How to tame your chameleon! Fast and simple!

[RainbowBatsy]

Okay so I was on reddit as an external link to search how to tame a chameleon. I tried the steps they listed and for the first time ever! Vivid did not get his scary spots! And did not puff up at me! So I'm going to share what to do for inexperienced keepers who want to tame their chameleons! So in quotes, this is what they said, and what I did:

"Veiled chameleons are not "aggressive" they are "defensive" meaning they are territorial. This behavior is hissing and "fake striking" meaning they will pretend to bite you, but it is all an act and all that usually happens is they smack you with their face. If this behavior is successful (you flinch and back off) then they keep doing it and put on a bigger show. If the behavior is unsuccessful (you don't flinch and you still handle them) then the behavior is wasted energy and they won't put on so much of a show. If the behavior is successful enough then it COULD lead to biting behaviors (which is also easily overcome, just put on leather gloves)

So there are two methods that I use (more methods are available and some work just as well, but I will tell you what works for me).

So when you open the cage and reach your hand in the chameleon is letting you know "too close, I don't like you in my space." so you confidently (don't move too slow, but don't move fast either) put your finger under (and touch) its chin. then with the other hand gently poke the rump, tail, and back legs of the chameleon (which ever is holding on the most to the branches). The chameleon will want to move away from the pokes and onto your hand. once it is out of the cage (or whatever it sees as its territory) all aggression instantly stops. when you first start this method you can't flinch, so I would put socks on my hand just to mentally let me know that biting wouldn't hurt much, as I got more confident and got the method I am confident in my ability to not flinch and I don't need any socks on my hands."

I hope this helps people handle their scary babies!

 

[opheliaeatsbugs]

ooooh! I love it, thanks so much!

 

[Andee]

This does work for some chameleons. And those are considered the defensive and bluffers. But honestly there will be those times you get a chameleon who becomes absolutely terrified of you to the point it will bite with no hesitation. Then there are the few who are actually and honestly aggressive. Those chameleons should not be handled in any way unless there is no displaying in my opinion (if you are afraid to get bit). My opinion is this, don't get a pet if you are afraid of getting bit. Chameleons can bite, and they can bite hard even if they aren't full on biting. But it doesn't hurt compared to a lot of bites I have gotten in the past from a lot of different other animals. It also often doesn't cause much damage at all. The worst bite I have ever felt was from a parrot. Closely follow by a black labradors. Chameleons are not tamed animals, they are not domesticated. They will likely always be unpredictable in many ways. Perhaps your veiled is just being defensive... but maybe soon it will decide you are pushing it too far and it needs to bite you. You have given no sort of offer of trust towards this reptile, so why should it trust you at all. Have you tried hand feeding?

 

[BJ Vynz]

I'd try this more if it weren't for the wooden statue that rests at a corner in Kammy's cage. He runs behind it and stays hidden until I'm gone. Once I move him to the adult cage the statue won't be a problem, especially as Kammy starts to get larger than it hah.
For now, respecting the distance he wants me at is just part of approaching him and getting him on my hand.

What you've described here I once used to tame a Tokay Gecko, and those have a reputation for being quite vile. I love the things, but every time I see people asking if they should get a Tokay the responses I see the most are "No! They are mean and bite a lot!"
After a couple weeks of just letting it bite me (Tokay bites don't even hurt), I was able to touch its tail and it would climb onto my hand and not display fear or aggression. It also never bit anyone after that.

 

[RainbowBatsy]

This does work for some chameleons. And those are considered the defensive and bluffers. But honestly there will be those times you get a chameleon who becomes absolutely terrified of you to the point it will bite with no hesitation. Then there are the few who are actually and honestly aggressive. Those chameleons should not be handled in any way unless there is no displaying in my opinion (if you are afraid to get bit). My opinion is this, don't get a pet if you are afraid of getting bit. Chameleons can bite, and they can bite hard even if they aren't full on biting. But it doesn't hurt compared to a lot of bites I have gotten in the past from a lot of different other animals. It also often doesn't cause much damage at all. The worst bite I have ever felt was from a parrot. Closely follow by a black labradors. Chameleons are not tamed animals, they are not domesticated. They will likely always be unpredictable in many ways. Perhaps your veiled is just being defensive... but maybe soon it will decide you are pushing it too far and it needs to bite you. You have given no sort of offer of trust towards this reptile, so why should it trust you at all. Have you tried hand feeding?

I hand feed him almost every day. I believe my issue was that when I got him, I didn't know that I couldn't just pick him up from behind and so that's what I did. And then I started watching videos and reading they didn't like that and that's why they get scared. Vivid is a big bluffer, he has never bitten me once. And once I take him out of his territory, he is a sweetheart, it's just putting my hands in that is the problem. So I tried this and for the first time he didn't get defensive, that's why I thought I should share

 

[Angelwolf]

I have been bit by accident when hand feeding Echo. Let me tell you, it really hurt! He got his entire mouth around my finger, and bit down. He broke the skin on both sides of my finger and even left a mark in my fingernail. Considering there was no aggressions/defensive behavior involved, i really don't think I want to find out what an angry bite would feel like! I have figured out a way to get a hold of him safely and securely so he can't bite me and won't be dropped or hurt. And it works for me. On the other hand, I only handle him occasionally when I have to.

 

[Remkon]

Moving one hand under the animal and gently pushing it's behind with the other to make it move on your hand is a proper way to handle it and less stressful than grabbing it...

If you buy a chameleon with the intention to tame it you have bought the wrong species of reptile in my opinion... Therefor they should not be 'advertised' as being tamable creatures.

Not saying that there aren't any chameleons that will not mind handling to much but for every chameleon that is ok with handling there are probably 100 chameleons that will just get stressed out by it...

 

[jajeanpierre]

As someone who has studied under some of the best animal trainers anywhere and who has spent a lot of time studying the science of behavior analysis, I want to explain what I believe is happening in your scenario. My comments are inserted in bold blue.

Okay so I was on reddit as an external link to search how to tame a chameleon. I tried the steps they listed and for the first time ever! Vivid did not get his scary spots! And did not puff up at me! So I'm going to share what to do for inexperienced keepers who want to tame their chameleons! So in quotes, this is what they said, and what I did:

"Veiled chameleons are not "aggressive" they are "defensive" meaning they are territorial. This behavior is hissing and "fake striking" meaning they will pretend to bite you, but it is all an act and all that usually happens is they smack you with their face. If this behavior is successful (you flinch and back off) then they keep doing it and put on a bigger show. If the behavior is unsuccessful (you don't flinch and you still handle them) then the behavior is wasted energy and they won't put on so much of a show. If the behavior is successful enough then it COULD lead to biting behaviors (which is also easily overcome, just put on leather gloves)

This is somewhat true. Behavior depends on the trigger (the stimulus that sets the behavior in motion), the behavior itself and the consequence of that behavior. Behavior is either increased, maintained or reduced based on the consequence of that behavior. Always think of it as "what's in it for me (the animal)" to try to figure out if a behavior will extinguish, be maintained or increase in either frequency or intensity.

The writer is describing extinguishing a behavior which while a valid training technique is fraught with problems when anyone, including very experienced professional trainers, try to apply it.

As the writer describes, if the animal never gets the reward (of you backing off) when it presents its aggressive behavior, it should stop presenting that behavior.

The devil is in the details.

Is the behavior hard wired into the animal's brain? Does it really have a choice of behaving or not? How instinctual is this behavior? How complex is its thinking to be able to control its natural survival instincts?

If one wishes to extinguish a behavior by never responding to it, the normal progression of the behavior is for an increase in the behavior before it is finally extinguished. That's called an "extinction burst." If during the extinction burst, the trainer rewards the behavior, you have now just raised the bar and taught the animal that it needs to perform the behavior for longer and with more intensity to get the desired results.

I think everyone can relate to this: Think of a child throwing a temper tantrum. If you give in, the child is rewarded and learns that this is an effective strategy. Suppose you decide to wait them out. At home, you might able to deal with a raging temper tantrum for long periods of time. (I am the mother of two autistic-spectrum young men, and believe me, autistics can maintain raging temper tantrums for much, much longer than any normal child can!) Now suppose you have a raging temper tantrum in the long check out line after a long day at work when both you and the child are exhausted. What do you do then? If you give in, you have now taught the child when and where their tantrums will be effective. And, no matter what you do--leave the store, give in or let the tantrum rage--society will be standing all around you judging you. If you leave the store or give in, the child's tantrum was reinforced and they won--tantrum behaviors will increase in check out line ups. If you stay and let it rage, society will judge you for your bad parenting skills and your ability (YOUR behavior) to stand your ground and wait them out will decrease. Beating a child is illegal.

Using extinction as a training technique is something trainers avoid simply because it is so easy to increase the behavior by one simple lapse. I question whether a chameleon has a developed enough mind to make the choice to respond to an intrusion into its territory or to respond with aggression to a threat.

It is also possible that the writer is not using extinction but is teaching the animal learned helplessness. That is where you teach an animal that no matter what the animal does, it cannot escape the aversive stimuli. For example, you can electrify the bottom of a cage and rats and even dogs will seemingly calmly ignore it. Believe me, they are experiencing torture, but they have learned there is nothing they can do about it and just shut down. Even if given the opportunity to escape, they won't even try. Learned helplessness has all kinds negatives associated with it and is not something anyone should ever do to an animal.

So there are two methods that I use (more methods are available and some work just as well, but I will tell you what works for me).

So when you open the cage and reach your hand in the chameleon is letting you know "too close, I don't like you in my space." so you confidently (don't move too slow, but don't move fast either) put your finger under (and touch) its chin. then with the other hand gently poke the rump, tail, and back legs of the chameleon (which ever is holding on the most to the branches). The chameleon will want to move away from the pokes and onto your hand. once it is out of the cage (or whatever it sees as its territory) all aggression instantly stops. when you first start this method you can't flinch, so I would put socks on my hand just to mentally let me know that biting wouldn't hurt much, as I got more confident and got the method I am confident in my ability to not flinch and I don't need any socks on my hands."

I hope this helps people handle their scary babies!

 

[nightanole]

"This behavior is hissing and "fake striking" meaning they will pretend to bite you, but it is all an act and all that usually happens is they smack you with their face."

I must have won the lottery, i have never had passive aggressive chams, U screw around, you will get bit. No head smacks here. The beardies will lick test you though, if you are doing something they dont like

 

[Mxstical]

Okay so I tried this and all he does it hiss for a quick second, and truthfully I am actually pretty scared to hold him.

 

[Mai]

I definitely consider myself lucky Oscar has his days when I open up the cage and he comes running to me, and other days he goes in the opposite direction of my hand. The most aggressive thing he has ever done is puff some air. Good luck to everyone with aggressive chams

 

[jamest0o0]

Old post. Honestly dont see why people get into chams to hold them all the time, but whatever. Wouldn't you say humans are the aggressive ones destroying their habitats, killing them with improper husbandry, and overbreeding certain species only to see most of them suffer(veileds anyone?)