to handle or not to handle?

[summoner12]

Look Out!

my guy is 5 months and already looks like he could swallow me whole lol i really dont want to get bit by him its the noise he makes aswel it scared the hell out of me

lol Fred makes some good 'I'm gonna HURT you' sounds. He doesn't scare me too much. Just don't let them get close enough to nip you. If they are lunging they are not happy... try not to stress them to that point.

Here is Fred when he saw my finger move unexpectedly. This was a couple of months ago.. hes bigger now.

I took this pic the other day.

 

[tryme]

the second one is exactly what he does when i go near him he stands up and "bigs himself up" lol he lunged for my girlfriend but usually he just hisses im not going to keep on ill try putting my hand in for a few mins a day gradually getting closer but if hes not having it then im going to leave him to it.

 

[summoner12]

the second one is exactly what he does when i go near him he stands up and "bigs himself up" lol he lunged for my girlfriend but usually he just hisses im not going to keep on ill try putting my hand in for a few mins a day gradually getting closer but if hes not having it then im going to leave him to it.

haha hes not even making himself big. He is just standing there looking back down at me.

I just found out today that if I open the cage and put that stick in front he'll climb down onto the stick and hang out. I was like 'oh cool check this out! My GF was like "yeah i do that all the time". Apparently thats how she get Fred and Jake out.

 

[tryme]

yeah i saw that on the telly aswel lol i think ill give it a go tomorrow when hes up and about

 

[Treetop Chameleons]

i let my panthers free rome right now they are 7 months male and female and they will walk right up to me and climb on my arm. my veilds dont like it when i even look at them but i think it all depends on the cham. i think hand feeding realy helps them to trust you. but i dont think you should handel them a lot i jusyt dont like to keep them in cages and i have a room that they cant get out of so im not worried about them getting out.

 

[spatulars]

How big is the stick you guys are using? I tried a medium-sized branch and he hated it more than he hates my hand. He's either really smart or really dumb for a chameleon... I'm leaning toward the smart end because he doesn't fall for any tricks, but I haven't completely decided yet. He doesn't know that I'm trying to take him outside because I haven't been able to do it yet. How do you think he would feel if I just moved his whole cage outside with him in it? I don't think he'd like that either, but I don't know. He might get less stressed than me sticking my hands in his cage every week. He's very sensitive.

 

[summoner12]

Smart guy

I wanted to share this video I made today with you guys. The other day my GF said she had gotten Fred and Jake out of their cages by using a dried stick we carry them around on. I guess Fred has learned that if he comes to the stick in the afternoons he gets a free ride to his outside Ficus tree. The patio at my apt. faces south and gets sun most of the day. I am home around 3pm with just enough light for the boys to get some sun.

Jake doesn't really like it if you hold the stick. So for him I just rest it on the screen with the cage open and he'll make his way down slowly and wait on the stick to be transported.

Fred on the other hand comes running when he sees the cage open and the stick placed inside his cage. I made a video of him today.

You will see his head pop out from under the feeding dish and then he comes down his tree to the branch. I am not sure why but if I don't move the stick around a bit he seems to lose interest. I also have to pull it away or he'll bridge the gap between the stick and his tree for a while. oh and my camera sucks and can't adjust for the change in brightness... you'll see at the end.

 

[tryme]

my veiled tried to kill the stick lol so im lost now i cant get him out he doesnt trust me

 

[summoner12]

my veiled tried to kill the stick lol so im lost now i cant get him out he doesnt trust me

leave the cage open with the stick half in and let him explore it. jake gets spooked but if its just sitting he'll climb aboard.

 

[dodolah]

that's a good one.
I also leave my door open. he instinctively run out of the cage and then i can hold him.
I encourage this behavior so I don't have to stress him out by grabbing him inside of his territory.
I don't handle my chameleon at all now. I only do that to move him out to his sunning cage.
For some reason, his attitude has grown milder overtime.
Honestly, i would rather have a slight attitude for my veiled.
It makes administering medicine easier when he gapes at you.
Now, i really have to gently force his mouth to open for me.