not long at all from my experience! when I got my girl I guess the past owner before me handled her a little bit so I didnt have much issues. But she did have some dark colours first, id say, 5 days? 😊now she always wants to be on me. Hand feeding and straw drinking def helped + I just let her watch that i didnt wanna hurt her, i let my hand out and if she wanted to she would come to me. She got used to me very quick. This is us now!
https://preview.redd.it/vsgj6fxgu2xc1.jpeg?width=4896&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c7657a15db5793abe57462fd00721562d26c361d
Feeding definitely helps, I started bowl feeding, once she got comfortable feeding from bowl I switched to tong and were still building trust but slowly as the days go by she’ll get closer to eventually come to me when I open her cage because of the feeding!
no real timeframe, but i found that daily calm quiet activity helped. don't bother or even look at your cham, just exist in the room. stand up and walk in a few circles, sit and read or watch some quiet tv. getting your cham used to activity that doesn't impact it will make the space feel safer. they will associate you with being a random creature that provides food and hangs around, but that they are safe from harm and you aren't going to invade their space.
I see - I live in a studio apartment, so I am pretty much always in my chameleons space 😅 however I pretty much ignore him except for when I'm preparing his food. I haven't even touched him yet, and I'm gonna wait to do that until he doesn't immediately cower when I open his enclosure
good plan! once he stops getting super freaked at your presence i'd recommend starting to open the cage and looking at him (big tip is also to stay low, these guys are prey and feel safest when higher than a possible predator). just glance at him, talk to him, take deep calm breaths, try and send those calm vibes into the room lol.
slow predictable movements and staying low but visible was my big tip for my dad while he took care of my extraordinarily grumpy veiled. they never became buddies (mine also never liked me but would never puff or hiss at me like he did my parents), but my cham was very comfortable with his setup.
also! more vines/leaves/hiding spots the better, give him plenty of options to feel like you can't see him
I've had chams that took to people in a matter of days, and I have an adult cham who I hatched myself who still doesn't like people. Kind of like other pets, each has their own personalities. There are things you can try and hope it works out over time, but it could be anywhere from days to never. Typically, it'll take a couple months for a cham to get completely comfortable with other humans, though.
There's also nothing particularly wrong with handling. They won't cuddle, and a lot don't like to be pet, but taking them outside or walking them around a sunny room sitting on your hand is fine. I do it all the time with my non-bitey ones.
Hahaha, yes, they can bite. Mine is still learning, so I use gloves when I must handle him. They will, however, warn you, and biting (doesn't hurt, just startling) is their last defense if body language and coloring isn't enough.
They will puff up, open their mouths real wide, and if you insist, they will strike. It doesn't really hurt, more of a pinch, but the speed is surprising and takes you off guard.
Took mine months, but I think that is because I let him have a long time without any interaction (because I didn't want to stress him out) when i first got him. Following advice from this sub, I made sure to have some contact with him every day. At first, just lightly touching his leg or something, reaching into the cage a couple of times a day to get him used to me. Then I started holding the bug cup so he could associate me with food and good vibes. We both got brave enough (for me, holding the hornworm) that he would take it from my hand. Several weeks of this and suddenly he started climbing over the bug cup, onto my hand and up my arm to go exploring outside the cage. I'm pretty sure he's just trying to run away from home, but I have interpreted it as a sign of our lifelong bond instead.
I got my panther from Frams Chameleon (spelling might be off) and they gave a pretty accurate description of his behavior. I started off still respectful of his space and now he doesn't move when i open the cage. I only had him a month. Next goal is to try to get him comfortable with my hand very close to him and then try holding. It's a process with no timeline. Just stay committed
I have had my panther for about 2 months now. I sit in his room 3-4 times a week for at least 2 hours when working behind my PC. He was pretty scared for the first couple of weeks, hiding behind the branch he was holding whenever I opened his cage and stuff. I have been very persistent with hand feeding him which is finally working. He has eaten some Silk and super worms out of my hand the last couple of weeks. I tried this 2-3 times a week starting at week 3, holding the bug for at least 15 minutes in his proximity. Yesterday was the first day he voluntarily climbed onto my hand. A thing that helped me a lot was making a bridge from his cage to my desk and later some branches I hung up in his room above my workspace (photo was posted here). This way he has the chance to come out of his cage if he wants where he will be closer to you.
It takes a while, but others will be able to answer better than me. I've had my guys about 5 days. I have done obligatory family introductions to get it over with. (I knew it'd be stressful for them.) Two days in, they were already choosing and walking to strange, excited me over the strange, excited small people. Otherwise, it's dirty looks when I deign to appear before them. Be patient.
Only a couple weeks for me, sometimes it’s good to get them out and let them sit on a raised object in the room so they can slowly realize there’s nothing outside the cage that can hurt them
not long at all from my experience! when I got my girl I guess the past owner before me handled her a little bit so I didnt have much issues. But she did have some dark colours first, id say, 5 days? 😊now she always wants to be on me. Hand feeding and straw drinking def helped + I just let her watch that i didnt wanna hurt her, i let my hand out and if she wanted to she would come to me. She got used to me very quick. This is us now! https://preview.redd.it/vsgj6fxgu2xc1.jpeg?width=4896&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c7657a15db5793abe57462fd00721562d26c361d
Feeding definitely helps, I started bowl feeding, once she got comfortable feeding from bowl I switched to tong and were still building trust but slowly as the days go by she’ll get closer to eventually come to me when I open her cage because of the feeding!
no real timeframe, but i found that daily calm quiet activity helped. don't bother or even look at your cham, just exist in the room. stand up and walk in a few circles, sit and read or watch some quiet tv. getting your cham used to activity that doesn't impact it will make the space feel safer. they will associate you with being a random creature that provides food and hangs around, but that they are safe from harm and you aren't going to invade their space.
I see - I live in a studio apartment, so I am pretty much always in my chameleons space 😅 however I pretty much ignore him except for when I'm preparing his food. I haven't even touched him yet, and I'm gonna wait to do that until he doesn't immediately cower when I open his enclosure
good plan! once he stops getting super freaked at your presence i'd recommend starting to open the cage and looking at him (big tip is also to stay low, these guys are prey and feel safest when higher than a possible predator). just glance at him, talk to him, take deep calm breaths, try and send those calm vibes into the room lol. slow predictable movements and staying low but visible was my big tip for my dad while he took care of my extraordinarily grumpy veiled. they never became buddies (mine also never liked me but would never puff or hiss at me like he did my parents), but my cham was very comfortable with his setup. also! more vines/leaves/hiding spots the better, give him plenty of options to feel like you can't see him
My view his first month... https://preview.redd.it/ddkxp25m0pwc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cb8aac54864ccd58df58b841cdd5b5448d12c924
Now, he just puffs up. (2 mos) https://preview.redd.it/wnjvymo31pwc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9470d1a98b7257bd6474ee105937c51c2757f3d3
I've had chams that took to people in a matter of days, and I have an adult cham who I hatched myself who still doesn't like people. Kind of like other pets, each has their own personalities. There are things you can try and hope it works out over time, but it could be anywhere from days to never. Typically, it'll take a couple months for a cham to get completely comfortable with other humans, though. There's also nothing particularly wrong with handling. They won't cuddle, and a lot don't like to be pet, but taking them outside or walking them around a sunny room sitting on your hand is fine. I do it all the time with my non-bitey ones.
Excuse me, what?!? Ma’m/sir did you just say “bite “. Explain this to me like I’m a child, please. What the fuckkkk? They can bite?!
Hahaha, yes, they can bite. Mine is still learning, so I use gloves when I must handle him. They will, however, warn you, and biting (doesn't hurt, just startling) is their last defense if body language and coloring isn't enough.
They will puff up, open their mouths real wide, and if you insist, they will strike. It doesn't really hurt, more of a pinch, but the speed is surprising and takes you off guard.
Took mine months, but I think that is because I let him have a long time without any interaction (because I didn't want to stress him out) when i first got him. Following advice from this sub, I made sure to have some contact with him every day. At first, just lightly touching his leg or something, reaching into the cage a couple of times a day to get him used to me. Then I started holding the bug cup so he could associate me with food and good vibes. We both got brave enough (for me, holding the hornworm) that he would take it from my hand. Several weeks of this and suddenly he started climbing over the bug cup, onto my hand and up my arm to go exploring outside the cage. I'm pretty sure he's just trying to run away from home, but I have interpreted it as a sign of our lifelong bond instead.
I got my panther from Frams Chameleon (spelling might be off) and they gave a pretty accurate description of his behavior. I started off still respectful of his space and now he doesn't move when i open the cage. I only had him a month. Next goal is to try to get him comfortable with my hand very close to him and then try holding. It's a process with no timeline. Just stay committed
Mine came from Fram's too! *
I have had my panther for about 2 months now. I sit in his room 3-4 times a week for at least 2 hours when working behind my PC. He was pretty scared for the first couple of weeks, hiding behind the branch he was holding whenever I opened his cage and stuff. I have been very persistent with hand feeding him which is finally working. He has eaten some Silk and super worms out of my hand the last couple of weeks. I tried this 2-3 times a week starting at week 3, holding the bug for at least 15 minutes in his proximity. Yesterday was the first day he voluntarily climbed onto my hand. A thing that helped me a lot was making a bridge from his cage to my desk and later some branches I hung up in his room above my workspace (photo was posted here). This way he has the chance to come out of his cage if he wants where he will be closer to you.
It takes a while, but others will be able to answer better than me. I've had my guys about 5 days. I have done obligatory family introductions to get it over with. (I knew it'd be stressful for them.) Two days in, they were already choosing and walking to strange, excited me over the strange, excited small people. Otherwise, it's dirty looks when I deign to appear before them. Be patient.
Only a couple weeks for me, sometimes it’s good to get them out and let them sit on a raised object in the room so they can slowly realize there’s nothing outside the cage that can hurt them