New Cham owner!! Advice on how to help him stop hissing/biting

[samanthanortonn]

I’ve had tito for 3 days now. He is a veiled and around 4 months old. He is not a fan of me at all so far. I have very minimally tried to interact with him thus far so he can get used to his new surroundings. The only time that I have is putting a cricket in front of him with tongs. While I thought this would be a great and seen as a good thing by him to let him know I can be trusted, he puffs, hisses, and lunges as if he is going to bite but never actually tried to eat the cricket. He has been eating very good since I have got him. He will chase and capture 5-7 large crickets in his enclosure but just will not have anything to do with them if I am trying to feed him directly. Any advice on how to make this process smoother and let him know I’m not a predator? I know this will take baby steps and patience which I am prepared for. I’m kinda just looking for advice on where to start

 

[Beman]

This baby looks extremely stressed... These are animals that are not typically a hold kind of pet. They are more like having a fish tank where you admire them from afar.

At his age he should be eating more and feeder size should be appropriate for him. baby will back off large feeders and not eat as much. Tongs IMO should not be used. They can damage the tongue if the cham hits it rather then the feeder.

The cage does not look set up correctly for him either. I see bark on the floor which is an impaction risk. Can you please take a picture of the entire cage lights down?

 

[Anisa.corp]

If you fill this out we will be able to help you more and post a picture of your enclosure lights down


Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Location - Where are you geographically located?
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

I know this will take baby steps and patience which I am prepared for.

Well, you got that part right! ?

I think it would also help to spend some significant time in the archives, YT, and on google. Not just an article or video, but LOTS of them. This is the interweb; in addition to getting a well-rounded exposure to these topics, you'll also have to watch for and learn to filter out the bad advice and static.

Before getting to the socializing (chameleons can't really be "tamed") I think it best to study & learn their body language and signs of stress.
veiled chameleon body language
veiled chameleon stress

Once you know what to look for, what you're looking at, and what your chameleon is trying to tell you, you can get down to socializing (even though some call it "taming")—but like you said—"this will take baby steps and patience".
socializing a veiled chameleon
taming a veiled chameleon

I kinda doubt your chameleon associated the tongs with you offering him food. More likely, he took a bead on the food and struck—end of story. Right now, he views you as the big scary giant that wants to eat him (apart from the bugs they eat, most reptiles are at or near the bottom of the food chain; almost everything they encounter may want to eat them. Instinct can be difficult to overcome. )
You'll learn from the above material that one of the first steps will be to dissuade him of this notion.

Questions? Come back here & ask. We don't want to eat you. ?

 

[samanthanortonn]

This is his enclosure, I am getting more branches and plants and a Dripper but they were out of them when I got him so I have been misting his enclosure 4-5 times a day. I have been reading articles for the past week and thoroughly considered all things before getting him.

he is a male, veiled, 4 months old, and I have had him for 3 days now.
I have not physically touched him yet but have tried to put my hands in his enclosure so he can get used to my presence.
I am feeding him large crickets (that’s all they had at my pet store) but he has been eating them well. About 5-7 a day and I gut load them with carrots, romaine lettuce, and cucumbers and dust them with just a calcium powder at every feeding. He eats the bulk of them at 9ish in the morning but whatever he doesn’t eat I leave in his enclosure and he will eat within the next few hours.
for now I am misting him 4-5 times a day for about a minute each until everything is dripping although I haven’t seen him physically lick any water, his urine has been white and he does not show any signs of dehydration.
his droppings have been normal, he had the white creamy urine come out first then a dark brown dropping right after that with (from what I’ve read) the right consistency.
he is in a full screen cage that’s about 2 1/2 foot long, 1 foot wide.
I am using a 100 basking lamp and uvb bulb that covers the width of the back of his enclosure. He has a timer for 9am-9pm the lights are on and the remaining time at night they are off. 12 hours on and 12 hours off.
his basking spot has a separate thermometer that ranges between 80-86 during the day and doesn’t drop below 70 at night. The thermometer at the bottom of his cage ranges between 70-75 during the day and doesn’t drop below 65 at night.
He has no live plants.
his enclosure is not near any vents and sits on top of my mini fridge so he is above my head in my bedroom, there is little to no traffic besides for just me.
I am geographically located in Alabama.
my concern with him is getting him acclimated to me. And if there is anything I need to change to make him more comfortable, like I said I am a first time owner but have owned many other reptiles and pets, I am going into vet school so I’m used to animals and truly want the best for him, just need some help starting up with him. Is there anything I should start doing daily to get him used to me and maybe limit the hissing and trying to bite?

 

[NashansCamos]

This is his enclosure, I am getting more branches and plants and a Dripper but they were out of them when I got him so I have been misting his enclosure 4-5 times a day. I have been reading articles for the past week and thoroughly considered all things before getting him.

he is a male, veiled, 4 months old, and I have had him for 3 days now.
I have not physically touched him yet but have tried to put my hands in his enclosure so he can get used to my presence.
I am feeding him large crickets (that’s all they had at my pet store) but he has been eating them well. About 5-7 a day and I gut load them with carrots, romaine lettuce, and cucumbers and dust them with just a calcium powder at every feeding. He eats the bulk of them at 9ish in the morning but whatever he doesn’t eat I leave in his enclosure and he will eat within the next few hours.
for now I am misting him 4-5 times a day for about a minute each until everything is dripping although I haven’t seen him physically lick any water, his urine has been white and he does not show any signs of dehydration.
his droppings have been normal, he had the white creamy urine come out first then a dark brown dropping right after that with (from what I’ve read) the right consistency.
he is in a full screen cage that’s about 2 1/2 foot long, 1 foot wide.
I am using a 100 basking lamp and uvb bulb that covers the width of the back of his enclosure. He has a timer for 9am-9pm the lights are on and the remaining time at night they are off. 12 hours on and 12 hours off.
his basking spot has a separate thermometer that ranges between 80-86 during the day and doesn’t drop below 70 at night. The thermometer at the bottom of his cage ranges between 70-75 during the day and doesn’t drop below 65 at night.
He has no live plants.
his enclosure is not near any vents and sits on top of my mini fridge so he is above my head in my bedroom, there is little to no traffic besides for just me.
I am geographically located in Alabama.
my concern with him is getting him acclimated to me. And if there is anything I need to change to make him more comfortable, like I said I am a first time owner but have owned many other reptiles and pets, I am going into vet school so I’m used to animals and truly want the best for him, just need some help starting up with him. Is there anything I should start doing daily to get him used to me and maybe limit the hissing and trying to bite?

I will let somebody more expirienced go through your health form but I can tell you right now that the substrate should not be there unless it's bioactive, plain substrate will grow mold and bacteria easily.

Also why are there veggies there? chams really shouldn't be fed veggies on your form it says you gutload with them so i'm a bit confused as why theyre in the cage.

Also just a heads up get ready to make some big changes!

 

[jacksonchamnew]

Many things wrong with enclosure. I will be gentle. Some will get upset. You need UVB bulb and no substrate. You need lots of branches at top of cage. He should be able to crawl from branch to branch and have real or silk plants to hide in and shield him from too much light. Let others comment.

 

[jacksonchamnew]

He will need 2 x 2 x 4 foot cage when he hits about 8 months.

 

[samanthanortonn]

I just put the veggies in there to see if he would take a liking to them. I don’t see them doing any harm if he does Or doesn’t eat them, I have heard that some veiled like veggies and some don’t. I’m just trying it out with him to see if he has any interest. No biggie if he doesn’t, as I do gut load but I was just seeing if he wanted any himself. His substrate is bio active but I am going to get a different substrate after reading some of the comments on here. What would you guys suggest? This substrate is what he was living in before I got him so that’s why I have it in there.

 

[samanthanortonn]

Many things wrong with enclosure. I will be gentle. Some will get upset. You need UVB bulb and no substrate. You need lots of branches at top of cage. He should be able to crawl from branch to branch and have real or silk plants to hide in and shield him from too much light. Let others comment.

He does have a uvb bulb? I mentioned that in my previous comment.

 

[jacksonchamnew]

He does have a uvb bulb? I mentioned that in my previous comment.

Oh sorry, I did not see it

 

[Beman]

I just put the veggies in there to see if he would take a liking to them. I don’t see them doing any harm if he does Or doesn’t eat them, I have heard that some veiled like veggies and some don’t. I’m just trying it out with him to see if he has any interest. No biggie if he doesn’t, as I do gut load but I was just seeing if he wanted any himself. His substrate is bio active but I am going to get a different substrate after reading some of the comments on here. What would you guys suggest? This substrate is what he was living in before I got him so that’s why I have it in there.

No fruit or veg at all should be fed to the chameleon. THey do not process it the way other reptiles like bearded dragons do. Yes, Veileds will eat their plants but this is adding roughage for digestion.

No substrate at all UNLESS fully set up as bio active... What you have is not bio active. Bio active is when there is a drainage layer, soil, leaf litter, and there are isopods. See this link for real bio active https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/intro-to-bio-activity.2429/

 

[MissSkittles]

Putting my feedback in red.
Disclaimer: if I sound harsh or critical, I’m not meaning to. Just gonna give you the corrections needed.
This is his enclosure, I am getting more branches and plants and a Dripper but they were out of them when I got him so I have been misting his enclosure 4-5 times a day. I have been reading articles for the past week and thoroughly considered all things before getting him.

he is a male, veiled, 4 months old, and I have had him for 3 days now.
I have not physically touched him yet but have tried to put my hands in his enclosure so he can get used to my presence. Is better to just open the enclosure door and sit quietly, moving slowly to get him used to you. Putting hands in his enclosure is frightening as that is ‘his space’.
I am feeding him large crickets (that’s all they had at my pet store) but he has been eating them well. He needs smaller feeders and more variety. Attaching feeder and gutload graphics for you. About 5-7 a day and I gut load them with carrots, romaine lettuce, and cucumbers very little to no nutritive value to pass on with these. and dust them with just a calcium powder at every feeding. Does the calcium have D3 in it?Basic supplementation is phosphorus free calcium without D3 at every feeding except one per week. That one weekly feeding you want to use calcium with D3 one week and the next use a multivitamin. He eats the bulk of them at 9ish in the morning but whatever he doesn’t eat I leave in his enclosure and he will eat within the next few hours. I’m cautious about leaving crickets in an enclosure. He may not eat them all and they can give him a nasty bite when he sleeps. Good way to prevent this is by leaving a little something in the enclosure for the cricket to eat...a piece of greens, veggie or similar.
for now I am misting him 4-5 times a day for about a minute each until everything is dripping although I haven’t seen him physically lick any water, his urine has been white and he does not show any signs of dehydration. Is better to mist 2-3 times daily for at least 2 minutes each time. Many chams are secret drinkers.
his droppings have been normal, he had the white creamy urine come out first then a dark brown dropping right after that with (from what I’ve read) the right consistency. It’s always a good idea to have a vet check a fecal for parasites.
he is in a full screen cage that’s about 2 1/2 foot long, 1 foot wide. Too small and will need to be upgraded within a couple of months to a minimum of 2x2x4’ (Or equivalent).
I am using a 100 basking lamp and uvb bulb that covers the width of the back of his enclosure. He has a timer for 9am-9pm the lights are on and the remaining time at night they are off. 12 hours on and 12 hours off. What type of uvb is it? Do you have a T8 or a T5? What is the strength of the uvb bulb?
his basking spot has a separate thermometer that ranges between 80-86 during the day and doesn’t drop below 70 at night. The thermometer at the bottom of his cage ranges between 70-75 during the day and doesn’t drop below 65 at night. Need to be a bit cooler during the day. Try to keep it around 80*. At night you want a temp drop and veileds can handle temps as low as the 50’s! Good that you’ve got different temp gradients.
He has no live plants. He needs some! Pothos is excellent, as is wandering Jew, dracaena, schefflera. Here’s a list of safe plants. https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/ The problem with fake plants is that veileds tend to nibble their plants. He may eat a fake leaf and get impacted. I use the fake plants I started with attached to the outside of the enclosure door to give a better sense of safety/privacy. You also need many many more branches and vines. All of that empty space is wasted.
his enclosure is not near any vents and sits on top of my mini fridge so he is above my head in my bedroom, there is little to no traffic besides for just me. The higher, the better. Chams feel safest when they can look down upon their world.
I am geographically located in Alabama.
my concern with him is getting him acclimated to me. And if there is anything I need to change to make him more comfortable, like I said I am a first time owner but have owned many other reptiles and pets, I am going into vet school so I’m used to animals and truly want the best for him, just need some help starting up with him. Is there anything I should start doing daily to get him used to me and maybe limit the hissing and trying to bite? It’s going to take time and patience. There’s a great blog on building trust with your cham. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/building-trust-with-your-chameleon.2396/
As others have said, get rid of the substrate. Bare floor is easiest to keep clean.

 

[MissSkittles]

As usual, I forgot to attach the feeder and gutloading sheets.
Here ya go!
Just FYI: roaches are perhaps the best feeder. Many of the feeders listed are available on line. Check the forum sponsors.

 

[bbyoda]

My chameleon was very hissy and would lunge to try and bite me when he was in his smaller baby cage. Now that he's in his adult enclosure, with branches and plants galore, his attitude and demeanor has shifted dramatically. He feels far more safe and secure so we have a better foundation upon which to build trust. He still gets hissy and puffy at times if I'm in his space too much, but he will finally take feeders from the palm of my hand (even if I have to wait ~10-15 min) and he will stay in place when I enter the room rather than running away or hissing immediately.

The advice you're getting may seem unrelated but it's all going to help him be healthy and feel safe - and help you understand how to build trust and read and observe his behaviors better.