Jackson afraid of Waxworms (Also diet question)

[Becca]

Hey there, Ive had my year old Jacksons chameleon for about a month now. He is free range and loves his crickets. Lately it has been kinda cool around the house because we are having weird weather here in SC. He has a tree under his basking lamp but tends to roam around most of the day.

So my issue is that I figured to vary his diet some and provide waxworms, he stares at me like Im crazy when I put them up to him (he shoots his food out of my hand because he refuses to eat from a cup) he usually gets uncomfortable and walks away when I put them up towards him. How should I entice him to eat them???

Also like I mentioned, he is around a year old. He was eating about two or three crickets a day when I got him. He was also in a terrarium and that got too hot and he hated being kept in it so now he is free ranged and he loves it. However lately he will only eat one large (not petstore large, I breed my own crickets so like breeder female cricket large) cricket a day, or two reg large crickets a day. Is this too little? Too much? Ive heard they only need to eat three crickets every other day sooo yeah. Also he is drinking great he loves his shower. (Don't worry he has appropriate supplementation)

Thanks!!!

 

[MyJacksonHarvey]

My jackson did the same thing. I just put them in a cup, and left him to eat them on his own terms. They slowly started disappearing within a couple of hours.

 

[carol5208]

If I was going to vary up his diet, I would use some other type of worms besides Waxworms too. They are the fattiest feeder around, so don't go too crazy with them. I would try some silkworms or hornworms. I don't have aJackson's but they pretty much eat like the panthers and Veilds as far as I know. I feed my cham every other day about 6 feeders. 2 or 3 does not seem near enough.

 

[SSimsswiSS]

How should I entice him to eat them???

Movement of the feeder is key.

 

[Becca]

Yeah they wiggle around and he just acts uncomfortable, how much do you think he should be eating? I don't know what to do :/ He really wants that first cricket and after that he has no interest in food the rest of the day.

I am not sure if its due to the very rapid random temp changes here, my central heat sucks so I know it isn't as warm in the house as I would like but he has a heat lamp and his tree/basking area stays around 75 degrees all day, the rest of the house is probably 71, even though the thermostat is set on 75 -_- It is supposed to warm up in a week, if his appetite doesn't improve with the weather then I am going to take him to the vet.

 

[hallenhe]

Jackson's should have no problem with that kind of temperature range - they're a cooler weather, montane species, and we regularly let the house get down to 60 at night when I had mine (who was also free range). Mine loved the waxies; he also loved (healthier) supers - if yours is adulg and you know he crunches doen good on his crickets, you might try those (or the hornworms or silkworms mentioned earlier - those can be harder to come by, while many petstores carry supers, so you're not committed to buying a bunch of worms if he doesn't like them). You might try putting the worm om his plant (if you can get it to stay on a leaf or at a branch intersection) and walking away, so it's like he's hunting it.
One cricket a day seems a little on the low side; my Jackson's ate 3-5 a day (and some days he just wasn't interested). Is he maintaining weight? If he's losing, I'd take him to a vet. If you're worrying (and can find a good reptile vet) it wouldn't be a bad idea even if he isn't losing - I find I would rather err on the side of caution, pay the money and have the vet give a clean bill of health than err by not taking one in and finding out later I should.
I'm assuming (in SC) you have air conditioning? Jackson's, being a cooler temp species, don't really want to be much above 85 degrees. (Just for future reference.)
Good luck with him! The fact that he is eating and enjoying his daily cricket is hopeful.

 

[Becca]

Yup South Carolina, we have air conditioning but unfortunately as much as I would like it to warm up here and use it the weather is bent on being chilly I know he doesn't need to be hot, I just wasn't sure if his roams were leaving him too cool. He doesn't appear to be losing weight, I need to by a gram scale for him. Like I said he is always interested in that first cricket then thats it he wants no more :/ he is shedding right now but this appetite thing has been going on for about 4 - 5 days now.

I will probably sign him up for an appointment next week anyway just to be safe, I would rather get a no worries from them than have him start wasting away on me.