Baby Jackson's Chameleon Never Seems to Cheer Up!!!

[chameleonlover1060]

Hello!

I am now the proud owner of a Jackson's chameleon! I have only owned a Senegal chameleon in the past, he sadly passed away, but I just got this Jackson's chameleon! I got him 4 days ago, he got here by shipping, I could not find any Jackson's near me. He has been settling into his home quite nicely it seems, but he is such a dark color all over and 24/7! He is a very dark green, not even the yellow stripe is there!. I have not interacted with him unless it is to put crickets into his cage. I only see him lighten up when he is asleep (he has such beautiful colors then though). I am not quite sure what to do. He has a great basking spot and is still dark when he moves away from the basking spot. I am asking for your help because I am worried that something is wrong. I have a great exotics vet near me who I could call, but I don't want to waste money on a unnecessary check up. The chameleon is very small, definitely 6-5 months or younger. I was thinking he could be still shaken up by shipping but I don't know. Any suggestions would help! Thank you so much!

(Also leave name suggestions please!)

Also, please tell me how long your chameleons usually bask for, he pretty much spends the whole day basking and I am worried. Thank you!

 

[chameleonlover1060]

Some other info:

Food: As of right now I have been feeding him 10-15 small crickets every other day. I'm going to introduce worms as soon as he is comfortable with me and my hand.

Water: I mist him quite often 6-7 times a day (it is SO dry where I am), and his humidity is usually around 60%. I have seen him drink water from his dripper everyday so far.

Lighting: He has all of the correct lighting, I can't name the brands as of right now, but I have double checked with multiple sources (heat lamp and UVB)

Enclosure: I have him in a Repti breeze 18x18x36, which is actually too big for him right now, I didn't know he was going to be this small haha. There are TONS of branches and leaves to climb on, he seems very happy with all of his hiding spots.

Let me know if there is anything else I could tell you to help!!!!!

 

[TimothyOnTop]

Can you pay a picture of the enclosure?

 

[TimothyOnTop]

You are misting too much Jackson's love humidity at night you want a tempature drop to at least 65 and 100 percent humidity at night then you want it to drop to 30 percent during the day you want cage to completely dry or between mistings my lights come on at 8am and off at 8pm I mist at 8am and 7pm and run fogger for 30 minutes at 11pm and 4am it keeps humidity right at 100 percent all night and drops to 30 percent by 2pm and cage dries out it is a breeding ground for bacteria fungus and mold keeping cage wet all the time not to mention foot rot and all the other problems that can come with it what are your daytime tempatures? and how hot is your basking spot? How do you measure tempature? And you want him in s big of a cage as possible even tho he is little he will be better off in his adult enclosure they are very active and constantly climb and patrol their territory

 

[jackthejellydragon]

If you could send a pic that would be awesome. It kind of Sounds like it is his normal coloring.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Maybe he doesn't like your jokes?

In addition to a picture of the entire enclosure, please include a completed copy (copy/paste) of this form:
How to ask for help

OTTOMH, since you've only had him 4 days, he may still be going through some relocation stress.
Also, are you providing a temperature drop at night?

https://reptifiles.com/jacksons-chameleon-care/jacksons-chameleon-lighting-temperatures/
Jackson's chameleons prefer lower temperatures than other chameleons due to their montane origin. Many keepers have noticed that their chams are healthier when the temperatures are allowed to drop significantly at night. ... The easiest way to provide a nightly drop in temperature is to turn off all heat sources at night.

 

[chameleonlover1060]

Can you pay a picture of the enclosure?

 

[chameleonlover1060]

Maybe he doesn't like your jokes?

In addition to a picture of the entire enclosure, please include a completed copy (copy/paste) of this form:
How to ask for help

OTTOMH, since you've only had him 4 days, he may still be going through some relocation stress.
Also, are you providing a temperature drop at night?

• Your Chameleon - "Rainbow" Jackson's Chameleon, male, and 5-6 months or younger (I am not sure). Has been in my care for 5 days as of now (9-4-20).
• Handling - I have only handled him to get him into his enclosure when he arrived, so once.
• Feeding - I am feeding him only crickets as of now. 10-15 small. every other day. Gut loading them with mostly carrots and apples, anything I can find in the fridge.
• Supplements - Calcium - Repti Calcium, with D3, once every other week. Vitamins - Reptivite, without D3, once a month.
• Watering - I switch on and off of a hand pumped mister and a electric one, whether I'm home or not decides. Usually I just do short mists for often, but know with this info I am only going to mist for around 60 seconds in the morning, and at night when the lights go off. I see him drink from his dripper almost everyday! He loves to drink water, doesn't like to be sprayed though.
• Fecal Description - His feces seems normal, nothing unusual, he goes every other day. He has NOT been tested for parasites yet, but I am planning on it in the near future.
• History - I don't think there is much to say, I have only had him for a short amount of time that we are still getting used to one another. He seems to not like me very much, whenever I come in the room or around his cage he gets very grumpy.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Repti breeze, all screen cage. I believe it is the large cage, 18x18x36.
• Lighting - I honestly cannot tell you the brand or model the lights are, they are from my last chameleon I just changed out the bulbs. Usually it is 8 AM wake up call and I turn them off at 7:30 PM. But I do have a heat lamp and a UVB lamp that he always lays under, I moved it to his favorite brand so he could soak it all up.
• Temperature - Cage floor is 70-75, basking spot is 80-85. The heat lamp is 5 inches away from the basking branch. The lowest overnight temp is 65. Our air conditioning system has a thermometer for general temp, but I have placed the thermometer in almost every part of the cage.
• Humidity - If I were to not mist the humidity would be 30-40. When I mist often and not a lot, it is 50-60. Usually just mist to maintain the levels. I have a Zoo Med duo thermometer and hydrometer.
• Plants - Right now there is one live umbrella plant that is doing quite well.
• Placement - The cage is in an office space of mine, I spend a lot of time in here. There is an air vent, not aiming at the cage, I have been running a fan recently, because I am not running the air conditioning.
• Location - I am in the United states. I don't feel comfortable with the rest but, I am in a place where the climate is usually dry, and hot in spring/summer, gets cooler in fall and winter.

 

[chameleonlover1060]

You are misting too much Jackson's love humidity at night you want a tempature drop to at least 65 and 100 percent humidity at night then you want it to drop to 30 percent during the day you want cage to completely dry or between mistings my lights come on at 8am and off at 8pm I mist at 8am and 7pm and run fogger for 30 minutes at 11pm and 4am it keeps humidity right at 100 percent all night and drops to 30 percent by 2pm and cage dries out it is a breeding ground for bacteria fungus and mold keeping cage wet all the time not to mention foot rot and all the other problems that can come with it what are your daytime tempatures? and how hot is your basking spot? How do you measure tempature? And you want him in s big of a cage as possible even tho he is little he will be better off in his adult enclosure they are very active and constantly climb and patrol their territory

Oh my! I never knew they didn't like misting during the day! Thank you SO much for this info! I will only be misting him at 8 AM, 7 PM, and one more time during the night. I will also purchase a fogger. for the rest I replied to someone with all the info. And I will be upgrading his enclosure once he is completely full grown, just keeping him in here for now since he is still so small.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

• Temperature - Cage floor is 70-75, basking spot is 80-85. The heat lamp is 5 inches away from the basking branch. The lowest overnight temp is 65. Our air conditioning system has a thermometer for general temp, but I have placed the thermometer in almost every part of the cage.

I asked specifically about nighttime temperature drop. Jackson's—according to the sources I've read—require a drop at night into the 50s (or 20 degrees below their daytime ambient). This is the main reason I eliminated Jackson's from my list; I love the way they look, but I knew I could not provide that nighttime drop without carrying the enclosure down & up from the basement every night, which isn't realistic for me.

This table is from: Which Chameleon Should I Get?

From: https://reptifiles.com/jacksons-chameleon-care/jacksons-chameleon-lighting-temperatures/

As pets, Jackson’s chameleon keepers have noticed that they get the best results with the following temperature gradient:

• Basking area (hot spot) — 83°F (28°C)
• Shade temperature — 68-72°F (20-23°C)
• Nighttime temps — 50-59°F (15°C)

Temperatures are sourced from Dr. Frances Baines’ UV Tool, adjusted according to observations from Bill Strand and Petr Necas.

From: https://www.reptilesmagazine.com/jacksons-chameleon-care-sheet/

Recommended ambient daytime temperatures of 80 degrees Fahrenheit, with nighttime temperatures of 60 degrees, is an acceptable range for most Jackson's chameleons in captivity.

 

[PetNcs]

The care should be adjusted otherwise you will lose him.
Most issues have been said already
Here you have a care sheet used by more than 100t people worldwide
Key to success is dry not hot day and cold foggy nights

 

[NashansCamos]

The care should be adjusted otherwise you will lose him.
Most issues have been said already
Here you have a care sheet used by more than 100t people worldwide
Key to success is dry not hot day and cold foggy nights

I was told that jacksons should have d3 once a month and multivitamin once a month. I do not know much about jacksons please correct me if i'm wrong.

 

[PetNcs]

I was told that jacksons should have d3 once a month and multivitamin once a month. I do not know much about jacksons please correct me if i'm wrong.

it is a commonly believed rumor that montanes need less supplementation
It is a nonsense
Follow the same routine as in other species

 

[Chameleomom]

@JacksJill She is our Jackson's expert and can help you with almost everything you have asked.

 

[NashansCamos]

it is a commonly believed rumor that montanes need less supplementation
It is a nonsense
Follow the same routine as in other species

Ok thank you for the info.

 

[TimothyOnTop]

@JacksJill She is our Jackson's expert and can help you with almost everything you have asked.

Yes very dependable information

 

[TimothyOnTop]

Yes the fogger is key to keeping Jackson's happy you want to recreate the dense mountain good that hangs in the mountains of kenya during night allowing for a nighttime tempature drop off at least very minimum 10 degrees the mister alone can not accomplish this but i have learned if you have your mister spray for 15 seconds right before misting sessions the fog hangs around for hours instead of minutes

 

[TimothyOnTop]

Nice setup ? I would cover sides and back with plastic or anything to keep humidity in essentially creating a hybrid cage so fog hangs around and it will help accomplish nighttime tempature drop

 

[chameleonlover1060]

The care should be adjusted otherwise you will lose him.
Most issues have been said already
Here you have a care sheet used by more than 100t people worldwide
Key to success is dry not hot day and cold foggy nights

Thank you so much! Making these adjustments now. Purchasing everything, should get here soon. Thank you!!

 

[chameleonlover1060]

I asked specifically about nighttime temperature drop. Jackson's—according to the sources I've read—require a drop at night into the 50s (or 20 degrees below their daytime ambient). This is the main reason I eliminated Jackson's from my list; I love the way they look, but I knew I could not provide that nighttime drop without carrying the enclosure down & up from the basement every night, which isn't realistic for me.

This table is from: Which Chameleon Should I Get?
View attachment 276444


From: https://reptifiles.com/jacksons-chameleon-care/jacksons-chameleon-lighting-temperatures/


From: https://www.reptilesmagazine.com/jacksons-chameleon-care-sheet/

I am now keeping the room between 50-65 at night. Thank you for the info, I will try to keep this up!