Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 3 month old baby female veiled, and she doesnt like handling too much. I heard hand feeding can make chams associate your hand with food and thus be more willing to be handled. For her to do this, does it mean she can ONLY be fed by my hand, so she doesnt think "ill get food in my cage too". I don't mind doing that, but it requires me to handle her about 3 times a day to feed her about 7 -10 crickets and I dont want to stress her out. Is it okay to feed her like 3 a day by hand, and the rest feed her in the cage? I really want my veiled to grow up and not snap and hiss at me, (advantages of having a FEMALE veiled =P). Also, I have a fake plant sorta of thing I just realized that it would be perfect for my cham. Its about 7 feet high, has a lot foilage and branches and sits in a enclosure at the bottom that reaches about 3 feet high. The only way for my cham to get off the plant would to jump 3 feet high from the plant on to ground and then even still she is in a room where the door is closed. So should I let her free roam? Maybe she'll be more willing to be handled if she isnt stuck in a cage and I'd love to have a free roaming cham. Or is she too young for that?

No, you can feed her like you usually do, just give her "treats" by hand sometimes when she is hungry. Don't expect her to be totally tame...that is really up to the individual cham and nothing you do will change a set personality. Do all your care chores as predictably as possible so she can rely on a routine. Chams usually distrust change. I think she's too young to free range...too easy for her to get lost and possibly hurt herself or get into a dangerous spot. Wait until she's grown and more confident in herself and her territory.