Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm doing a physcology project about conditioning animals. I know that chameleons are not animals that are normally handeled, and my seems very shy to me. I've also only had him for a few weeks which is probably part of it.
I was wondering if any knew if it is possible to condition a veiled to not nessecarily form a bond with me, but tollerate my pressence and allow its self to be gently handled. Any information anyone could provide on this or if any has had success with "tameing" for lack a better word a veiled chameleon. Thanks.

I've had my veiled for about year now.When there young they are not shy and you can handle them but when they get older there hormones kick in and they become very aggressive.If I pick mine up he will hiss,bite and jump away from me.

Hope this helps
Kevin

Veileds Are So COOL!

One rather basic thing to realize. You may not ever "tame" a cham. I think the word tame (or possibly the term "domesticate" implies that the animal accepts the limitations and environment humans impose upon it and changes their physiological as well as behavioral responses to respond to human wishes. This to me implies we're talking about a social animal like a dog or horse. Most reptiles are not very socially sophisticated and just can't or won't respond in the same ways. You can teach your cham to tolerate you (by hand feeding and sticking to a routine so the cham knows what will happen when you appear). Chams won't be quick learners...they just aren't wired to be good thinkers. In the wild they didn't survive by their wits, but by their physical adaptations. This isn't to say they are stupid, their intelligence is just different. Anyway, you can condition a cham to react to a stimulus such as a treat offered by hand, or being taken to a favorite spot in the house to bask. Once the pattern is repeated enough the cham will accept it and react to it basically the same way. You can teach them to accept a new food item the same way. Or, experiment with different colored shirts...many chams react to certain colors their keepers wear.

My veileds all have their individual personality, although they've been treated in the same manner. Some of my adults will hiss if your face is too close to them & just looking at them, and some of my adults will actually come to the door of their cage to get a little extra attention. I have sweethearts and I have touch-me-nots.
Cricket

I adopted an 18 month old veiled male about two months ago. He's absolutely got the sweetest personality. He seems to want attention.
So, my opinion is that it's not anything you are doing, but it's the personality they are born with. Waldo (his name) didn't have any kind of bond with me at all, yet he responds well to handling. He also has certain times of the day that he prefers to be handled. Forget the morning (a little hissy then), but afternoon is OK.