JSkelt
Member
Hey There!
Long time snake / reptile owner, first time chameleon owner. Have been interested in getting started with chameleons for a while, and decided to start off with a Jackson which was available and captive bread at the best reptile shop in my area. He is a male sub-adult roughly 4-5mo old.
I am new to cham care, learning and understand that there will be some challenges with my current setup. Feedback greatly appreciated.
I've attached an image of his enclosure. I've added hibiscus and a gold-dust dracaena live plants along with a bunch of vines and branches. I read these are on the 'safe-list'. His tank is misted 3 times daily with distilled water. I bought a ReptiRain but that thing is a joke and going back. Currently ambient air humidity in my area is 60-70% so will be DIY'ing a new mist setup before the local humidity starts to drop. I've seen several great ideas already on this forum. UVB bulb with a basking light which currently not in use as temps here exceed 85º during the day. Timer set to 12on/12 off.
Mr.Lahey is eating very well, voracious appetite. I'm gut feeding my crickets with a calcium cricket block, turnip greens and a piece of carrot. I dust them in a phosphorous-free calcium D3 supplement once a week. Twice a week I offer mealworms in a bowl for a few hours, if he doesn't take them I remove them - don't want them disappearing into the plants and turning beetle on me. Once or twice a week I offer up a waxworm as a treat. He loves those. Overall, he appears very healthy, a good size for his age, and no lesions or visible issues. I've noticed him drinking off of leaves on several occassions.
My main concern is his enclosure. He is currently in one of those exo-terra glass terrariums. I fully understand mesh is best, but do want to keep my guy happy until I construct my own. I have seen quite a few DIY methods and I'm handy, so will be building one the next free weekend I have, which wont be for a few weeks.
I have read they can be housed successfully in glass, but wanted some expert advice from the community how to best care for my guy with what I have until I can up my game. With airflow being a primary issue, I have a little fan I put on top for about 10min / day to make sure things are moving around in there.
Also, from what I've read, is that sometimes these guys can sorta just drop with no warning signs. I'd like to know I'm doing all I can given my current setup and resources to avoid that. He is certainly better off now than the tank he was in when I purchased him at least. I just want to make sure I'm doing all I can with him in his current setup.
My goal is to continue to learn, have my Jackson live a long and happy life, and ultimately get to a point where I feel comfortable owning and caring for more exotic species and morphs.
Thank you all in advance for your time and input.
- J
Long time snake / reptile owner, first time chameleon owner. Have been interested in getting started with chameleons for a while, and decided to start off with a Jackson which was available and captive bread at the best reptile shop in my area. He is a male sub-adult roughly 4-5mo old.
I am new to cham care, learning and understand that there will be some challenges with my current setup. Feedback greatly appreciated.
I've attached an image of his enclosure. I've added hibiscus and a gold-dust dracaena live plants along with a bunch of vines and branches. I read these are on the 'safe-list'. His tank is misted 3 times daily with distilled water. I bought a ReptiRain but that thing is a joke and going back. Currently ambient air humidity in my area is 60-70% so will be DIY'ing a new mist setup before the local humidity starts to drop. I've seen several great ideas already on this forum. UVB bulb with a basking light which currently not in use as temps here exceed 85º during the day. Timer set to 12on/12 off.
Mr.Lahey is eating very well, voracious appetite. I'm gut feeding my crickets with a calcium cricket block, turnip greens and a piece of carrot. I dust them in a phosphorous-free calcium D3 supplement once a week. Twice a week I offer mealworms in a bowl for a few hours, if he doesn't take them I remove them - don't want them disappearing into the plants and turning beetle on me. Once or twice a week I offer up a waxworm as a treat. He loves those. Overall, he appears very healthy, a good size for his age, and no lesions or visible issues. I've noticed him drinking off of leaves on several occassions.
My main concern is his enclosure. He is currently in one of those exo-terra glass terrariums. I fully understand mesh is best, but do want to keep my guy happy until I construct my own. I have seen quite a few DIY methods and I'm handy, so will be building one the next free weekend I have, which wont be for a few weeks.
I have read they can be housed successfully in glass, but wanted some expert advice from the community how to best care for my guy with what I have until I can up my game. With airflow being a primary issue, I have a little fan I put on top for about 10min / day to make sure things are moving around in there.
Also, from what I've read, is that sometimes these guys can sorta just drop with no warning signs. I'd like to know I'm doing all I can given my current setup and resources to avoid that. He is certainly better off now than the tank he was in when I purchased him at least. I just want to make sure I'm doing all I can with him in his current setup.
My goal is to continue to learn, have my Jackson live a long and happy life, and ultimately get to a point where I feel comfortable owning and caring for more exotic species and morphs.
Thank you all in advance for your time and input.
- J
. What are his temps and how close are the branches to his uvb light
