best handling method

Pookie · 10-30-03, 08:06 AM

Ever since i've had my vield cham he hasn't liked to be held. So since i don't want to stress him out...i tend to leave him in his cage as much as i can when cleaning. I don't think i've held him in a couple months! but the other day when i went to handle him to introduce him to a new possible cage (to see how he likes it for a few weeks) he went crazy! hissing, trying to bite me, so i just let him be...i wasn't even that close to him! I guess i should have named him Tokay!*

So what's the best way to take him out of the enclosure without a bite or stressing him out?

Trace · 10-30-03, 09:27 AM

LMAO! Welcome to the world of male Veiled Chameleons! These guys are touted as being a good beginner chameleon, and they are, they can tolerate small husbandry mistakes and still remain healthy. They are fairly hardy in captivity compared to other species of chameleons. This comes at a price though, they are the most foul tempered chameleons out there. So it sounds like he's acting normal to me.

Tips for getting him out? Screw up your courage and pick him up if you need to move him. I don't take a lot of crap from my guys and I just go in and pick them up! A lot of times they just bluff and don't bite, although this is not always the case. I've got one male here that WILL eat my arm off if you give him the chance, several others that hiss, gape and lunge but never bite. Try to come from underneath him, you may appear less of a threat, you aren't a big scary predator coming from above. Take it slow, let him see you and your hand. Offer him is favorite food in your hand, he may associate that with good things. Maybe open the cage door and just look at him for a few minutes several times a day, he may learn to trust you that way. Do not use gloves or other pieces of clothing to move him, it may scare/stress him more to see that.

Good luck moving Boris!

Trace

marisa · 10-30-03, 11:06 AM

OMG. If Gus ever bit me I don't know what I would do. That vivid description of their behaviour sometimes has me scared.

"WILL eat my arm off if you give him the chance, several others that hiss, gape and lunge "

*looking at cham cage wtih shifty eyes*

Do they always display some sort of warning before biting? As in, are they already acting pissed off when they bite or have you had them be totally normal, then just take a bite out of you?

Marisa

Trace · 10-30-03, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Do they always display some sort of warning before biting?

Yesssssss...

Quote:

have you had them be totally normal, then just take a bite out of you?

Yesssssss...

As you can see, I've had both happen. The former is more likely though. You are in their space, they hiss and gape warning you to get away. Some then bite, most bluff. In some cases I've had a half a second (sorry never timed this) warning, then I've been bitten.

Here is my scenario from earlier this week. Place female in C.J's cage for mating. Mating occurs. (YAY!) Female seems stressed when finished. Decide to remove female from cage. In the process, C.J. whips around and tags me on the bridge of my nose! No warning. No hiss. Nothing. One would think that afterwards he should be a little more relaxed. Nope. I've got the coolest shaped scab on my nose though.

Please don't let me give you the wrong impression of these guys. They are not ogres. Don't be scared of them. Also, I'm not getting bitten every day. It's a rare occurence here, but it does happen and I take the blame for it. Learn their signals, know when they want to be left alone.

Cheers!

Trace

drewlowe · 10-30-03, 01:03 PM

LMAO... It seems like most people have this problem. Neo- veiled cham (my new addition to the bunch also my first cham) i also call him mr. pissy or a$$munch. Cause he doesn't like me in his cage at all. Anytime i open the cage for misting, feeding, cleaning, and watering the plants Neo will start to lean to the side like HAHA you can't see me, then when i reach my hand into his cage he will stand strait up, inflate his body, hiss and lunge for me. Luckly i haven't been bitten yet, but i'm still waiting for it to happen.

Today i had to get him out cause he had a small sperm plug hanging out that he couldn't get off plus some small patches of shed (he's been sheding for about a week and a half now) that i wanted to get off. Took me about 20 mins. to get him out. I had to resort to getting a glove ( a black one) stuck my hand in there and he walked right on it. (very strange) but he didn't want my left hand(no glove on) any were near him. anytime i tried he would lunge at my left hand. Weird little boy i have but i do enjoy him and I will continue to deal with his nasty behavior and only get him out when absolutly neseccary.

choriona · 10-30-03, 01:06 PM

I have only been bitten once. Before that, I had no fear of their "display" characters. Just remove their feet from the sticks, get them to wrap their tail around your hand and then watch carefully as they may try to bolt off your hand if they are really scared. You got to keep you hand moving in the direction they are trying to run. I usually make it an "up-hill" battle for them by sticking my hand high in the air as they run upwards. They feel safe then because they think they have gotten away from you. Never grab their tails to stop them from falling though.
Be careful because sometimes they will let go of everything and just let themselves drop to the ground.
When I was bitten, I was also trying to remove a female from the male's house.....but it was the female that bit me. And it feels like those black paper clamp things - imagine clamping one to your finger, then releasing. You don't notice the teeth until you actually look at your hand and see a row of tiny bleeding holes. (Thats how it was for me anyways.) That being said, don't be afraid to call their bluff, having a bite once in 5 years is not so bad for me!

Pookie · 10-30-03, 01:49 PM

Hehe, ok thanks for the suggestions guys! I was actually going to ask how a bite would feel, but now i think i understand w/ the black clamp thingys! (thanks choriona). I think i'm just so hesitant because of a viscious iguana i once had that would take chunks of skin out of your hand when he bit...so scary!

J-Man · 10-30-03, 04:53 PM

That's what I was gonna say pookie. Just read about iguanas for a while and how dangerous they are... then look at your cham and say "wtf was I thinking?" and just do it lol. The only problem is the ambiguity of it. Once it happens I'm sure it'll be fine.

When I used to skate, I'd always be afraid of a handrail/gap/whatever until I tried... after that first try(especially if I fell) I could do it a million times with no problem at all.

Jeremy

choriona · 10-31-03, 12:32 PM

drewlowe - i do that too, chase them with one hand and provide my other hand as the "escape route", but without the glove.

As for the sheddings, I learned at a reptile first aid thing put on by the zoo vets here that you can wrap your reptile in warm wet towels for 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 2 hours..whatever they will tolerate. This helps them to gain humidity (breathing in moist air)& helps moisten the shed for removal. They said you shouldn't tug on it if it wont come off easily because you can accidently take off the next layer of skin underneath.

drewlowe · 10-31-03, 02:29 PM

choriona- i only tried the glove once but i may think i will try it again. I tried doing the "escape route" thing with no gloves and he would lunge at both hands. That's what made me think to grab a glove. I didn't even have to really have to chase him as soon as he seen the glove he went right on it and i was able to get him out of the cage.

Thanks for the tips on shedding i'm going to try that today cause he still has a few pieces left on that i didn't want to pull off.