how DID you get your cham to hand feed
- Thread starter ken2414
- Start date
spatulars
New Member
Sorry, little late response, but best tip ever for hand feeding: get behind the food. For all intents and purposes, my chameleon hates me. He would just stare at me whenever I tried to hand feed him. I read a bill strand article on chameleon news about tips and tricks, he said to get behind the food, I did, and it worked! He'll take the crickets very readily from me now. I just kind of shrink down with my face behind the crickets and he snaps 'em up in seconds.
Based on my experience of the past week or so... you might have better luck starting with babies... if that were an option... they seem quite malleable behaviour-wise - I wish that I had realized this when they first emerged.
I might also suggest starting by holding the bug, not in your fingers, but on a stick, lightly stuck. I stuck fruit flies to a popsicle stick with water. You could probably do something like that with any bug, especially one tired or dying. I also made a paste of ReptoLife and water, that worked, too. You may have to annoy your chameleon to get it to open its mouth the first time. But they learn to recognize the stick means food. (Especially if it is something that they like!)
Incidentally, I stopped after a little while, because I was concerned that it might interfere with hunting instincts. I know none of the behaviour is really learned, but I was afraid that they might actually stop hunting altogether if they got used to direct feed. *shrug* (It probably was not a legitimate concern, but I really do not want to be stuck handfeeding these guys...) Hey, I just thought of something... maybe I could train them to eat off the sticks even if I was not holding them... just line up a dozen sticks with bugs on them....something to think about.
I might also suggest starting by holding the bug, not in your fingers, but on a stick, lightly stuck. I stuck fruit flies to a popsicle stick with water. You could probably do something like that with any bug, especially one tired or dying. I also made a paste of ReptoLife and water, that worked, too. You may have to annoy your chameleon to get it to open its mouth the first time. But they learn to recognize the stick means food. (Especially if it is something that they like!)
Incidentally, I stopped after a little while, because I was concerned that it might interfere with hunting instincts. I know none of the behaviour is really learned, but I was afraid that they might actually stop hunting altogether if they got used to direct feed. *shrug* (It probably was not a legitimate concern, but I really do not want to be stuck handfeeding these guys...) Hey, I just thought of something... maybe I could train them to eat off the sticks even if I was not holding them... just line up a dozen sticks with bugs on them....something to think about.
fear742
New Member
mine likes to some days but doesnt other days. i have silkworms and crickets and he will eat just one of the silkworms out of my hand at every feeding. i think mine would rather hunt to be honest because he hit up the silkworms in a weird order and if i put the two types(crickets and silkworms) he would rather go after something he needs to track down then something that just sits there and slowly trots along. got me but some days it works and some days he has nothing of it.
Brad Ramsey
Retired Moderator
I think the females are much more apt to do this then the males.
They are little piggies and don't seem to care much who's around or what's going on if there is food they will go for it.
-Brad
They are little piggies and don't seem to care much who's around or what's going on if there is food they will go for it.
-Brad
Eric Adrignola
Avid Member
All of my chameleons hand feed, except my WC melleri – he’s gone off of hand feeding since I moved his cage. Never was really prone to much hand feeding, for some reason.
Some of my veileds aren’t doing it yet, but they don’t count, cause they’re holdbacks for sale, and I don’t really try.
The keys:
1) nobody else in the room, no dogs, nothing. No distractions, threats, etc. nothing unfamiliar.
2) larger prey item. Adult crickets are all of my chameleons’ favorite food. They prefer them to anything. That’s what I use most of the time, though my melleri seem to also have a thing for big roaches. Big items get their attention, and most importantly of all, cover your fingertips – don’t’ want them associating fingernails with food. You don’t.
3) Stand in front, with the food in between you and them. They don’t like having you out of their site. When the food is in between you and them, they can focus their eyes forward on the food, and still keep you (the threat) in view. If you try to feed them to the side or the back, they’ll constantly want to keep that eye on you – and they have to move it to feed. Makes it hard, though trusting chameleons don’t mind a bit.
4) Height. It helps if they are higher than you – crouch.
5) Movement – they cannot resist a bug if it’s trying to get away. Hold the insect to a leaf or branch and let it move. Just hold it, but let it try to walk on the leaf or stick or whatever – that movement (natural movement, not simply flailing legs) really gets their attention.
6) The best way to get timid animals to hand feed is to hide you fingers behind something. Do like in step 5, but hide your hand behind something – like the side of the cage. Allow the cricket to be seen, but not your hand. Perhaps the easiest way is to hold an insect on the top of a broad leaf. Use the leaf to hide your hand, and just allow the chameleon to see the bug.
7) Get deremensis. Every single deremensis I have ever owned ate from my hand the moment I removed them from the boxes. Even the juveniles. The last ones I got were the best – I opened the canvas bag, removed the deremensis, and within 2 seconds, offered crickets – both male and female ate them – while I was holding them. They just don’t seem to worry.
- My CB melleri, Ardi, is so used to me, and people in general, that he will always hand feed. I've used him at many events where he was surrounded by hundreds of people, adults and pointing, jumping kids, and he never fails to eat. I do a presentation with him, and he has absolutly no issues with eating from a stranger's hand. Kids love it.
I really need to get this on video. I hold Ardi in one hand, and a kid holds out an insect - he'll eat it every time. usually, before I show him, I just hold a cricket near the tree he's in, an dlet him reveal himself - people don't see him until he moves.
Some of my veileds aren’t doing it yet, but they don’t count, cause they’re holdbacks for sale, and I don’t really try.
The keys:
1) nobody else in the room, no dogs, nothing. No distractions, threats, etc. nothing unfamiliar.
2) larger prey item. Adult crickets are all of my chameleons’ favorite food. They prefer them to anything. That’s what I use most of the time, though my melleri seem to also have a thing for big roaches. Big items get their attention, and most importantly of all, cover your fingertips – don’t’ want them associating fingernails with food. You don’t.
3) Stand in front, with the food in between you and them. They don’t like having you out of their site. When the food is in between you and them, they can focus their eyes forward on the food, and still keep you (the threat) in view. If you try to feed them to the side or the back, they’ll constantly want to keep that eye on you – and they have to move it to feed. Makes it hard, though trusting chameleons don’t mind a bit.
4) Height. It helps if they are higher than you – crouch.
5) Movement – they cannot resist a bug if it’s trying to get away. Hold the insect to a leaf or branch and let it move. Just hold it, but let it try to walk on the leaf or stick or whatever – that movement (natural movement, not simply flailing legs) really gets their attention.
6) The best way to get timid animals to hand feed is to hide you fingers behind something. Do like in step 5, but hide your hand behind something – like the side of the cage. Allow the cricket to be seen, but not your hand. Perhaps the easiest way is to hold an insect on the top of a broad leaf. Use the leaf to hide your hand, and just allow the chameleon to see the bug.
7) Get deremensis. Every single deremensis I have ever owned ate from my hand the moment I removed them from the boxes. Even the juveniles. The last ones I got were the best – I opened the canvas bag, removed the deremensis, and within 2 seconds, offered crickets – both male and female ate them – while I was holding them. They just don’t seem to worry.
- My CB melleri, Ardi, is so used to me, and people in general, that he will always hand feed. I've used him at many events where he was surrounded by hundreds of people, adults and pointing, jumping kids, and he never fails to eat. I do a presentation with him, and he has absolutly no issues with eating from a stranger's hand. Kids love it.
I really need to get this on video. I hold Ardi in one hand, and a kid holds out an insect - he'll eat it every time. usually, before I show him, I just hold a cricket near the tree he's in, an dlet him reveal himself - people don't see him until he moves.
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I got my female veild around 4 months old. after about 2 weeks of getting to know each other(we left her completly alone eept feeding so she could get used to everything) we originally just threw a few crix in there and watched from the doorway to make sure she eat then i would begin putting my hand in there a little futher, letting her see the food in my hand, putting the food down, walking away and make sure she eat. finally about a month later (5months old) i had just put my hand in holding a mealworm and she snached it up before i could even put it down, needless to say it scared the shit outta me not planing on her doing that lol. but ever since she will eat fine out of my hand. sometimes she will be grumpy and just puff up and not eat until i put it down, she will also occationally be food shy and not eat in front of me but rarely. but shes such a good pretty girl. 
Zilla005
New Member
my veiled is about 2 1/2 months old. got him about two weeks ago. When i brought him home and put him in his cage i went to place some crickets in there on the branches for him to see... before i got to the branch with the cricket he snatched it from my fingers... he wont eat from anyone elses hand but mine really. but he will do it every time for me.
Another idea for hand feeding, cup feeding too...
I bought this garlic spray. I had originally got it, because I thought that it would help keep down infection. (I am planting garlic in the enclosure, too.) Anyway, my chams love it. They'll eat anything moving, if I spray it with garlic. I haven't had time to try using it for handfeeding yet, but it did help for cupfeeding.
I bought this garlic spray. I had originally got it, because I thought that it would help keep down infection. (I am planting garlic in the enclosure, too.) Anyway, my chams love it. They'll eat anything moving, if I spray it with garlic. I haven't had time to try using it for handfeeding yet, but it did help for cupfeeding.
Andie
Avid Member
I'm just a newbie myself, but my Flap Necked will snatch super worms right off of those long reptile feeding tweezers.
I've been doing this daily, to try and get him used to me. I've learned that if I pick up the worm by the tail, he squirms more, which makes him more visible to my cham.
Now, when I open the cage, he looks expectantly for it. (of course this could just be my hopeful imagination. ;-) )
I've been doing this daily, to try and get him used to me. I've learned that if I pick up the worm by the tail, he squirms more, which makes him more visible to my cham.
Now, when I open the cage, he looks expectantly for it. (of course this could just be my hopeful imagination. ;-) )
Charles Woolfolk
New Member
How do you get your chameleon to stop trying to bite your finger tips my female does it & im trying to train her out of it cause shes never bit a person & we have 2 kids in the house
jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
Pretty much all my chameleons will hand feed and most are wild caughts. I've had newly imported wild caughts hand feed.
The trick is to have something they really really want. I save Green Banana Roaches for hand feeding.
Keep your hand very very still and a good body length away from them. I think most people start trying to hand feed as if they are giving something to a dog--they put the food right up to their faces. Chameleons don't like to eat something close to them hand feeding or not. I don't know if it because it is clumsy for them with their tongue or they can't see the prey.
Don't look at your chameleon. Predators look at them so you don't want to appear as if you are hunting them. I drop my gaze, look at something about 8" to their side and then watch them out of the corner of my eye.
Pick a feeder they are going to really like. Anything bright green is usually very stimulating. I think a wild insect is stimulating as well. Try to have the food item moving so it attracts their attention. I grab the wings of the Green Banana Roaches and hold their wiggling legs towards them.
If all that doesn't work, start with a hungrier chameleon. It sometimes takes a few minutes to get a chameleon to decide to take a feeder. A day or two without any food will make a much more cooperative chameleon. I've never fasted my wild caughts to get them to hand feed, but you could.
jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
I am not sure I understand your problem. Are you putting your hand in your chameleon's face and she is biting you out of fear? If that's the case, the answer is rather simple. Stop frightening her and/or invading her space.
Defensive behaviors are not something you can "train" out of a chameleon. Chameleons are not the kind of pets you should be handling anyway and are really lousy pets for kids.
They are a "look-don't-touch" kind of a pet.
Chameleons are a creature that does very poorly when handled a lot. They tend to die of some illness. Stress suppresses the immune system and a suppressed immune system allows pathogens to take hold.
I repeat, chameleons are a "look-don'-touch" pet.
Charles Woolfolk
New Member
I been new that she is green like normal begs to come out of her cage espically when i have the covers over me watchin tv she comes to the front scratches on the cage & tends to fall asleep in my lap she is a very odd chameleon she likes being handled but eats a large variety of food nearly everything now i think she thinks everything is food she rather not stick out her tongue also she likes to get close to her prey and bite gently because ive hand fed her most of her life besides crickets
Charles Woolfolk
New Member
S
she's also healthy & is quite large for a female from head to tail shes atleast a foot i think her size is getting to her she never seems to be satisfied & always hungry still looking for food after eating large meals & she eats regularly
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