Jackson Chameleon Care

X

xJackFrost

New Member
Hello guys,
I am kind of new to the forums and I would just like to know some important things about Jacksons Chameleons, I was thinking of purchasing one, but I realized I don't know exactly how to care for it. I had a Veiled Cham but it passed away over 4 months ago and since then I have had a Golden Gecko. It doesn't like me very much and I never see it because he's always hiding and he was being neglected so I resued him but am thinking about selling him to a local pet store and buying a Jacksons cham. So I was just wondering if there was any HUGE differences through care and stuff to a veiled, the cage worked fine and I am currently using it for my Golden Gecko so I'll probably clean it but its dimensions are 20x24ish and probably like 2 feet tall, and would this be appropriate for him? So just looking for some pointers and all any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Jack
 
Oh and quick thing,
Is the Jackson Chameleon a beautiful and handlable thing? Cause I know I had an abused Veiled, and it hated being held, it bit me frequently and will this Jackson be more friendly and handlable?I dont know if I spelt that right
 
I rescued a T.j. xantholophus a few months ago.. I made this little care sheet using the How to ask for help form. There may be some things that need adjustments, but it should give you a general idea. disregard the obvious such as location of the enclosure and my location (obviously not the same as you). Also, there are some things quoted from different sources, so its more of a gathering of information. I need citations.


Chameleon Info:
• Your Chameleon – Jacksonii Adult
• Feeding - Types of insects should include: crickets, super worms (Zoophobas), regular meal worms (tenibrio), butter worms, wax worms, roaches, grasshoppers, snails and the common house fly. All gutloaded with fresh vegetables (spinach, carrot, alfalfa, sweet potatoe,etc. I use Sandra’s (Sandrachameleon) blog on gutloading), Flukers gutload, Flukers water cubes.
• Supplements – Rep-cal W/O D3 every feeding, W/ D3 once a month and herptivite once a month
• Watering – Dripper for most of the day, misting 2-3 times a day.

Cage Info:
• Cage Type – Screen, at least 24X18X24” (Bigger is always better)
• Lighting – Reptisun 5.0, plus basking light to provide a 80-85°F basking spot.
• Temperature – Montane species, hailing from a climate of temperate days (74° - 80°F) and cool nights (57° - 65°F). A night time drop of 10°-15° is recommended to stimulate your pet's appetite. A basking area of 76°-80°F is desirable for a few hours daily, if the ambient temperature seldom rises above 70°F. Please note that a constant or minimal variation in temperature will eventually compromise the chameleon's health. Extended periods of cool nights, without the benefit of warm periods during daytime, may result in respiratory disease. Excessive daytime temperatures, however, will result in heat stress and gaping mouth. Temperatures more than 90°F, for any significant period, will prove to be fatal.
• Humidity – Higher humidity that Veileds as Jacksonii are a Montane species. I run a cold air humidifier in my chameleon room.
• Plants – Schefflera Arboricola
• Placement – Chameleon room, across from female C. Calyptratus and female F. Pardalis
• Location – South Florida

Here are some links:

http://www.reptilechannel.com/care-sheets/jacksons-chameleon.aspx
http://www.chameleonnews.com/10JulManchen.html
 
Last edited:
Jacksons basically need lower temps and highet humidity levels compared to veileds

Day temp : 70-75
Basking temp: 78-85 max...i like it to be 80-83 range personally
night tempd: 60-70 range...room temp is fine..but nights temps are good
humidity : 50-80% you achieve this with good amount of plant foilage and routine misting...worked fine for me


Personality of jackdons are generally docile but each cham is different..so there is no guarantee what kind of cham you get.....hope this helps ...goodluck


Haha looks like vieledchams beat me to it..nice quick care sheet its good
 
You can't buy a chameleon expecting it to want to be handled. You might get lucky and there are techniques that increase the likelihood that he will appreciate being handled, but you have to be open to a chameleon that does not want to be handled.
 
Elizadolots said:
You can't buy a chameleon expecting it to want to be handled. You might get lucky and there are techniques that increase the likelihood that he will appreciate being handled, but you have to be open to a chameleon that does not want to be handled.
Click to expand...

+1--agreed
 
I have 3 jacksons...purchased them all at the same time, not realizing what I was getting myself into! Every cham is different, altho Jacksons won't bite or hiss. The males seem more open to handling than females, but you can always try tame them. Most will let you handfeed them which definitely helps. Overall tho, they're a lot harder to raise than veiled's so please tread carefully!
 
Good luck finding a nice one :)

I've got my xantholophus when he was 5-6 months old and already friendly right away. He loves to drink water from syringe, eats from hand... Every time I come near the terrarium he wants to climb on my hands, so he's a real sweetheart
 
im actually just getting my first jacksons, but ive been doing research for a few months now and talking to alot of experts on here. jacksons are VERY different from a veiled or panther. they require lower temps, the nightly temp drop is crucial. adults dont need to eat everyday, usually 4 days a week max. their ultimate favorite are blue bottle flies, but they can eat everything a panther or veiled will like crickets, roaches, wax worms are not recommended, calci-worms/pheonix worms are WONDERFUL! but do not use as a staple. jacksons do not need the amount of supplimentation as that of other chams, this is peoples biggest mistake is over supplimenting. your best bet, is to gutload your feeders like their family, and your cham will benefit from what your feeders eat. high calcium diet is best, dont just feed potatoes and lettuce...that does nothing for your cham. and when it comes to actually supplimenting, every regime is different based on your chams needs, so talk to people with alot of experience with these guys, everyone will tell you something different, but make your own regime based on what they told you. and last is the fun part, free range! if you want your cham to be friendly, free ranging and cup feeding help alot! get creative :) if i missed anything, let me know.
 
Beginner Chameleon Hobbyist

Hello, I am new to keeping Chameleons. I am interested in purchasing a Jackson. What all is involved with their care? Is it a good beginner chameleon?:confused:
 
Adam Harrelson said:
Hello, I am new to keeping Chameleons. I am interested in purchasing a Jackson. What all is involved with their care? Is it a good beginner chameleon?:confused:
Click to expand...

if the research is done, and everything is planned, keeping a jackson isnt soo bad, but personally, a veiled or panther are much easier to keep in some aspects :p welcome to the forums btw! and step one: start your own thread, you will get many more replies and helpful hints to your specific needs :)
 
One thing I'd like to add is never gutload with spinach, the oxalic acid will inhibit calcium absorbtion in your chameleon.
 
I have 2 jackson's the male tolerates me and sometime enjoys a little attention and has NEVER acted aggressively. The female I adore and she will actually beg to be picked up. On these days she is content riding around on my shoulder or head and will be very social with other people, even the vet.

I got these 2 the same day at 5 months of age. At first they were very shy but they opened up nicely. I hear the younger you get them the more used to people they become and won't be as stressed during handling.

I used to work at an exotics pet shop with lots of reptiles and I will admit there is nothing worse than owning an animal that you: 1. can't interact with and 2. never see. If you are willing to stick it through and buy a few more supplies the chameleon is a very rewarding pet that you can always learn more about! Just take things slow, don't over handle them the first day just because you are excited. Put them in their enclosure and let them get used to their new environment for a few days then if you can't wait you may pick them up for very short periods always offering the option to retreat to the safety of the cage. Also hand feeding always helps the relationship :)
 
Lizardlover said:
One thing I'd like to add is never gutload with spinach, the oxalic acid will inhibit calcium absorbtion in your chameleon.
Click to expand...

Also broccoli and tomatoes too....

Forgot that supplementation is another issue with montane chams....dust lightly is key
 
Ace said:
Also broccoli and tomatoes too....

Forgot that supplementation is another issue with montane chams....dust lightly is key
Click to expand...

Tomato has very little oxalic acid, most vegetables have oxalic acid it's just a matter of how much they have and if it is enough to cause issues, I only pointed out that spinach was an issue since it was mentioned as a gut-loading option above.

Edit: This is a good list to refer to when thinking of gut-loading recipes.

http://www.guinealynx.info/diet_oxalic.html
 
Wow ok guys thanks for all the helpful advice, but from what you are saying they are a lot alike in many aspects except temps and calcium powder? Im not totally sure with the whole supplement and dust lightly if someone could elaborate that would be helpful but I am thinking of getting a cute little female Jackson, and do you guys think that a 2 and a half foot tank would do for the height? And I have a mainly glass enclosure with a screen top and I know that they are bad for your chams health and all but so is low humidity and since I live in missouri its hard to keep the humidity high and I dont know if a glass enclosure would do because I have heard of many successful breeders and such who are good with glass tanks so would like it if someone could answer these qestions thanks :)
 
I personally don't like enclosures entirely made of glass - that said, if at least 2 sides are screened I think you have a good compromise for species that require higher humidity yet maintaining air circulation. At the end, you can always control humidity by misting the cage.

I am attaching a file with an introduction to keeping Jackson's that I give out to people interested in getting one before I actually sell them anything. This file gives you a brief overview of the species and how I keep it, but it is in no way intended to be exhaustive.

My point of view is that nobody should keep a chameleon (or any animal) without a proper understanding of what is necessary to make them thrive in captivity!

View attachment Jackson's Chameleon 101.pdf
 
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