age

[pablo rodriguez]

Need help finding out her age and if she is ready to breed. She is a female xanth jacksons. I was told from the pet store where i bought her that she is 10-12 months old. Iv never owned a femsle xanth berfor but my male xanth that is almost a year and a half is way bigger than she is. I think she is younger than what i was told. She is 6 /12 inches long from her nose to the tip of her tail.

 

[sulfurboy1o3]

yea, id def keep her away for a little while.atleast a few months. If you just got her, once shes settled in, see how she reacts around the male at a distance or cages next to each other. Good luck to you!

 

[AngieL]

Hi! Definately don't breed her until she's closer to the size of the male. Is it just me or does her neck area look swolen?

 

[carol5208]

is she closing her eyes in the day like that allthe time? Chameleons should not close their eyes during the day or sleep during the day. That is usually a sign of illness. Also, it looks like she might have a touch of gular edema(fluid) in her neck area. I would not even think about breeding her until you address her health issues.

 

[pablo rodriguez]

Hi! Definately don't breed her until she's closer to the size of the male. Is it just me or does her neck area look swolen?

Im not sure if her neck is swollen or she is just upset that i took her out of her cage.

 

[pablo rodriguez]

is she closing her eyes in the day like that allthe time? Chameleons should not close their eyes during the day or sleep during the day. That is usually a sign of illness. Also, it looks like she might have a touch of gular edema(fluid) in her neck area. I would not even think about breeding her until you address her health issues.

Yes She has been closing her left eye during the day for 3 days now. I put a couple drops of starile saline salution yesterday so hopefully that works. She is not sleeping during the day. Is there anyway to fix this gular edema problom my self? I am going to keep a close eye on her to see if her neck is swallen when she is in her cage. I

 

[pablo rodriguez]

Can anybody tell me how old she looks or around how old a 61/2 in long female xanth should be?

 

[carol5208]

I really do not know how hold she is. I will let someone with Jackson's comment on that for you. As far as the edema, there is no miracle cure. I got a chameleon back in February that had a horrible case of it. It comes and goes, but has never been as bad as when I got him. I was told to cut back on supplements as it is caused by some type of imbalance in their system. Does her neck area look like that all the time or just when she is mad?

 

[sulfurboy1o3]

your cham isnt tiny, but she is small to breed. More importantly you should condition your animal for a while. I'd say your cham is atleast several months old if not a bit older. It would really depend on how long its been in captivity. How much its gotten to eat, suppliments, uvb, heat all in that time until it got to you. Id wait atleast half a year, if your male is a big guy already and not just a subadult as well. To me thats what she looks like. subadult, ready to breed but taking too many chances.

 

[pablo rodriguez]

I really do not know how hold she is. I will let someone with Jackson's comment on that for you. As far as the edema, there is no miracle cure. I got a chameleon back in February that had a horrible case of it. It comes and goes, but has never been as bad as when I got him. I was told to cut back on supplements as it is caused by some type of imbalance in their system. Does her neck area look like that all the time or just when she is mad?

I was keeping a close eye on her neck when she is in her cage and i did see that she does have somthing going on with her neck. Her neck wasnt swallen every time i checked but most of the times i randomly checked her neck looked swollen. So there nothing i can do about her edema problom?

your cham isnt tiny, but she is small to breed. More importantly you should condition your animal for a while. I'd say your cham is atleast several months old if not a bit older. It would really depend on how long its been in captivity. How much its gotten to eat, suppliments, uvb, heat all in that time until it got to you. Id wait atleast half a year, if your male is a big guy already and not just a subadult as well. To me thats what she looks like. subadult, ready to breed but taking too many chances.

w
If this odema problom was caused after she arived to me then the only thing i can think that could be the problom would be suplementing. I dust her crickets with repashy + every feeding but i let the the crickets loose in her cage. Maybe by the time she gets to eat them the calcium is gone. I have not found a way to make sure she eats the crickets with calcium other than putting them in a cup. Iv tried putting them in a see through cup but she doesnt eat them when there in a cup. A few times a week i take her out of her cage and try to feed her a cricket dusted with calcium but she doesnt seem to wanna eat infront of me or outside her cage. She is getting 5.0 uhhvb light for 12 hrs a day and misted 3 times a day. Her basking temp is currently at 83 and temp drops to low 70's at night. She has a timer set from 7am to 7pm for her lights,misting system and uvb light and also basking light.

 

[sulfurboy1o3]

Everything else seems ok, maybe more misting. One thing that can be playing a big part in your edema is the supplementing. I think you're using too much. Species like jacksons should have a bit less calcium then others, say veilds or panthers. Im not familiar with repashy products but id use plain calcium every other day, multivitamins maybe twice a month. If you expose your chams to the sun, dont bother using calcium with d3 at all.
Your food should be gutloaded as well. Use greens like collareds to feed your bugs and silkies as more natural ways of applying calcium to your chameleons diet.

More water, watch your supplements, and healthy foods. Hopefully your edema will go away

 

[pablo rodriguez]

Everything else seems ok, maybe more misting. One thing that can be playing a big part in your edema is the supplementing. I think you're using too much. Species like jacksons should have a bit less calcium then others, say veilds or panthers. Im not familiar with repashy products but id use plain calcium every other day, multivitamins maybe twice a month. If you expose your chams to the sun, dont bother using calcium with d3 at all.
Your food should be gutloaded as well. Use greens like collareds to feed your bugs and silkies as more natural ways of applying calcium to your chameleons diet.

More water, watch your supplements, and healthy foods. Hopefully your edema will go away

Ok thanks for the info. I have one more question hopefully you can helo me with. I ordered a ooth case that should arive tomorrow, how many can i feed my female xanth and my 11/2 year old male xanth? Are thy ment to by like a treat just like silkworms waxworms ext.?

 

[sulfurboy1o3]

Even though both silkies and wax shouldnt be staple base part of the diet, silks are much healthier then wax worms are.its ok to do those more often then wax.

As for feeding the mantids, it would depend on if the sex, this is another reason why some chams should be kept seperate. Males, go ahead,feed him what he wants. 5 to 10 items a day or so is fine. Your female, watch and regulate what she eats to about 5 to 10 items every other day. She will develop a smaller amount of babies this way, being less stressful on her body.

 

[pablo rodriguez]

Even though both silkies and wax shouldnt be staple base part of the diet, silks are much healthier then wax worms are.its ok to do those more often then wax.

As for feeding the mantids, it would depend on if the sex, this is another reason why some chams should be kept seperate. Males, go ahead,feed him what he wants. 5 to 10 items a day or so is fine. Your female, watch and regulate what she eats to about 5 to 10 items every other day. She will develop a smaller amount of babies this way, being less stressful on her body.

Ok so when you say items do you mean mantids or whatever there primary feeder is? So can mantids be there primary feeders or just as a treat?

 

[AngieL]

Hi there! I am not a jackson's keeper but I do know that they need way less suplements than say a veiled (which I have ) or a panther. Calcium plus every day is too much for a jackson's, here's a great care sheet by one of the awesome mods that should help you out https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/hoj/634-montane-chameleon-care-info.html

From what I can gather edema is commonly associated with over supplementation or egg laying. I do think in your case it could be the supplements but don't discount the possibility that she may be pregnant. I read a lot on here that someone gets a new jackson's and it mysteriously gives birth, I'm sure you know they don't lay eggs but give birth to live young so that's something you should be prepared for in any case.

Also, not to disagree with anyone, but why are silkworms not a good staple? They are very low in fat, high in moisture and calcium and so are a great choice! I don't feed wax worms at all because they are basically a big blob of fat but I think it's unfair to put silkworms in the same 'treat' catagory.

 

[sulfurboy1o3]

i use them regularly too. just not as much as crickets and roaches. The variety in gutload, the shell. Straight silk with very little of the crickets or roaches leaves me running stools.
i recommended them a ton in this post.

I think they still are a treat, esp to those who have animals that get addicted to the worms. They are probably the healthiest but still, varied diet is the best.

 

[AngieL]

i use them regularly too. just not as much as crickets and roaches. The variety in gutload, the shell. Straight silk with very little of the crickets or roaches leaves me running stools.
i recommended them a ton in this post.

I think they still are a treat, esp to those who have animals that get addicted to the worms. They are probably the healthiest but still, varied diet is the best.

I totally agree on a varied diet too! I try to use at least 3-5 different feeders in the rotation (when available) but my main rotation is locusts, crickets and silkworms because I can get them all the time and my girl hates dubias so we try to add butter worms and green banana roaches too. We have no isuues with the silks in respect to hunger strikes and addiction but I never use mealworms or wax worms ever! Strawberries and yams are my girls treat