Completely new at this

[IGotJacksons]

Hello ! I recieved two Jackson Chameleons from my dad for my birthday and know only the very basics. What I would like to know is what specific colors mean. I know if they turn black they are normally stressed but is that always what it means? What if they turn a very pale color are they stressed then too?
One more thing! Reptar (my male chameleon ) closes his left eye more than his right. What could this mean? Is he dehydrated or stressed?

 

[lindawaz]

Hi and welcome to the forums!
I don't know a thing about Jacksons, but I can give you a Link to Pilotmans blog.

This is general information with some very useful links.

I am sure a Jackson person will be able to give you more specific information.
Congratulations on your new babies

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/pilotman800/

 

[Miss Lily]

I am also new to Jacksons - I've had my little Montysaurus for 3 weeks now. I found this video by jdog1027 very useful and informative! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKTbUaOQ0aA&feature=feedu I would love to see pics of your chameleons!

 

[moner]

2 Jacksons, eh? here is what i would recommend you do...








pack em' both up and send them to me! i promise i will take good care of them!!!

 

[Shawntea]

what variety of Jacksons?
I just bought a kenya jackson. I know they will also turn light and dark when trying to absorb more heat basking and visa versa

 

[xanthoman]

wow, how thoughtful of dad, jacksons are not generally considered the best choice for a beginner species, but i am sure he meant well, maybe he just wanted you to start studying.

more info would be required for any sort of viable answer, probably a good idea to fill out the help form in its entirety and repost in the health clinic asap.

chameleons turn colors for a whole variety of reasons and using color alone, is not the best basis for an overall health assessment.
chameleons are heliothermic, which means that they may modify their behavior (including color) to regulate their core body temperature. turning dark especially among younger jacksons is common thing, they use dark colors to maximize their heat intake, but dark colors, especially among older jacksons in a well tuned environment, is not that common, and should be considered a red flag. normally a healthy well kept adult xanth would be a fairly bright green 90+% of the time, if your xanths are over 6 months, turning dark frequently is probably just one indicator that something is amiss (assumming we are talking about the more common green phase jacksons).

if by turning pale, you mean near white in color, i would say stop supplementing and get to a vet asap.

state of hydration is best determined by the urates (the lighter colored portion that accompanies the feces). ideally, it would be all creme white, but some minor yellowing on the fringes is not that uncommon, even otherwise healthy chams arent always necessarily in a perfect state of hydration. if the urates have an overall yellow tinge, or a strong yellowing of the borders, then that is likely a sign of fairly severe dehydration.

likewise eye issues can be indicative of many things. if your cham is displaying more issues with one eye than the other then i would say there probably something amiss. imo, would be a good idea to get a large lighted magnifying glass available at any office supply for <20$ so you can regularly inspect your cage and your animal for mites. once mites are ruled out then you need to consider other possible causes, hopefully, it is just a debris issue, debris issues are probably most often caused by excessive sups getting in their eyes either as they feed or as feeders are dumped from above. eye issues can also be caused by dusty equip etc.

eye issues are also commonly attributed towards issues relating to vitamin A, however for purposes of this post, i think it would be pointless to get into that other than to say, given that you have no chameleon experience, you are probably better off with only minimal supplementation of plain cal, until you have had a chance to learn some supp basics. jacksons need very little supplementation and no otherwise healthy jackson is going to die soley because it goes without vitamins for a few weeks.

a few starter recomendations,
never dump feeders from above,
cup feeding is recommended for newer keepers,
i would recommend only plain cal 1x a week (NO D3)for a couple of weeks until you have had a chance to study supp issues. only a tiny pinch is needed for several feeders.

all cham husbandry issues are important, chams are cold blooded so their body temps, digestion and all of their health issues are entirely dependent on the environment you setup for them. simply viewing the occasional post will not likely provide enough knowledge to keep them alive long term. my recommendation would be to start a crash course in chameleon husbandry including but not limited to reading all forum stickies, all the jacksons care sheets you can find and reading several pages of posts in the health forums every night.

we all had to start somewhere, but cham health issues arent easily reversed and time is often of the essence so imo, i would be prudent to post your entire info in the health clinic. if you have any concerns not quickly resolved then you should probably see a reptile vet.

since dad sort of sprung these chams on you, imo, he should also be willing to spring for whatever is required for their care. i have a feeling he may not be aware of all that entails, but imo should include the following;
proper cage and furnishings and all related equipment such as lineal reptisun 5.0, timers, fixtures, digital thermometer/hygrometer(zilla makes a nice one for $20) lighted viewer, digital scale capable of up to 500g in 1/10g increments,dripper, pump sprayer, if you are not going to be available several times a day to spray them you should also have an automatic mister with digital timer(about $150-200 depending)and of course all required food and supplements and vet visits if necessary.

it should also be noted that crickets are a poor feeder and an even worse staple, keeping a xanth healthy long term on just pet store feeders is very difficult, so be prepared to order feeders online and have all of the equip required to keep them healthy as well, and it would also be a good idea to learn how to start raising at least some of your own feeders, a dubia colony is almost standard equipment, as well as raising house or bottle flies.

posting in the help forum is a great source of learning to fine tune your husbandry, but you (and dad) need to be aware that by the time issues are noticed by the novice keeper, it is often difficult to reverse and can easily take a fatal turn for the worse in a matter of days, so if you ever have any signs of listlessness, falling, trembling, poor aim, excessive sleeping during the day,or staying at the bottom of the cage, then you should get dad to spring for a vet immediately.
it should also be noted that as your jacksons get older, they will better off in separate cages, each with its own complete set of equipment. jmo

 

[Solid Snake]

The video that jdog made(posted above by miss lily) is the info you need. My female xanth hardly ever turns dark now that she's older. Generally that color seems to be just for basking, her "angry" battle colors looks like light and dark green jungle camo. I just have experience with my one animal though. But welcome! Pay attention to that video, I personally recomend heavy mistings 5-10min long, 4-5 times a day, the cool mist humidifier seems to really keep mine comfortable Also, try to find out if they are related if you can, or if they were sold as a breeding pair, inbreeding is bad ;P Just a thought. Good luck, I'm sure you will enjoy your new dinosaurs!

 

[kinyonga]

Are you keeping them each in their own cage?

If you look at the Health forum there is a thread "how to ask for help"...if you fill out the questions in that thread, we will be able to tell you if there is anything that you should change.

Females will take on a lot of pattern and dark coloration when gravid as well as males showing dark patterns when disturbed.

Pale colors can mean that they are overheated when shown when the temperature in the cage is too high.

Crickets can be a good staple since they are readily available and easy to gutload/feed a nutritious diet to. However, its always a good idea to offer a wide assortment of insects if possible.

Caution is advised when using any supplements with D3 or vitamins in them that you don't over do them.

Here are some sites with good information to get you started...
http://chamownersweb.net/husbandry/care_sheet_jacksons.htm
http://web.archive.org/web/20060114031124/http://www.adcham.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/20060221...om/html/taxonomy/species/chjacksonixanth.html
http://chameleonnews.com/Home.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20060421.../index.php?show=6.Vitamin.D3.and.Calcium.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20060502...rnals.com/vet/index.php?show=5.Vitamin.A.html

 

[IGotJacksons]

Oh man, that's a lot to take in, but the youtube video was great! Thanks for the help (I think my "dinosaurs" might stand a chance)!

 

[Miss Lily]

It is a lot to take in - I've been keeping Veileds for almost 4 years now and just got my first baby Jackson a few weeks ago, and I feel that there is even more to learn to care for this species properly. Reading Xanthoman's post has also put my mind at rest - my little Montysaurus is always dark in his viv, but as soon as I take him out he gets lighter and shows a lot of nice bright green patches! I didn't realise that they are dark most of the time as babies. It seems that the learning curve for these guys is never-ending!