Is he all talk?

[sassyboots]

So my veiled PeterLorre hates my guts. He is maybe 10 or months old and i used to handle him quite a bit when he was a baby. I am a first time owner and after reading on here that one shouldn't hold them, i was a little sad but figured if it was for the best then i would just watch him from afar. Well, it's been a few months since i tried, but needed to remove him from the cage today to clean out one of his plants. He FREAKED out... blew himself up really big, hissing, gaping, a real spectacle. I wasn't even going to hold him with my hands, i was just trying to get him to climb on a stick. I ended up getting him to climb the side of the cage and he sat and sulked till i was finished cleaning. Anyway- now i'm really afraid to handle him. What is the likely hood that he will bite? Is this all for show? If he does bite is there anything i need to be concerned with like infection or reaction? How am i supposed to handle him when i have to? One neat thing was that i was pretty convinced that he didn't have any real colors till now. Man the colors that he turned were the coolest thing ever- i feel bad that he has to get that mad to make them happen. How stressed does this make them?

 

[Syn]

There is a forum post on how to handle chameleons, it even has a how to handle aggressive chameleons. I will find it for you in a second.

Next time go slowly, and it's most likely show, but wear some clean-sanitized gloves in the case he decides to bite you.

With those on the most you would probably feel would be something similar to having a potato chip bag clip snapped on your finger.

 

[Rstuart]

heres a video i felt very usefull .....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ucXfIW9Pbs

once your chameleon is on ur arm they usually are very calm

 

[Syn]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-handle-chameleon-18438/?highlight=handle+chameleon

There's the thread and the videos.

 

[chambabysitter1]

By the way, no he is not all talk. I can't speak for your chameleon, but alot of gloved keepers and scars on fingertips do exist on this forum.

Don't feel too bad. A grumpy chameleon is not representive of a bad keeper, that is just the natural instinct of the animal. Chill ones seem to be more rare.

Rstuart is totally right, if you take them out, they will calm down. When outside of their habitat, most calm right down.

Check out this recent thread.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/why-does-he-hate-23465/

 

[Rocky]

well the only problem with the videos shown is that they are grabbing the chameleon from a stick in the open. Getting a mad cham out of a cage is a total different story. I would suggest putting gloves on and going from the bottom and getting him to switch from the branch to your hand. He will probably calm down once on your arm.

Dont test him though, chams can have a vicious bite...

 

[sassyboots]

well the only problem with the videos shown is that they are grabbing the chameleon from a stick in the open. Getting a mad cham out of a cage is a total different story. I would suggest putting gloves on and going from the bottom and getting him to switch from the branch to your hand. He will probably calm down once on your arm.

Dont test him though, chams can have a vicious bite...

That's what i was going to say. He hides way in the back of his cage in very difficult to get to positions. But i will try the gloves. I had just finished writing my post and returned to the forums when i saw someone had beat me to it, and that post has some great info. also the video luring with food is interesting. one of the last times i handled him he wasn't aggressive to me but he did try to jump away once i had him out, thankfully he managed to grab onto something, but will he attempt to jump off my glove? they don't carry bacteria or anything in their mouth or anything if he does get me?

 

[Pieces]

it means he likes his home

 

[Rocky]

it means he likes his home

unfortunately even if he likes his home he needs to come out so his home can get cleaned my veiled hates coming out and wants to maul my hand every time his cage needs to be cleaned

 

[Howdyco]

sassyboots you asked- they don't carry bacteria or anything in their mouth or anything if he does get me?

yes they do!
They can be carriers of salmonella and other unpleasant germs and bacteria. If you suspect he may bite wear a glove.

 

[Pieces]

unfortunately even if he likes his home he needs to come out so his home can get cleaned my veiled hates coming out and wants to maul my hand every time his cage needs to be cleaned

yeah mine does the same and hes about 7 months old now i tried a green glove and it kinda works but he turns white and doesnt move at all he has actually fallen doing that soo i dont use the glove i just coax him with food... or at least make sure his mouth is full..

 

[hallenhe]

Can you bribe him? Hold the stick out where he can reach it easily, and hold a cup with crickets, superworm or something else tasty in view where he can see it, but has to climb on the stick to get it. It worked with my panther.

 

[sassyboots]

The bribing is a good idea, but how long does that take? is it something they will do right away or it takes an hour or it takes a couple of days etc? So i suppose i just have to get used to him being mean. But it also seems very stressful for him- poor guy.

 

[Docility]

sassyboots you asked- they don't carry bacteria or anything in their mouth or anything if he does get me?

yes they do!
They can be carriers of salmonella and other unpleasant germs and bacteria. If you suspect he may bite wear a glove.

they dont carry salmonella in their mouth =/ its from the skin of any lizard since moisture can collect on them very easy, but from all information taken you are 20% more likely to get it from a fast food place than kissing your cham ect, but still dont do it

 

[Malicious]

If you have to get her out to clean just put a glove on and come up from the bottom and do it! They dont get used to you picking them up and will want to bite you just about every time. If you are worried about the bite breaking skin, then wear a glove. The more you stick your hand in and pull it back out the longer your stressing the animal. The bites are not as bad as you think and are more vocal then anything (the hiss). You may be able to get away with the stick and treat deal, but that may not work at all times. Im sure you have been pinched as a child and remember what that felt like, yeah its like that. The worst I recieved was a cookie cutter mark the shape of a jaw line, and that was from my 10 month old female veild. I dont Nancy around and I don't reason with her. If I need her out of the cage to clean, shes coming out! Come up from the bottom allowing her to grip your hand/fingers and then lift her out. Use your hand to cradle her, almost like your scooping her out. Once shes out, she will become calm and submissive.

-Jay