I need help.

[liangyu]

I buy one 4 months old veiled chameleon female from pet store. I give it 8 crickets per day and lighting all day. I have 100 crickets, can I put all the crickets into the cage? Because is not easy to put 8 crickets per day. Is hard to catch one. My chameleon looks like afraid of me. When my hand get closer to it. It would yell. What should I do. Do I need to add something else?

 

[jojackson]

NO! Try putting a toilet roll core inside your cricket container. Crickets will climb inside and then you can pickup and transfer.
Too many crickets will start eating your lizard while it sleeps.
Yes your lizard is afraid of you, I thinks you will eat it, It considers you a predator.
Do not handle it until it settles in its new home. (a week or two).

 

[pssh]

Don't put them all in. Use egg crate or a papertowel roll to shake them into a cup.

Do you dust the crickets?

 

[Bio123]

Don't worry, chameleons will hiss at at anyone that comes near them. That is how they defend themselves from predators in the wild. As for the crickets, don't put them all in the cage at once. They can bite your chameleon and they can also bite a hole through the cage. I suggest making a bin for your crickets to keep them in. Here's a link on how to make a cricket bin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXlDpYU_TQE&feature=related

 

[liangyu]

Thank you guys.

 

[Bio123]

I was beaten to it. You guys answer fast!

 

[liangyu]

But I really want to touch it. I try every time. But it just wants to bite me. How can I let it walk on my hand?

 

[nightcrawler]

Dont touch it. If you touch it too much you'll go blind.

 

[liangyu]

What do you mean? I will go blind?

 

[nightcrawler]

It was just a joke. These nice animals are not really holding, petting pets. They like to just be left along and be fed. As much as we all would like, they really dont like us. Try to not hold it or bother it as much as you can.

 

[liangyu]

....Ok. I get it.

 

[Pure]

With time you can get him used to your hand. Once he has settled down (like JJ said a week or two) Start by offering him food items by hand. Super worms and other nutritional worms such as silk, or hornworms are great for this. Just let the worm sit in the palm of your hand and slowly move your hand within striking range of the cham. Don't put it in his face, as your are more likely to make him want to run from you. Do this every day and he will eventually be eating out of your hands. Then you can work on trying to get him to be comfortable with handling him. Please see the sticky at the top of this forum "how to handle a chameleon" as there is a right way and a wrong way to go about picking them up.

Wile yes it's true they don't like to be handled and would just assume you leave them alone. Getting them to be somewhat comfortable with being picked up is very useful for when you need to remove him from his cage for cleanings and or what ever...

Every cham is different, and some just won't ever be accepting of being handled or hand fed. I have a veiled and a Melleri that required thick leather gloves to be handled.

 

[liangyu]

Thank you. I try.

 

[Murrdox]

What do you mean? I will go blind?

Oh language barriers... how you amuse me on a Friday afternoon

I'm almost tempted to vandalize wikipedia with that one. Touch your chameleon too much and you'll go blind.

 

[nightcrawler]

Oh language barriers... how you amuse me on a Friday afternoon

I'm almost tempted to vandalize wikipedia with that one. Touch your chameleon too much and you'll go blind.

Im glad im not the only one with a bad sense of humor.