Trying to hold my chameleon

[Djturna4thakidz]

Hello All,

I have a 5 month old ambilobe female. I got her about a month ago and I have not attempted handling her. I am a bit hesitant because she seems shy when I put my hand in the cage or mist, but I know they are shy by nature. I would like to begin handling her a little bit every week. What is the best way to start this process? I dont want to stress her out, but I would like her to get a little socialization. Let me know what everyone thinks

 

[kfactor]

I only handle my Cham when I clean his cage but I would try hand feeding and just work at it slowly but for me I think u should only handle your Cham if u have too

 

[Draco1702]

Personally I don't approve handling chameleons unless it is necessary... They get stressed easily and unnecessary handling does them no good. Now, some chams are more sociable then others... I see nothing wrong with letting them climb on you at their leisure provided they are not forced to.

 

[Kibu]

Stick ur hand in the cage and hold it still, or u could gently slide ur hand under one of her forefeet.

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

Yeah, I would be cool with never holding her, but I have to move her enclosure to my new place which requires removing her. I am just scared because I dont want her to get stressed. Should I just start placing my hand in the enclosure closer and closer to her to see if she will explore and walk on me?

 

[Draco1702]

I you need to do this only occasionally, the best way is to slide your hand under the chameleon so that she can climb on it. A great way to get her acquainted with you is to hand feed her frequently.

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

I have never hand fed, does that mean just hold a live cricket like 6 inches away from her face? Should she be intrigued and come torwards the food?

 

[Draco1702]

I have never hand fed, does that mean just hold a live cricket like 6 inches away from her face? Should she be intrigued and come torwards the food?

Yes, exactly. At first it may take patience and practice, but when she gets used to you she should eat off your hands with no problems! I generally hand feed treats (several types of worms) rather the crickets, so they like me better .

 

[Solid Snake]

Hello All,

I have a 5 month old ambilobe female. I got her about a month ago and I have not attempted handling her. I am a bit hesitant because she seems shy when I put my hand in the cage or mist, but I know they are shy by nature. I would like to begin handling her a little bit every week. What is the best way to start this process? I dont want to stress her out, but I would like her to get a little socialization. Let me know what everyone thinks

I think you are doing great by not handling her.

At this point, I would start hand feeding, or attempting to, if you have not already.

You didnt really ask for it, but in my opinion you should only handle the cham when you have to, and if its difficult, its difficult.
Any "socialization" is what is going to stress her out.

 

[Olimpia]

I have a blog where I outlined in a bit of detail how I went about "taming" my last few chameleons: http://muchadoaboutchameleons.blogspot.com/2012/04/to-handle-or-not-to-handle.html
It may not work for every single individual animal but it's worked for my guys. I even managed to mellow out my aggressive ones more - not that they became social, but it certainly made getting them out for vet visits easier, or getting them out to give meds.

In my opinion, if you can work with your animals so they are at least comfortable with you nearby, that's a success. They will be significantly better off than the ones that are horrified just by the sight of you, especially since they have to see you every day. They don't have to be puppy dogs, but just being comfortable seeing you will save you both a lot of horror for any cage cleanings, meds, vet visits, cage changes, etc. etc. etc.... I've had panthers that would throw themselves off branches at the sight of me, nearly every time I stuck my hand in to feed him or change the misting nozzle, or anything. I think he was miserable until he was able to be comfortable enough with me to hand feed and tolerate just enough handling to be able to go outside for sun or to the vet. I think his quality of life improved, instead of feeling like a person in a shark cage every day.

 

[Dr O]

and just for posterity, it should be noted that female panthers can sometimes be considerably less social than their male counterparts. not always, but i'll make a mini-stereotype out of it.

dr. o-

 

[BriAlme]

Try placing a large plant in front of the opened cage door, most chams will venture out. Once she is out offer her a tasty silkworm or hornworm.