How to make a chameleon happy!

[sebastianthechameleon]

I have a 10 month old veiled. I know exactly what I signed up for. I purchased a veiled as an owner that wanted an animal that needed very little PERSONAL attention. I signed up for a veiled knowing it was a "do not touch pet". His first few months he was always happy and friendly. i got to show him off to all my friends.

All the sudden this changed. I did A LOT of research before hand and i knew this would happen. I knew once he turned 7 he would hate me forever. Unfortunately, i did not read that once he turns seven he will never be happy. I have been looking and searching for months to find a way to make him happy. I bought a 300 dollar live tree for him but he doesn't like it. All i want for him is a happy and healthy life. I don't need anything back. Is there anything that any of you know that can make him happy.

As his owner, I need to keep him healthy and i know his mood can directly affect his health. I started hand feeding and I moved up to hand feeding and then rubbing his chin. I arrived at this point of being able to rub his chin around 2 months ago. I have spent over 6 hundred to make him as comfortable and healthy. I feed him dusted crickets and different types of worms to create a variation of diet. I provide him with some dandelion greens, but he never eats them.

I only handle him for cage cleanings. Sometimes i can avoid handling him if he sticks on the upper branches. So again... does anyone have a special way to make him as happy as possible. He hasn't turned bright green in 5 months.

~Joey (Sebastian's Owner)
P.S. Sorry for the massive thread.

 

[Andee]

What does he do that makes you think he's unhappy?

 

[sebastianthechameleon]

What does he do that makes you think he's unhappy?

He hides the second i walk in the room and he is always green and black spotted. If i go any closer to the cage his chin extends and he may even hiss

 

[Matt Vanilla Gorilla]

Maby him is a lill prince, give him a kiss! Lol! Some chameleons just need their space! As a breeder my family and I raise our babies with daily handeling. That's all they know. It is the buyers responsibility to keep handeling them and make sure they stay used to it. We also only keep breeders with sweet personalities! Personality sure seems to have a genetic component! Taming a chameleon with a attitude is hard work and sometimes even impossible!

 

[Andee]

That's not him being generally unhappy, that's him feeling unsafe when he's around you. Which is quite normal around 7-12 months when they hormonal. They may or may not get back to friendly but you need to work on hand feeding them all through the teenage stage or it will just get worse.

 

[sebastianthechameleon]

Thank you all so much for the information! This community is amazing! Do any of you know a good way to help him feel safe? I am very uncomfortable covering his cage as the lights are very strong and forest fires are very serious around here.

 

[XxSepiorxX]

Thank you all so much for the information! This community is amazing! Do any of you know a good way to help him feel safe? I am very uncomfortable covering his cage as the lights are very strong and forest fires are very serious around here.

He doesn't really know you that well I guess. One question, are you around him a lot? This maybe why he is mad. They will start do that at 7-12 months, but eventually he'll stop.

 

[Andee]

Do you a picture of his cage? He might not have enough foliage.

 

[karyn]

Hi I'm pretty new to forum and we got our first and only Chameleon April 1st. Store said she was about 1 year there but it is difficult to know for certain. Without any knowledge except store assistant advice I fell in love straight away with her. Though research online I discovered the egg laying issues but also great and not so great advice until personal experience and reading these forum posts and actual experience. Could you imagine, we were handed a huge gardening glove to handle Marley from the store assistant. She looked so tiny, under weight yet scary when they were packing her I began to question if we were doing the right thing?
With patience, love and stubbornness I discovered yes we were right. Marley puffs when not happy and can turn darker. She eats from hand almost straight away. I refused from point 1 not to ever approach her with gardening glove on me. Bit by bit I increased our time and closeness together. I offer drink from hand too sometimes this has certainly help build our trust issues. She now allows me to rub my nose along hers for a second each morning and night and yes does not like being left alone for longer than 2/3 hours even if it just to peek in on her. She loves windows and certainly prefers rear of house views overlooking the pond as front is not as active to watch things. I do handle daily she has not gone to hiss or bite in months now as I type this she is sitting on my chest.
I can only say my lack of knowledge, experience and understanding of reptiles and chameleons helped in a sense that I had to learn with Marley what she needs and what her personality really is. They are highly intelligent, can be very loving in their own way and once their health requirements are looked after along with sleep times are respected Marley has adjusted as much as we have as a household.
Is there any chance there is a health issue? Is coming out of cage a good experience for her as I know Marley is very cautious of one of our dogs so he needs to be kept calmer around her when she is out and about.
I hope there is some positive feedback from my shared experience as I can certainly say I never regret taking on a reptile so much is given back than I could ever have expected

 

[Lizzie The Chameleon]

Hi I'm pretty new to forum and we got our first and only Chameleon April 1st. Store said she was about 1 year there but it is difficult to know for certain. Without any knowledge except store assistant advice I fell in love straight away with her. Though research online I discovered the egg laying issues but also great and not so great advice until personal experience and reading these forum posts and actual experience. Could you imagine, we were handed a huge gardening glove to handle Marley from the store assistant. She looked so tiny, under weight yet scary when they were packing her I began to question if we were doing the right thing?
With patience, love and stubbornness I discovered yes we were right. Marley puffs when not happy and can turn darker. She eats from hand almost straight away. I refused from point 1 not to ever approach her with gardening glove on me. Bit by bit I increased our time and closeness together. I offer drink from hand too sometimes this has certainly help build our trust issues. She now allows me to rub my nose along hers for a second each morning and night and yes does not like being left alone for longer than 2/3 hours even if it just to peek in on her. She loves windows and certainly prefers rear of house views overlooking the pond as front is not as active to watch things. I do handle daily she has not gone to hiss or bite in months now as I type this she is sitting on my chest.
I can only say my lack of knowledge, experience and understanding of reptiles and chameleons helped in a sense that I had to learn with Marley what she needs and what her personality really is. They are highly intelligent, can be very loving in their own way and once their health requirements are looked after along with sleep times are respected Marley has adjusted as much as we have as a household.
Is there any chance there is a health issue? Is coming out of cage a good experience for her as I know Marley is very cautious of one of our dogs so he needs to be kept calmer around her when she is out and about.
I hope there is some positive feedback from my shared experience as I can certainly say I never regret taking on a reptile so much is given back than I could ever have expected

Could you post a pic of her legs please? Her casque looks small, why I'm asking. Thanks!

 

[Lizzie The Chameleon]

Also chams aren't very loveable, they do not like to be handled, but some tolerate it more than others

 

[karyn]

Could you post a pic of her legs please? Her casque looks small, why I'm asking. Thanks!

I can try get one tomorrow she asleep now. Our reptile vet is happy with her though when she was in there last month.

 

[Lizzie The Chameleon]

I can try get one tomorrow she asleep now. Our reptile vet is happy with her though when she was in there last month.

Ok. Sounds good!

 

[jannb]

Most of the time veileds are much happier when not cages. Do you have small children or other pets? Maybe you could set up a free range for him. I'll find you a blog by one of our senior members about taming.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/entry/the-taming-of-the-chameleon.746/

 

[karyn]

As I said above in previous post we knew nothing about Chameleons and had to link in with a reptile vet here just in case, especially when I researched egg bound and I got some really bad advice from other online sites which is great for where they live but not here in Ireland. So we link in every 2/3 months just until I have Marley over the first egg laying and I'm happier she is ok for UVB and supplements. Wont say I'm gonna totally relax in time, but once she has her check ups things are a lot easier as reptile vet here is over an hour drive away and always best to avoid anything that can be avoided due to our lack of prior knowledge. Specialized reptile vets are not common here in Ireland really only two well recommended ones in country. Thanks for heads up though all general checks are fine according to results photos can be deceiving I know at times.

 

[Darianlynne]

I have a 10 month old veiled. I know exactly what I signed up for. I purchased a veiled as an owner that wanted an animal that needed very little PERSONAL attention. I signed up for a veiled knowing it was a "do not touch pet". His first few months he was always happy and friendly. i got to show him off to all my friends.

All the sudden this changed. I did A LOT of research before hand and i knew this would happen. I knew once he turned 7 he would hate me forever. Unfortunately, i did not read that once he turns seven he will never be happy. I have been looking and searching for months to find a way to make him happy. I bought a 300 dollar live tree for him but he doesn't like it. All i want for him is a happy and healthy life. I don't need anything back. Is there anything that any of you know that can make him happy.

As his owner, I need to keep him healthy and i know his mood can directly affect his health. I started hand feeding and I moved up to hand feeding and then rubbing his chin. I arrived at this point of being able to rub his chin around 2 months ago. I have spent over 6 hundred to make him as comfortable and healthy. I feed him dusted crickets and different types of worms to create a variation of diet. I provide him with some dandelion greens, but he never eats them.

I only handle him for cage cleanings. Sometimes i can avoid handling him if he sticks on the upper branches. So again... does anyone have a special way to make him as happy as possible. He hasn't turned bright green in 5 months.

~Joey (Sebastian's Owner)
P.S. Sorry for the massive thread.

There are a few ways you can try to tame him, since he is still young and technically in his teenage years! Hand feeding him and misting him by hand may help. Like a reward when he sees you! my translucent hated me at first, but would always walk right onto my fiance ' s hand. (Drove me nuts!) I starting to try to feed him crickets right out of my hand and he didn't seem interested either. Until I learned he likes to have a little drink before hand. Water was the trick! Calmed him down in a second. Now we are best friends! If he won't let you put your hand in his cage, try a medium size stick, and nudge him softly onto it. Sometimes just being out of their normal environment calms them down too. I hope my little tricks work for you!

 

[Carlton]

What does he do that makes you think he's unhappy?

Remember that "happiness" is a human interpretation, not a chameleon one. A cham who is reacting to the world around him, is active, hunting, drinking, and patrolling his turf is living his life. You are an intruder and he's being territorial. It is very natural for him to react this way. He may well be taking his "responsibilities" a bit too seriously during his tough, too-big-for-his-britches teens. You can remind him that you are a normal fixture in his world and that he can expect treats from you as well as daily visits to his territory that don't result in a threat.

 

[Hrtofau2]

There are a few ways you can try to tame him, since he is still young and technically in his teenage years! Hand feeding him and misting him by hand may help. Like a reward when he sees you! my translucent hated me at first, but would always walk right onto my fiance ' s hand. (Drove me nuts!) I starting to try to feed him crickets right out of my hand and he didn't seem interested either. Until I learned he likes to have a little drink before hand. Water was the trick! Calmed him down in a second. Now we are best friends! If he won't let you put your hand in his cage, try a medium size stick, and nudge him softly onto it. Sometimes just being out of their normal environment calms them down too. I hope my little tricks work for you!

I do this very thing with my Steve. All misting is by hand, same with feeding. Yes sometimes he's grumpy - but we talk with him all the time and we usually call him a grumpy pants and ask what's wrong. As we talk our voice seems to calm him and he tends to calm down and brighten up. Sometimes I think it's more an action we did startled him and then he realizes it's us and calms down. Also another thing we do is never grab him, we always let him come to us. So our hands are "safe" When cleaning his cage we clean around him & where he is in it. Heck half the time he climbs on us & makes himself a total pain in the butt. But this makes us again "safe" as we do not force him nor make him uncomfortable.

 

[Carlton]

I do this very thing with my Steve. All misting is by hand, same with feeding. Yes sometimes he's grumpy - but we talk with him all the time and we usually call him a grumpy pants and ask what's wrong. As we talk our voice seems to calm him and he tends to calm down and brighten up. Sometimes I think it's more an action we did startled him and then he realizes it's us and calms down. Also another thing we do is never grab him, we always let him come to us. So our hands are "safe" When cleaning his cage we clean around him & where he is in it. Heck half the time he climbs on us & makes himself a total pain in the butt. But this makes us again "safe" as we do not force him nor make him uncomfortable.

I think all your voices can really do is give him something to watch....they can't hear a normal human voice as the frequency is too high. Doesn't mean you can't talk to him...just means you won't get much response no matter what you say!

 

[Hrtofau2]

I think all your voices can really do is give him something to watch....they can't hear a normal human voice as the frequency is too high. Doesn't mean you can't talk to him...just means you won't get much response no matter what you say!

Maybe so, but it still seems to calm him.
I tend to talk to all my animals though. Talking also helps to keep me calm and level in my motions especially when dealing with an aggressive animal. Doesn't matter if the animal is a 540 gram Chameleon or a 1200lb stallion - calm fluid motions are important when dealing with aggressive animals.