New Cham owner! HELP PLEASE!!

[Nathan96]

Hi I just got a Nosy be panther about 3 days ago and it has been very active in its cage. I put two dozen crickets in there and he has been eating great! However if I get near the cage or put my hand inside, he scurries for cover or goes to the opposite side of me. I understand that chameleons aren't the handling type but I know for some you can definitely handle. Can anyone offer me advice to how I could tame/ get Neptune (my nosy be) used to me and get him comfortable around me so I could hold him and so he's not scared? Also, I do realize that he's still getting used to his surroundings, but how long do you think he'll not be accustomed to being handled? At what point do I say "Ok. It's time I handle him". I'm just looking for good advice from people who experienced this but their Cham is now used to this. Any tips and pointers would be very helpful! Thank you!

 

[SaintJimmy]

it takes time. Lots of time.

Just be patient.

Put the food in the cage with your hands, then leave him alone except for mistings.

Eventually he will stop running away, but will hide when you try and pick him up.

Then when he is okay with you standing there without running away, start to catch crickets with your hands and feed them to him.

Do that for a while and put your hand near him eventually and if he does not puff up/gape/hiss then try and gently slide your hand underneath his chin all the way under his belly and sloooowlly gently lift up.

If he takes it, hold him for around a minute or so and then put him back. maybe try and feed him while hes in your hands.

Continue the handling for a few minutes every day or every other day if he is okay with it and does not show signs of stress.

ALWAYS hand feed when you can!!

 

[VigilantSpearIII]

Try gifts, flowers, jewelry, that sort of thing. If you fail with those attempts, then try blackmail or threats... Usually they let you handle them before things get too extreme.

...Oh, we're talking about chameleons huh? In that case, patience my friend. It takes time, I'm talking months before a cham can learn to tolerate your presence. Some chams, especially WC chams, never really adjust well. Its just a fact of the matter buddy. I advise getting WB and usually younger chams to avoid getting skittish chameleons. Just give it time, let the cham settle in, and hope your cham gets social. Use treats like waxworms to get the cham on your side.

 

[laurie]

From a long time Cham keeper, if you Ever want to be able to hold him, stay away from him!! Some chams take a month to settle in. If you push him, he may always be afraid of you.

Let him see you put food in his cage and wipe it out. That is all for a couple weeks. Then when you take his food put it in the cage, you can stand very still and watch him. A couple days later put his food in and stand there with the door open. Let his get ok with that then try to hand feed, work up to seeing if he will set on your hand. Remember you push and he will run away.

 

[Oliviabryant]

Not saying this is going to happen but it is something you should take into consideration-
be careful putting a bunch of crickets in. If he does not eat them all on one feeding and they roam the cage while he sleeps they can bite him. You can also put a piece of yellow squash at the bottom so they will swarm to the food and not bite the Cham. You want to make sure whatever it is you put in there for cricket food the Cham can also eat- so avoid anything large and hard.

 

[eswalker]

I find this video has some good points. As others have said, hand feed and have the upmost patience. You can't rush him into doing anything he doesn't want to do. Free ranging can also help mellow them out. Hope this helps! Good luck!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0jporn8euc