My chameleon is scared of me

[Rosemond]

He runs away from me .... He used to never do it and then one day he just Started doing it any ideas on how to win him back ?

 

[FrankTheTank]

that is very normal for chams. I am guessing you got him young? They call it the teenage years. It's like a switch flips and they become "hateful" towards their owners. It will take time but you can try hand feeding him till he stats to trust you again and he might eventually start to climb onto your hand willingly. You are going to have to be patient though. This could take some time but it is very worth it.

 

[Psychobunny]

How old is your cham?

What Frankthetank said, it could just be a mood thing.
My veiled cham was the same way when he turned about 8 months old.

That's when they are very actively seeking a mate, and are likely to be very territorial and aggressive.

Letting him out to free range may help, but getting them back in their cage, after being free to roam as they please, can be a daunting task!!

Just leave him alone, it will pass

 

[kdc5019]

Chams go through phases. My first Panther Thor, from 4months to 8months, wanted nothing to do with me. Now anytime I walk by the cage he comes up to the screen and wants to come out and play on his freerange.

Give it time, be patient and slowly work on stick feeding/hand feeding to get him used to your hand. Once they realize your hand brings them food, they dont stay as timid.

However, there are always some chams who just want to be messed with.

 

[rajon1080]

Same Issue

I've been having the same issue with my baby. He's only 3 months, so it is very normal that he wants to hide from me. Couple things that I have started doing that have really helped to calm him down for me:

1. I started to try and throw on the same black p coat as much as i can when im around him. I found that anything bright at all really sent him running more than usual.

2. I'm leaving his cage open as much as I possibly can. He seems to be a lot more comfortable with me in the mornings when he wakes up and his cage door is open and he can see me gettting ready for work while not paying any attention to him.

3. I've started hooking a vine from his cage to an artificial ficus tree whenever I'm able to leave his cage open. I'm sure when he musters up the courage to take the bridge to the new world on his own he will relax even more. Many people will probably tell you that free ranging him will help, but IMO it is important to do it on his own terms first. If he's already scared or just plain not a fan of you right now, handling him to move him to his free range area could be more trouble than its worth as far as the two of you making progress. I am still a very new keeper though, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

Hope this will help you and your buddy become better homies!

 

[Psychobunny]

I dont start free ranging them until they are eating from my hand, and do not hide when I open the cage.
If they are still afraid of you when they are in their cage, and you let them out to free range, how are you going to get them back inside the cage w/o causing a lot of stress?
If out of the cage they will try to get away from you.

I have tried getting them on a stick, but they puff up at the sight of it.
Also, they can see that my hand is at the other end, so if they did get on the stick, where would they go?

If you wait until they are familiar enough with you to eat from your hand, and even not freak out when you have your hand an inch away, or even partly climbing on your hand, you will have a much better time collecting them after free ranging.

You also have to watch out for the "suicide drop"!! If they are really scared, and feel a threat, they will simply fall from where ever they are in an effort to escape. Young ones are notorious for doing this.

 

[rajon1080]

I dont start free ranging them until they are eating from my hand, and do not hide when I open the cage.
If they are still afraid of you when they are in their cage, and you let them out to free range, how are you going to get them back inside the cage w/o causing a lot of stress?
If out of the cage they will try to get away from you.

I have tried getting them on a stick, but they puff up at the sight of it.
Also, they can see that my hand is at the other end, so if they did get on the stick, where would they go?

If you wait until they are familiar enough with you to eat from your hand, and even not freak out when you have your hand an inch away, or even partly climbing on your hand, you will have a much better time collecting them after free ranging.

You also have to watch out for the "suicide drop"!! If they are really scared, and feel a threat, they will simply fall from where ever they are in an effort to escape. Young ones are notorious for doing this.

That is a really good point, I figured he would eventually need to return to the cage because he knows that is where his water and food are, but perhaps this was a huge oversight. Thanks for the Tip!

 

[Psychobunny]

That is a really good point, I figured he would eventually need to return to the cage because he knows that is where his water and food are, but perhaps this was a huge oversight. Thanks for the Tip!

I have never seen a cham return to it's cage willingly after being out on the free range

 

[Rosemond]

Thank you soo much for all the replies he eats from my hand, and is fine with my hand in the cage he just won't come out and be social. But I guess ill just work with him and he will eventually be okay ! Thanks guys you all are lots of help.