (though I can see why you were a little defensive). I also would not trust that crickets were pre-gutloaded, that can mean anything, so I would like it if you could at least make sure of that, and check out the lists of good high-calcium gutloading foods around here - butternut squash is one I found out about on the forum and I always have some around now.......
Good luck with him (if you keep him, lol), just try to worry less - the fact that he's eating at all is a good start.........:)
 
again, with the crickets. You may buy them "gut loaded". But unless your feeding him the crickets just a few hours after you buy them, they will need to be fed again or their nutrients are gone.

I don't know how else this needs to be said. You must continually gut load the crickets or else it does no good.
 
I just got a male baby vailed chameleon yesterday. :D He keeps closing one of his eyes and then switches to the next one always keeping one eye open:(.He does this alot and i dont know what to do :confused:. can you guys help me
 
Vieled chameleons are known for being a little more mean so I would work on fedding himby hand first then after a m
onth try rubbing his chin.
 
Chameleon owner 770, closing his eyes like that is a sign of a health problem. Take a look at this post that lets you know all of the information you need to give

https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

Then post a new thread in the Health Clinic forum that includes that info and describing the issue, you'll have a lot more luck getting to the source of the problem that way. welcome to the forums. :)
 
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