how to make my veiled Cham trust/like me?

[serenaj25]

hi, I got a new female veiled chameleon two days ago and I would love for her to be a friendly pet who lets me hold her. she is seemingly shy but not aggressive towards me. I have watched several videos how to hold a chameleon so I know not to rip her off her branch but it would be helpful to know if she will maybe come around and like me. I hand fed her some crickets out of a shallow cup and she trusted me to eat out of there so I think I am making progress but would be great to know your input. thanks!

 

[brownie64]

They are as individual as we are when it comes to personality. I have had some that were very tame, and others that would bite my fingers just because. That being said give them time they usually settle down a quite a bit after the teens. I find they are a lot like a cat in the way they own you, you don't own them. So let them lead. I'm afraid that most will only learn to tolerate you, not like you. It is the rare case indeed when you find one that seams to like you. Maybe @jannb will give you some tips she has a special way with them.

 

[serenaj25]

They are as individual as we are when it comes to personality. I have had some that were very tame, and others that would bite my fingers just because. That being said give them time they usually settle down a quite a bit after the teens. I find they are a lot like a cat in the way they own you, you don't own them. So let them lead. I'm afraid that most will only learn to tolerate you, not like you. It is the rare case indeed when you find one that seams to like you. Maybe @jannb will give you some tips she has a special way with them.

ok thank you for the info. I will continue to hand feed her to hopefully gain some trust. unfortunately she is staying with someone else at the moment and I cannot be with her 24/7 until she moves into my new apartment

 

[Decadancin]

Just remember that chameleons are not animals that are cuddley and huggable. That being said, there are some that "enjoy" being held. Just don't push them. They will be somewhat stressed by handling (especially in the beginning) and they will take some time getting acclimated to handling.

 

[serenaj25]

Just remember that chameleons are not animals that are cuddley and huggable. That being said, there are some that "enjoy" being held. Just don't push them. They will be somewhat stressed by handling (especially in the beginning) and they will take some time getting acclimated to handling.

ok I have been very respectful of her space trying not to upset her. she doesn't seem to stress out when I offer my hand for her to crawl on but if she doesn't want to crawl on it I take it out. I know she will never be a lap dog type pet but I was just hoping maybe she would let me hold her once or twice.

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums and congrats on your beautiful girl. It will take her awhile to settle in and get use to you and her new home. When you do take her out allow her to do something fun like hang out on a plant or tree while you very closely watch her. Here's a thread from today where a members female came out to hang on her plant. https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/my-brave-girl.151954/#post-1290335

Also here's a blog by one of our senior members about taming.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/entry/the-taming-of-the-chameleon.746/

 

[Decadancin]

ok I have been very respectful of her space trying not to upset her. she doesn't seem to stress out when I offer my hand for her to crawl on but if she doesn't want to crawl on it I take it out. I know she will never be a lap dog type pet but I was just hoping maybe she would let me hold her once or twice.

If you take your time and don't rush it, your chameleon may just enjoy being out with you. It could just be looking for a better vantage point, or could be actually wanting to be out of the enclosure, but as long as you are always cognizant of the animal'shops needs you should be fine.

 

[serenaj25]

Welcome to the forums and congrats on your beautiful girl. It will take her awhile to settle in and get use to you and her new home. When you do take her out allow her to do something fun like hang out on a plant or tree while you very closely watch her. Here's a thread from today where a members female came out to hang on her plant. https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/my-brave-girl.151954/#post-1290335

Also here's a blog by one of our senior members about taming.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/entry/the-taming-of-the-chameleon.746/

thank you! I will try to take her out soon.

 

[CharlieCharmingo]

You could also try just having the cage door open. Like after you've feed and misted the cage and she's just chillin. Just open the cage and ignore her like you could care less if she came out or not. Pick up a book or something and just be so uninterested. After a while maybe give her a worm in your hand but have the hand slightly out of the cage then go back to ignoring her. If she comes out and does some exploring when you put her back give her another snack to show her "hey out of cage isn't so bad". Idk. That's one of the ways I made Tony realize we're actually bffs lol.

 

[serenaj25]

You could also try just having the cage door open. Like after you've feed and misted the cage and she's just chillin. Just open the cage and ignore her like you could care less if she came out or not. Pick up a book or something and just be so uninterested. After a while maybe give her a worm in your hand but have the hand slightly out of the cage then go back to ignoring her. If she comes out and does some exploring when you put her back give her another snack to show her "hey out of cage isn't so bad". Idk. That's one of the ways I made Tony realize we're actually bffs lol.

I will definitely try that. thank you so much for the help!

 

[jajeanpierre]

ok I have been very respectful of her space trying not to upset her. she doesn't seem to stress out when I offer my hand for her to crawl on but if she doesn't want to crawl on it I take it out. I know she will never be a lap dog type pet but I was just hoping maybe she would let me hold her once or twice.

Chameleons are more like having fish as a pet--look but don't touch--than most other pets. Many on the forum disagree and claim their chameleons "like" to be handled. I think a more accurate analysis is that some individual chameleons tolerate handling better than others and some individual handlers are a little more sensitive to their animals so tend to make the whole handling process less stressful for their animal.

What you think you see in the behavior of a chameleon is not usually what is actually going on internally within the mind and body of the chameleon.

As an example, I recently took a group of recently imported chameleons to the vet. One in particular appeared to be very calm. He calmly sat on my hand for examination and calmly sat on the edge of his travel box. His color was normal. He didn't shy away, gape or try to escape. When I put my hand down to him, he reached up to it and climbed up on my hand. If you saw him, you would say that he was a very tame chameleon who found reassurance in my presence. Nothing could be further from the truth.

What was really happening was that this animal was terrified for his life.

If you knew anything about the treatment of wild caughts at capture through import, you would know he has had zero positive experiences with humans, starting from the time someone took a stick to whack him off a tree branch when he was first captured. As a chameleon, he has limited defense strategies, but the fight or flight response is not well developed in young chameleons. Small young chameleons rarely puff up and bite. Some do, but not many. Older, bigger animals are more likely to defend themselves with aggression. He had limited options. He chose to try to go up. While he appeared very calm, I knew he was stressed pretty much to the limit. I knew it because I have a bit of an understanding of how chameleons react to stressful situations having worked with my large collection of mostly wild caught chameleons.

Chameleons are not dogs and never will be. I do understand your desire to have a pet that will allow you to handle it. Be aware, that when you do, you stress the animal. Stress is not an emotion; it is a physiological response to stimuli in the environment. The response to stress, both chronic long term stress (improper caging/temps/humidity) and acute stress such as the stress of being captured by a predator or grabbed by a pet owner, is the release of stress hormones which among other things, suppress the immune system.

So, a stressed chameleon will become a sick chameleon. That is a very important fact to understand about chameleons.

That same chameleon above, the one I know thinks I am a monster about to eat him, will hand feed (as all my wild caughts will) if the food is appealing enough for him to risk taking from me or he is hungry enough. While he will take food from my hand, I do not mistake that with him being tame. He has learned that I have not eaten him or grabbed him when he is hand feeding, which makes him more likely to repeat that behavior, the behavior of hand feeding. He doesn't trust me and will continue to think I am a monster until the day he dies. I accept that. I can still do things like hand feed him and if I wanted, have him out on a tree or roaming a free range. But, I know this animal doesn't trust me.

I don't think any chameleon every trusts humans. Maybe I am wrong and somewhere out there is a chameleon or chameleons that do trust their owners. There is nothing to be lost in your relationship and everything to be gained by starting from the basic premise that this animal is afraid of you and will always be afraid of you. If you start at that basic place--you are a monster in his/her eyes--all you interactions will be changed because you will think more carefully about how you move around your chameleon and your interactions. You will be a kinder, gentler owner.

 

[Decadancin]

Chameleons are more like having fish as a pet--look but don't touch--than most other pets. Many on the forum disagree and claim their chameleons "like" to be handled. I think a more accurate analysis is that some individual chameleons tolerate handling better than others and some individual handlers are a little more sensitive to their animals so tend to make the whole handling process less stressful for their animal.

What you think you see in the behavior of a chameleon is not usually what is actually going on internally within the mind and body of the chameleon.

As an example, I recently took a group of recently imported chameleons to the vet. One in particular appeared to be very calm. He calmly sat on my hand for examination and calmly sat on the edge of his travel box. His color was normal. He didn't shy away, gape or try to escape. When I put my hand down to him, he reached up to it and climbed up on my hand. If you saw him, you would say that he was a very tame chameleon who found reassurance in my presence. Nothing could be further from the truth.

What was really happening was that this animal was terrified for his life.

If you knew anything about the treatment of wild caughts at capture through import, you would know he has had zero positive experiences with humans, starting from the time someone took a stick to whack him off a tree branch when he was first captured. As a chameleon, he has limited defense strategies, but the fight or flight response is not well developed in young chameleons. Small young chameleons rarely puff up and bite. Some do, but not many. Older, bigger animals are more likely to defend themselves with aggression. He had limited options. He chose to try to go up. While he appeared very calm, I knew he was stressed pretty much to the limit. I knew it because I have a bit of an understanding of how chameleons react to stressful situations having worked with my large collection of mostly wild caught chameleons.

Chameleons are not dogs and never will be. I do understand your desire to have a pet that will allow you to handle it. Be aware, that when you do, you stress the animal. Stress is not an emotion; it is a physiological response to stimuli in the environment. The response to stress, both chronic long term stress (improper caging/temps/humidity) and acute stress such as the stress of being captured by a predator or grabbed by a pet owner, is the release of stress hormones which among other things, suppress the immune system.

So, a stressed chameleon will become a sick chameleon. That is a very important fact to understand about chameleons.

That same chameleon above, the one I know thinks I am a monster about to eat him, will hand feed (as all my wild caughts will) if the food is appealing enough for him to risk taking from me or he is hungry enough. While he will take food from my hand, I do not mistake that with him being tame. He has learned that I have not eaten him or grabbed him when he is hand feeding, which makes him more likely to repeat that behavior, the behavior of hand feeding. He doesn't trust me and will continue to think I am a monster until the day he dies. I accept that. I can still do things like hand feed him and if I wanted, have him out on a tree or roaming a free range. But, I know this animal doesn't trust me.

I don't think any chameleon every trusts humans. Maybe I am wrong and somewhere out there is a chameleon or chameleons that do trust their owners. There is nothing to be lost in your relationship and everything to be gained by starting from the basic premise that this animal is afraid of you and will always be afraid of you. If you start at that basic place--you are a monster in his/her eyes--all you interactions will be changed because you will think more carefully about how you move around your chameleon and your interactions. You will be a kinder, gentler owner.

Since the majority of questions about handling chameleons and holding them likely come from those who are new to the hobby, and likely dealing with captive bred animals, would you modify your statement for this?

 

[jajeanpierre]

Since the majority of questions about handling chameleons and holding them likely come from those who are new to the hobby, and likely dealing with captive bred animals, would you modify your statement for this?

No.

I've bred quite a few and they are just as fearful as a wild caught.

 

[Decadancin]

No.

I've bred quite a few and they are just as fearful as a wild caught.

Funny, I don't have this issue with my chameleon.

 

[alan marz]

Well said jajeanpierre, I am a novice when it comes to chameleons, I am only on my second one, but it irritates me when people try to make them seem like lovable
pets that want to be held. Then people get one are disappointed when there not.

 

[Decadancin]

No.

I've bred quite a few and they are just as fearful as a wild caught.

Not to beat a dead horse, but is it possibly the way you are raising them that causes this? I am not trying to be mean here, I'm just wondering if your husbandry is geared towards raising them in conditions more like that which they would find in the wild?

 

[alan marz]

ya, and the fish in my tank love me and come to give me kisses when I walk by the tank because they come to the front.
Reptiles act on instinct.

 

[alan marz]

The should be raised in conditions which are as close to their natural environment as possible.---

 

[Decadancin]

The should be raised in conditions which are as close to their natural environment as possible.---

Perhaps, but then I wouldn't be able to have an old world chameleon in captivity.

 

[jannb]

I believe it's all in how you treat them. If you treat them like a caged animal then they can become one. My chameleons along with all my other pets are not caged nor or they ever treated like animals. They are part of the family and they act like part of the family and I'm not just talking about my current chameleons I'm talking about all the chameleons my family has kept since 2004.