Know alot about veiled chameleons?

[ambermarie729x]

Hello.. I'm interested in purchasing a veiled chameleon. I have been researching the general care for them, so I know how they should be housed, what they should be fed, how often their enclosure should be cleaned.. etc, but I was wondering if anyone would like to tell me a little more about their behaviors?

I read a few posts on different websites, however I'm skeptical about random websites because not everybody knows what their talking about! Here are the things I've heard.. maybe somebody who knows more about them can verify these "facts" or tell me otherwise:

*Males are more aggressive than the females?
*Veiled chameleons are the most aggressive species of chameleons?
*Purchase them very young and handle them every day from day 1, that way they aren't as aggressive and become friendly to their owner.
*(on the other hand) I heard not to hold them very often because they are aggressive and don't like to be held.
---^however I'd like to believe that the more they are held, the more friendly they become.


If anybody would like to share any random facts, general care tips, or ideas for enclosures.. I would appreciate it

-Amber

 

[Goonie]

my little dudes just a juvie, but he Loves me, happy animals are friendly animals. just always besure to let them climb onto you. this way they dont see you as a threat, when people say aggressive they really mean defensive, and hand feeding is a great way to create a bond and break down there view of you being a predator
best of luck

 

[Julirs]

Chameleons are a pet that truly should not be handled on any kind of regular basis. There are a rare few that it does not stress out, and fewer that actually will approach you for handling. I am lucky to have 2 out of 20+ that seem to be "friendly", and both are Veileds-one male and one female. As youngsters they will seem more willing, but as they grow become more territorial and less handleable. Just be prepared if you get one the chances are that your pet will be aggressive and non-handleable.

 

[ambermarie729x]

Thank you! I'm not going to get one for probably another few months because I want to make sure I know everything there is to know before I buy one. I'm a little "iffy" about the hand feeding however. I have 2 tiger salamanders and I do not hand feed them, but every time i stick my hand in the cage to move something or pull out a cricket they try to nip my finger. I'm pretty sure they think my fingers are food because salamanders are quite dosile.. but then again chameleons are quite different than salamanders I'll look into it some more.. Thanks again!

 

[ambermarie729x]

to Julirs:
Thank you for the advice. Is there any way of say "training" them or easing them into being friendly all the time? It's not that huge of a deal if they aren't very handleable. I have 2 tiger salamanders that don't really like to be handled either, but if I were to get a veiled chameleon I would really like to be able to handle it.

 

[JJC]

My story

I got my Norman (male Veiled) at 1 week of age. I handled him very little for the first few weeks, and as he got older I started working with him more. I got him to the point where he will eat out of my hands, but he is still VERY aggressive. He hisses and bites and prefers NOT to be handled. It is not for lack of care, he lives free ranged and has all the correct temps, lights, varied diet etc. He is just a unfriendly animal.

He is however very active and I am content just watching him....if I feel like handling an animal I take out one of my Bearded Dragons. Maybe if you are interested in a tame animal that LIKES human interaction (and cuddles) you should look into bearded dragons.

 

[jannb]

Each chameleon has a different personality. Veileds become very territorial when caged. I free range both of mine and interact with them allot and they are both little teddy bears. I've had my male for 3 years and my female for over two years.

 

[pssh]

The free range thing doesn't always work, but it's worth a try. Of course babies can't be free ranged since they like to wander more than adults. I have a very aggressive male veiled, and I love him to death but I feel so bad about him having to see me every day. He gets very scared if his threats don't seem to deter me from his cage. He doesnt tolerate free ranging at all, and I pretty much gave up on handling. He does hand feed sometimes though. He's a piggy.

On the other hand I have a panther male who doesn't mind being handled and even tries to climb on me. However, he was not always like that. He used to be really afraid of me, and after a few months of pretty much leaving him alone he started to be less afraid of me. I started free ranging him every day or so since he would allow me to handle him without any fuss whatsoever. He started to hate the cage and prefer to hang out on my arm or in his free range, so now he is full time free. He's not like other panthers in that he doesn't really wander (like at all) so I suppose most panthers would be more difficult to free range.

 

[ambermarie729x]

Thanks everyone

Thank you everyone for the help! Are there any other types of chameleons that aren't as aggressive and might like to be held?
I'm very interested in chameleons so I'll be willing to research all types!

 

[ambermarie729x]

So panther chameleons are the very colorful ones? I'm going to do some research on them then! I just want a chameleon that I can handle and that will be friendly!

Thank you for the tips!

 

[withlime]

I have two males and one female veiled, so I will speak from my experience only.

*Males are more aggressive than the females?

My female veiled is aggressive unless there is food present. She will gape and lunge to bite you. If I have a cup of food, she will climb onto my hand to get to the food. One of my males is very aggressive and the other one is very calm and will climb onto your hand. All of them have been raised in cages and with the same amount of handling, so I don't think that had anything to do with it. They just all have their own personality.

*Veiled chameleons are the most aggressive species of chameleons?

I keep veileds, panthers, and melleri and the veiled are more aggressive than the others. Most chameleons have been somewhat aggressive when I first got them and progressively calmed down as they got use to me and their new home.

*Purchase them very young and handle them every day from day 1, that way they aren't as aggressive and become friendly to their owner.

I cannot recommend buying "very young" but that depends on your definition of young. Baby veileds are babies and much more fragile than older chameleons. Also, buying very young does not ensure a calm chameleon. I currently have a young juvenile that I held back from my last clutch that is super aggressive. I don't handle him very much because aggressive chams don't become less aggressive the more you hold them, they just bite you

*(on the other hand) I heard not to hold them very often because they are aggressive and don't like to be held.

I think you have to find a balance to handling them. They are not social animals and taking them out of their home to be held by some giant animal can scare them. Even if your chameleon is calm about it, you should not handle them constantly. There are a lot of different opinions on this topic, so I can only speak for myself and my experience.

 

[dodolah]

to add another perspective, my male veiled (RIP) started out aggressive and bite me out of the box. I never handled him except for cage cleaning, going outside to get sunlight, and going to the vet. When he passed his juvenile age, he mellowed down considerably. All that positive event (with the exception of going to the vet, i guess) is enough to make him associate me with good things.

So, it depends on your veiled.
Bottom line is I do not believe handling him daily is essential to develop his tameness level.

 

[AReptile]

I got my cham when she was a baby and she was the ONLY one that hissed and threw a hissy fit when she was picked out of all the other babies( got her at a pet store unfortunately). She is still like that almost 9 months later. But she will hand feed willingly and she has climbed on me a few times. She will put aside her hatred for everything to eat regardless if she has to chase it or take it off my hand. Matter of fact she climbed on my back once after i got her on my arm by hand feeding her silk worms and she fell off onto the floor, and then she climbed right back up my leg lol. I think it is really hit and miss with the nice ones, but you have to be prepared to have acham like this, or even worse.. But like someone said if you want a lizard to play with and w/e, try bearded dragons. I have 2 atm and they are both easy and great to handle.

 

[growing zoo]

I have a 5 month old male veiled who I have had for 6 weeks or so, he is gentle and comes out daily of his own will, he has even taken to sitting at his door and waiting for me to open it so he can climb out either onto me or onto a plant at the side of the cage. He hand feeds and is possibly after reading the previous posts one of the exceptions !!!!

 

[VeiledOwner87]

Thank you! I'm not going to get one for probably another few months because I want to make sure I know everything there is to know before I buy one. I'm a little "iffy" about the hand feeding however. I have 2 tiger salamanders and I do not hand feed them, but every time i stick my hand in the cage to move something or pull out a cricket they try to nip my finger. I'm pretty sure they think my fingers are food because salamanders are quite dosile.. but then again chameleons are quite different than salamanders I'll look into it some more.. Thanks again!

in regards to this comment, a chameleon's tongue cannot bite

 

[chameleonluv101]

I hope this helps u

Well I can't tell you alot because my chameleon likes being held (atleast thats what Petsmart said) but I do know they don't like being held ALOT but every now and then you can just make sure they are not in a bad mood they may hiss if they are. I hope that helped you .

 

[chameleonluv101]

My cham will scratch at the door until I hold him (pretty much like yours) and he will hand feed.

 

[Fogerty]

My male veiled is 7 to 8 months old ,I got him at about a month old and he was sick ,so there was a lot of handling early on. He would get picked up a couple of times a week. Now he is like a puppy dog ,when he sees me he recognizes me and runs to the door of his cage and wants nothing more than to go outside with me.

 

[carol5208]

Well I can't tell you alot because my chameleon likes being held (atleast thats what Petsmart said) but I do know they don't like being held ALOT but every now and then you can just make sure they are not in a bad mood they may hiss if they are. I hope that helped you .

This thread is 3 1/2 years old!!! Why bring up threads like this that are so old? How does this happen?

 

[Nicole Rubash]

Hello.. I'm interested in purchasing a veiled chameleon. I have been researching the general care for them, so I know how they should be housed, what they should be fed, how often their enclosure should be cleaned.. etc, but I was wondering if anyone would like to tell me a little more about their behaviors?

I read a few posts on different websites, however I'm skeptical about random websites because not everybody knows what their talking about! Here are the things I've heard.. maybe somebody who knows more about them can verify these "facts" or tell me otherwise:

*Males are more aggressive than the females?
*Veiled chameleons are the most aggressive species of chameleons?
*Purchase them very young and handle them every day from day 1, that way they aren't as aggressive and become friendly to their owner.
*(on the other hand) I heard not to hold them very often because they are aggressive and don't like to be held.
---^however I'd like to believe that the more they are held, the more friendly they become.


If anybody would like to share any random facts, general care tips, or ideas for enclosures.. I would appreciate it

-Amber

I have a male and he's not aggressive at all. I hold him everyday several times a day n all's he does is fall asleep in my hands or on my shoulder.