Veiled Handling??
- Thread starter louwillie
- Start date
boj3434
New Member
People say its best to handle them little to none at all but I believe that if you get them used to being handled they get a lot less stress from small things and overall it will be less stress. I would just let him choose to come onto your hand by himself. Try hand feeding and after he gets used to it then lure him onto your hand. Just dont force things it took me over a month to get mine used to being held and i am still working to make it better. 
OOOst16
Established Member
Handeling can lead to stress....and stress kills babies fast. If he's willing to come to you as a juvinile id say handle him mildley....you really shouldn't ever hold em though....there living art. Not pets. That's literly how I see them. ( of course they are legit pets but you get the idea.)....now there are exceptions, always get em out once a week for health checks. Some chams don't mind human interaction. Miss lillys Tommy loves to be handled. You just have to learn your animal.but as a babie id leave habdling only for health checks.
louwillie
New Member
Ya I understand that it can be stressful. It's just that I don't want to have an aggressive adult male when I take him out for cleaning/health checks. Thanks
pssh
Avid Member
Just general things like any swollen parts, a strong grip, no sores, or anything that just looks off in general.
You have a chameleon... You have to expect the 'worst' and be prepared for it. Some chams are aggressive others are not. Personally I love the aggressive attitude, it also makes it easier to tell if your Cham is poorly.
If you end up with an aggressive boy then just use a stick to get him out, most chams settle down once they're out of the cage. My boy is mean in the cage but outside of it he calms down and crawls up to my head (if he's even out for that long.) I don't like holding him for more than 2-5 minutes once a week.
EDIT: Did I say that he breaks skin when I put my hand too close? Even as a baby he would break skin. I got him at 2 months and he was strong enough to tear a tiny bit of the first layer of skin. I do NOT want to even try to handle him every day, too much pain for us both. I use a nice stick and put it under his belly and gently lift upwards until he grabs it with all feet. Carefull of the tail though, be careful not to yank if it's wrapped around something.
You have a chameleon... You have to expect the 'worst' and be prepared for it. Some chams are aggressive others are not. Personally I love the aggressive attitude, it also makes it easier to tell if your Cham is poorly.
If you end up with an aggressive boy then just use a stick to get him out, most chams settle down once they're out of the cage. My boy is mean in the cage but outside of it he calms down and crawls up to my head (if he's even out for that long.) I don't like holding him for more than 2-5 minutes once a week.
EDIT: Did I say that he breaks skin when I put my hand too close? Even as a baby he would break skin. I got him at 2 months and he was strong enough to tear a tiny bit of the first layer of skin. I do NOT want to even try to handle him every day, too much pain for us both. I use a nice stick and put it under his belly and gently lift upwards until he grabs it with all feet. Carefull of the tail though, be careful not to yank if it's wrapped around something.
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DJ Richey Rich
New Member
I handel mine almost every day best way to teach them is by hand feeding. Once u can hand feed well then put ur arm extended out place a feeder about half way down ur arm and they will walk on ur hand to get their food.
louwillie
New Member
pssh
Avid Member
I use a wooden rod or some dried out bamboo. If he will climb out for some food then go ahead and do that, but if he seems too aggressive then use a stick. Or if you can manage to put one hand in front of him and scare him onto it with the other hand you can do it that way. Again, if he's too agressive then use a stick.
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
Ya I understand that it can be stressful. It's just that I don't want to have an aggressive adult male when I take him out for cleaning/health checks. Thanks
Whether or not he ends up being aggressive or not may have nothing to do with handling him at a young age. Chams are individuals from day one. You can teach him that you are not going to hurt him by offering him favorite feeders by hand, by doing cage chores on a schedule (they are creatures of habit and don't like change). If you need to handle him (a little is OK really) the gentlest way is to put one hand behind his hind feet and nudge him to climb onto your other hand on his own. Don't pick him up by the body or reach down from above or cover his head. That is an "aggressive" act in their minds. If he does turn out to be nasty and reactive (not a certain thing) you can always turn off his lights a while before you have to handle him or the cage. He'll be cooler and less reactive then.
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