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My cham has dedided that I am not allowed to touch her! She hisses and lunges if I try to take her out (to go outside or clean cage, not just because). She hasn't gotten me yet, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time. Will a cham actually bite, or is it just a show? How hard do they bite (if they do), leave marks, break skin? What can I do to make her stop that? I don't think she's really afraid of me, she'll eat right out of my hand, stand on my arm to reach the cricket cup, and drink water dripping off my fingers while I spray her enclosure, but try to touch her, oh no! I tried to take her outside yesterday but by the time it was over she was so stressed out I thought I'd killed her! Should I just leave her inside and calm from now on?

Welcome to the wonderful world of the Veiled Chameleon! LOL, no, it's pretty common for them to lunge, and yes, they will bite. Seems like females actually bite less than males, but if they do, it WILL hurt. Depends alot on how big she is, but my 1 1/2 year old male (he's HUGE) hurts bad when he has bitten me. I started using leather gloves to take him out, or a long stick or branch stuck in front of him in his cage, and he'll usually grab onto it, then I can walk the whole stick wherever I need him. It is about as powerful as a strong pinch and they have tiny little teeth. If they shake their head, then it can break your skin and make you bleed. The worst part is just because you don't know what to expect when it happens. It just scares you. The female I have is kinda the same way, but she doesn't really try to bite once I have ahold of her.
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Tyler Stewart
Las Vegas NV
1.2 Nosy Be Panthers
2.2 Sambava Panthers
1.0 Tamatave Panther
1.0 Nosy Be X Unknown Cross
1.1 Veiled Chameleons
0.0.2 CBB Desert Tortoises
0.0.1 Sulcatta Tortoise

yep..what he said..males are more prone to bite than females, but the females can and will bite too. They usually bluff at first, and then they will bite. Sometimes its just a quick pinch and let go, but other times its like a crocodile tearing a piece of meat from an antelope...rolling of the head and holding on, a piece of my middle finger is gone from my big male, little scars on other fingers too. They tend to be the most aggressive of the chameleon species, but are very hardy. I only handle Chiquito when im cleaning his cage, bringing him outside, and that small time when i want to show him to somebody, but i use sticks to be safe, lol.
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~David - KDRKreatures
My Main Herps-
1.2 Bearded dragons (Ralph, Artemis, Cheech)
1.0 Veiled Chameleon (Chiquito)
1.0 Black Racer Snake (Chong)
2.2 Eastern Box Turtles (Athena, Mercury, Gizmo, Galapago)
1.1 Leopard Geckos (Nee, Chong)
1.0 Ball Python (Carson)
0.0.10 Red Eared Sliders

Other Pets:

0.1 Timneh African Grey

KDRKreatures-Home Page
My Email

Thanks guys, not quite what I wanted to hear, but good to know, lol. Like Tyler said, the worst part is not knowing what to expect. I hate to admit it, but I am a little afraid, that hissing noise is crazy! I read and researched for months before I got my chameleon and I don't think I read a single thing that said that veileds are the most aggressive. Oh well, I DID know that they don't care for being handled much.

Well, dont give up! If your veiled is small you can train and tame him! There was a topic on that within the last few days I recall.