I'm not sure if My Cham is sick, or just growing.

[lukeb381]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Jackson's, Female, seven months old, and in my care for 2 months
Handling - She is held once every three days roughly. She climbs right onto my hand when I put it in the enclosure, without hesitation.
Feeding - She is fed free roaming crickets and was eating two to three a day? the crickets are gut loaded with gutload oats and oranges/potatoes
Supplements - the supplements are in the gutload
Watering - the enclosure is misted 3 times daily
Fecal Description - her stool has been brown with a white end and an orange slime casing.


Cage Info:
Cage Type - the enclosure is 24x24x36 screened. with plants and fake vines.
Lighting - she has a reptisun uvb light as well as a reptisun heat lamp. he light goes on at 7:00 am and off around 9:00pm
Temperature - I'm not sure of the enclosure temps
Humidity - She is misted
Plants - live plants, a ficus and an umbrella plant. she favors the umbrella plant to sit in but both hold water very well.
Placement - the cage is in a quiet room, elevated so that the top of the cage is at 6 feet high. she typically stays about 5 1/2 feet off the ground. It is near a window so she can get natural light as well. The sides of the cage near the window are covered with insulated blankets on Colder days
Location - I'm located in Ohio (US) and it has been a fairly cold winter so far.

Current Problem - She has stopped eating for the past three days. She is still active but shows little interest in food. She does open her eyes but seems extra lethargic. I am concerned she may have injured her tongue?

 

[carol5208]

Temps are very important. You have no idea??? What wattage is your basking light???? Can you post some pics of your chameleon if possible? Supplements are not found in gutload. Supplements are what you dust with your crickets with. You should be using calcium for dusting Are you saying you have never done so then?

 

[lukeb381]

The temp on average is around 73 in the room. I don't have an enclosure thermometer though. The gut load is a Zilla Cricket Gut Load with calcium dusting in it and I also use the Zilla Gut Load Cricket Drink with Calcium in it as well. And Fluker's Orange Cubes for the Crickets. I keep a vaporizor in the room as well since our winters seem to be dry. So the room itself is humid and not dry. I will post a photo as well.

 

[lukeb381]

Sorry and the basking light is a 50w bulb about a foot from where she normally hangs out. The uvb light is 15 w.

 

[lukeb381]

Here she is, just now.

 

[windex]

You need to get a thermometer ASAP.. You NEED to know what the ambient and most importantly the basking temperature is... Digital is best by far, the dial ones are notoriously inaccurate. Temperatures are VERY important

 

[carol5208]

The basking temp should be in the 80-85 degree range for your chameleon. Also what is your humidity in the cage? They require humidity around 60-80% if I recall(read on the home page Chameleon Care Starts here and click on the care sheets) I would get some gauges for both temps and humidity so you can monitor that. Try some other feeders besides crickets. She might be getting tired of just crickets. You still need to dust your crickets with calcium. Again, I think it is recommended twice a week for Jackson's and also a multivitamin should be given once a month and calcium with d3 once or twice a month for that species. I would also gutload your crickets with more fresh fruits and veggies, especially dark leafy greens.

 

[kplatvoet]

I have a female Jackson about the same age I've had her since she was 2 weeks old - I've also got a panther that I got about a month later. I am not an expert as she is my first and only but I find my Jackson way more sensitive to variations in care than the panther. I live in a big drafty house so its hard to keep temps and humidity correct to the care sheets but I can tell from her moods if they are off. Look in the resources section under Jackson for proper temps and other info. If you got her at a pet store they most likely gave you a lot of wrong information. (and she might be pregnant) (mine was a surprise who's mother was a Petco purchase)
I would also suggest a dripper for her and to check out poop 101. Orangy poop is a sign she not drinking enough, a constant battle i have with my girl.
My Jackson likes it when its colder at night and is way more active the next day after a cold night. She is not a big fan of cricket she likes silkworms and fly's the most.

 

[Molly mittens]

I have a female Jacksons chameleon too and sometimes she gets bored of crickets. I mix up her diet with worms and that seems to always get her interested in eating again