My new grumpy Chameleon

[Ariesara]

Hello! I'm new here. I just got my first veiled chameleon named Edgar this past week and I've been leaving him alone mostly so as to not stress him out.

He's a little bit older than the teensy little tiny chameleons I usually see in the shops. He's a decent size around 6-7" I would guess. I saw him in this tiny aquarium at the petstore and he was pretty and I felt sorry for him being stuck in such cramped quarters, so ended up buying him. The workers there were pretty elated he was finally getting purchased because he had been in the store for a long while. I have researched chameleons all week and have a pretty good grasp on their environmental and dietary needs.

Thing is, he's really grumpy. He got mad at me earlier for misting the leaves below him ( I was trying my best not to get him wet) and he snapped at my hand trying to put his new feeder cup on the netting cage. I know they're pretty territorial and everything; but will he chill out eventually?

I know we can't cuddle, but at this point I don't even know how I will get him out in order to clean his cage lol I haven't so much as touched him yet. He got mad at the petstore girl when they got him out and they all acted scared of him too! I'm kind of scared to get my hand too close to him, also I don't want to scare him and stress him out. Especially since I've had him only about 5 days. However... it's inevitable that I'll have to take him out at some point. Soooo.... How do you get a grumpy /aggressive chameleon out of a cage for cleaning and can we become at least friendly?

 

[wavingsnail]

He needs way more climbing surfaces and cover. Half of his grumpiness probably has to do with him being so exposed in order to bask.

If you need to remove him, go from under, not over. Try to coax him onto you, or If need be, just remove the branch he's on all together.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Hello! I'm new here. I just got my first veiled chameleon named Edgar this past week and I've been leaving him alone mostly so as to not stress him out.

He's a little bit older than the teensy little tiny chameleons I usually see in the shops. He's a decent size around 6-7" I would guess. I saw him in this tiny aquarium at the petstore and he was pretty and I felt sorry for him being stuck in such cramped quarters, so ended up buying him. The workers there were pretty elated he was finally getting purchased because he had been in the store for a long while. I have researched chameleons all week and have a pretty good grasp on their environmental and dietary needs.

Thing is, he's really grumpy. He got mad at me earlier for misting the leaves below him ( I was trying my best not to get him wet) and he snapped at my hand trying to put his new feeder cup on the netting cage. I know they're pretty territorial and everything; but will he chill out eventually?

I know we can't cuddle, but at this point I don't even know how I will get him out in order to clean his cage lol I haven't so much as touched him yet. He got mad at the petstore girl when they got him out and they all acted scared of him too! I'm kind of scared to get my hand too close to him, also I don't want to scare him and stress him out. Especially since I've had him only about 5 days. However... it's inevitable that I'll have to take him out at some point. Soooo.... How do you get a grumpy /aggressive chameleon out of a cage for cleaning and can we become at least friendly?

I have a big veiled male, that is difficult to handle too, and I sure don't want to be bitten by him! Since I bought him, my goals with chameleon keeping changed from having a pet or two to breeding a rare species. Needless to say, I have spent zero time taming him and if I get him out, I put on leather gloves (I do NOT want to be bitten by him!) and get him on a branch and take him out that way. I absolutely do understand your healthy fear of being bitten.

Think more along the lines that he is afraid. Don't think territorial or aggressive, think fear for his life. It does not matter one bit his motivation--you may never know the true motivations since they are private thoughts only he has access to. What matters is his behavior. Address the behavior and forget about putting any labels on him or his motives (such as he is aggressive, grumpy, mean, etc.). Make your interactions with him as nonthreatening as you can. Open his door and let him come out on his own. Use a hand-held perch--just a branch will do--to move him. Put the perch in front of him but a little higher than the perch he is on. Move incredibly slowly. Give him lots of cover so he isn't on high alert (to the risk of imminent death by big predators like you). Don't underestimate how much fear he lives in.

His puffing up, gaping, biting are all DEFENSE behaviors. They are a last ditch effort by him to scare away something that is going to eat him. Whether he is territorial or not really doesn't matter in how you approach him. Give him space, don't frighten him, and give him a stress-free environment. (As a side note, looking out a window might be stressful especially if he feels exposed as he will in the cage you have.)

Also, every time your presence triggers a fear/aggressive response in him is only solidifying that response to you. He is learning that is the default response to you. Be careful what you teach him, and you can teach them to be aggressive.

Good luck. Veiled males are quite entertaining but don't ever expect them or any other chameleon to be your friend. Their brains just don't work that way.

 

[Ariesara]

He needs way more climbing surfaces and cover. Half of his grumpiness probably has to do with him being so exposed in order to bask.

If you need to remove him, go from under, not over. Try to coax him onto you, or If need be, just remove the branch he's on all together.

We got him some more stuff in the mail yesterday to put in his cage but I think he's going to need to come out in order to put it in, haha I will try to just pull out the plant with him.

 

[Ariesara]

I have a big veiled male, that is difficult to handle too, and I sure don't want to be bitten by him! Since I bought him, my goals with chameleon keeping changed from having a pet or two to breeding a rare species. Needless to say, I have spent zero time taming him and if I get him out, I put on leather gloves (I do NOT want to be bitten by him!) and get him on a branch and take him out that way. I absolutely do understand your healthy fear of being bitten.

Think more along the lines that he is afraid. Don't think territorial or aggressive, think fear for his life. It does not matter one bit his motivation--you may never know the true motivations since they are private thoughts only he has access to. What matters is his behavior. Address the behavior and forget about putting any labels on him or his motives (such as he is aggressive, grumpy, mean, etc.). Make your interactions with him as nonthreatening as you can. Open his door and let him come out on his own. Use a hand-held perch--just a branch will do--to move him. Put the perch in front of him but a little higher than the perch he is on. Move incredibly slowly. Give him lots of cover so he isn't on high alert (to the risk of imminent death by big predators like you). Don't underestimate how much fear he lives in.

His puffing up, gaping, biting are all DEFENSE behaviors. They are a last ditch effort by him to scare away something that is going to eat him. Whether he is territorial or not really doesn't matter in how you approach him. Give him space, don't frighten him, and give him a stress-free environment. (As a side note, looking out a window might be stressful especially if he feels exposed as he will in the cage you have.)

Also, every time your presence triggers a fear/aggressive response in him is only solidifying that response to you. He is learning that is the default response to you. Be careful what you teach him, and you can teach them to be aggressive.

Good luck. Veiled males are quite entertaining but don't ever expect them or any other chameleon to be your friend. Their brains just don't work that way.

I'll keep that in mind , thanks!