grumpy chameleon

[chameleon_girl]

hi plz can some one give me some advice, i have rencently swapped my geckos for a male veiled chameleon, and he is very grumpy, hisses when ever i open tank and is constanly a dark colour, with time is the any chance he would be come tame hes about 2yrs old i think?
also what do u recommend to house him in,as the tank he came in is not great and hasnt got a mesh top, basicaly need so advice on how best to care for him.
thanks katie

[weeminx]

chams are grumpy,so the hissing etc is quite normal.
but it does sound like hes not happy in his habitat.
get him into a large flexi maybe this will improove his attitude a little bit.

[Mr_Goodbytes]

All veiled chameleons are grumpy, that's probably not gonna change anytime soon
Either grab a exo terra flexarium, at least 3 foot high and the uv and heat lamp or buld one from an old wardrobe or something, that can be quite rewarding

[moody232002]

mines quite grumpy he likes to be handled when HE wants the interaction,just take it slowly and he will learn to trust you,it's taken me 5 weeks so far to get mista to feel confident enough to walk on my hand,he still hisses and makes a show of going to bite if i forget and move to suddenly,some never tame down that far just depends on temperament

[chameleon_girl]

hi thanks for all the advice, george is out atm sat on the window sill, is this ok?
do chameleons bite or is the hissing and opening his mouth all for show?
He doesnt seem to be eatting much(i havent seen him eat at all ) is this caused by the stress of the move? and will he start to eat again , and how long will it take.
thanks katie

[bikesfred54]

may help if you tell people what set up you have also temps.chams can be fusy with food also can be hard to get them to drink.

[chameleon_girl]

the viv is 20 inches tall and 16inches wide, but looking for bigger as i kno this is nt big enough, i have put in a live plant fiscus ? and i have seen him eat that to day, wen he came , he had a bowl in the viv , so took this out and misted the tank with a spray bottle also he opened his mouth and sprayed some in which he drank down, he seemed very thristy, the temp is about 78 f and humid is 80, trying to get it warmer. what does any one suggest i dust the food with?
thanks katie

[weeminx]

dust the food with nutrabal and calcium
and your humidity is way too high.50% is plenty
just mist the tank once in the morning thats all thats needed for yemens.
a too high humidity and not enough ventilation will cause problems for your chameleon.

[Paul B]

Hi, I think you would be grumpy if you were shut in a wardrobe all day.
You must get a bigger enclosure. At least 3ft high.

[daddycool]

Originally Posted by weeminx

dust the food with nutrabal and calcium
and your humidity is way too high.50% is plenty
just mist the tank once in the morning thats all thats needed for yemens.
a too high humidity and not enough ventilation will cause problems for your chameleon.

I agree with Weeminx, I always advise about 40% humidity...80 causes problems, (I know from painful experience, when I started, I took poor advice), I spray just once a day but use a hamster bottle to provide extra if needed

Originally Posted by chameleon_girl

hi thanks for all the advice, george is out atm sat on the window sill, is this ok?
do chameleons bite or is the hissing and opening his mouth all for show?
He doesnt seem to be eatting much(i havent seen him eat at all ) is this caused by the stress of the move? and will he start to eat again , and how long will it take.
thanks katie

sitting on the window sill is fine, but at 2 years old, don't expect him to suddenly become a changed characters...he may get used to you, but will prob still hiss and gape

Originally Posted by chameleon_girl

the viv is 20 inches tall and 16inches wide, but looking for bigger as i kno this is nt big enough, i have put in a live plant fiscus ? and i have seen him eat that to day, wen he came , he had a bowl in the viv , so took this out and misted the tank with a spray bottle also he opened his mouth and sprayed some in which he drank down, he seemed very thristy, the temp is about 78 f and humid is 80, trying to get it warmer. what does any one suggest i dust the food with?
thanks katie

MUCH BIGGER, as everyone says at least 3 foot tall...they like to climb....

78F isn't too bad, but maybe push temps up slightly (84F), and ensure a cooler area as well (75F).....which is why you need a bigger viv

make sure you gut load the food, if he's fussy try changing from crix to hoppers for a while.....he'll def eat when he's hungry tho


PS....not all yemens are grumpy......my Female is lovely and likes climbing on my arm for a ride round the house on my head!!

Originally Posted by Paul B

Hi, I think you would be grumpy if you were shut in a wardrobe all day.
You must get a bigger enclosure. At least 3ft high.

drat is that why my kids are grumpy....I'll have to let them out a bit then!!