Jackson won't eat! I'm new :(

[nenitavega]

Hi, I have a male Jackson 9 months old, bought him 5 days ago , I used dropping water and mist him three times a day, I've tried to feed him with crickets,but he just won't eat them , so I gave him one super worm per day, he drank just the first 2 days and then stop doing it or at least hasn't seen him... He totally ignores crickets , but the super worm will eat it in seconds... So the thing is today when I gave him the super worm after maybe 5 min went to look at him his mouths was open and still got the super worm inside his mouth... And after few minutes he opened his mouth very big and looking up and did this movement like about to vomit, but he didn't vomit. Hasn't pooped ... He acts normal and seem fine... Am I being paranoid new Cham keeper and just relax? is it something serious? What should I do? Thanks for reading (and sorry for the English)

 

[JaxyGirl]

Hi welcome to the forums. Sorry your Cham isn't feeling very good.
We need some more information so we can help you.
Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information, you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.


Pictures are helpful

 

[carbyville]

It's possible that he's still trying to get used to his new home, but that's just one possibility. The gaping could be a few things, if you were looking at him, he may have been trying to intimidate you, or it could be something more than that, it's hard to say since we didn't see it happen. Could you post a picture of him?

Chams can sometimes be picky eaters. He just may not like crickets or is bored with them for now. Have you tried anything else besides superworms? Any Dubia roaches, hornworms, silkworms? Chams like variety.

Also, if you're anywhere near a vet that takes exotics, it'd be a good idea to get him looked over, and to start establishing a relationship with the vet so you know who to call when there's trouble. Also, get a fecal test done, always good to make sure things are good there too

 

[nenitavega]

Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon : jackson, male, 9 months . 5 days with him
Handling: almost never
Feeding :crickets, super worm, Fluckers cricket quencher, apples an lettuce
Supplements: repti calcium
Watering: dropping and misting three times a day
Fecal Description :no fecals
Substrate tropical terrarium plantation soil
History :none

Cage Type : glass with mesh top, 18" 18" 24"
Lighting : im using Rept Glo5.0 12hrs, some sun at afternoon
Temperature : in day it is 80s, 70s . Thermometer at the side
Humidity : 50% to 70% misting 3 times a day
Plants : artificial
Placement : at the garden under a roof, but some sun comes in the cage every day
Location : monterrey mexico

 

[carbyville]

Do you have a basking light for him? I'm not positive, but it looks like what you're using is just a UVB light? They also need a place for basking, where the temperature is higher. It aids in digestion and many other things. Sorry if I'm mistaken, I'm not familiar with that lighting.

Supplementation should be as follows: Calcium without D3 daily, and the Calcium with D3 as well as a multi-vitamin twice a month.

As for the enclosure you're using, it's generally not recommended to use a glass terrarium with chameleons as they need more ventilation and benefit more from screen enclosures. Also, the substrate needs to go. If the chameleon eats it, it could cause an impaction.

Could you post a picture of him?

 

[Bush baby]

Are you feeding the apples and lettuce to the crickets or to your chameleon? Jackon's won't eat anything except live food.

Is is possible that he is still acclimating to his new environment. My Jackson's is extremely nit picky when it comes to temperature. Anything over 75 degrees and he starts gaping as though it's 90 degrees in his enclosure! It could be that he's hot, or that he's telling you he doesn't like you standing so close while he's eating.

I have a glass enclosure also but mine is 3 parts mesh and only the front and back are glass. Remember UV light cannot get through the glass and since yours is mainly glass, it can get pretty hot really fast when the sun hit's it.
Jacksons prefer cool and shade, with only some sun.

Try different foods. They love snails and Flying insects such as flies….

..hope this helps…….

 

[nenitavega]

I'm using a 75 watt. I give lettuce and apple to crickets... I'm reading everything you are writing and gonna do it asap , if more comments I'm all ears... I told the guy at the pet store it shouldn't be glass and talked to the" reptile manager " ... But anyway, lots of work to do !

 

[Bush baby]

Lettuce is not a good gut load. It is poor nutritionally. Apple is o.k. Use foods like collard, turnip, or mustard greens along with carrots or butternut squash. That combined with a good dry grain like bug buffet or cricket crack (which you can purchase on this site) will make for a good gut load. Flukers products are horrible items to gut load your feeders with….

 

[JaxyGirl]

Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon : jackson, male, 9 months . 5 days with him
Handling: almost never
Feeding :crickets, super worm, Fluckers cricket quencher, apples an lettuce
Supplements: repti calcium
Watering: dropping and misting three times a day
Fecal Description :no fecals
Substrate tropical terrarium plantation soil
History :none

Cage Type : glass with mesh top, 18" 18" 24"
Lighting : im using Rept Glo5.0 12hrs, some sun at afternoon
Temperature : in day it is 80s, 70s . Thermometer at the side
Humidity : 50% to 70% misting 3 times a day
Plants : artificial
Placement : at the garden under a roof, but some sun comes in the cage every day
Location : monterrey mexico

Your setup for a Jacksons Chamelion is all wrong. Just so you know this isn't your fault because the pet store gave you the wrong information. But with a few changes your Cham should be feeling better soon.
The glass tank your keeping your Cham is way too small for a 9 month old Jacksons Chamelion and Glass tanks are not meant for chameleons. There just isn't enough ventilation and this can cause bacterial infections and respiratory infections.
He should be in an all screen cage that is at least 36" tall or taller.
There should be no substrate on the floor because he could eat it which can lead to impaction.
He needs a basking light for his basking spot which should be between 80-85 degrees. A basking spot helps with metabolism and digestion.
Your crickets need to be gut loaded with a good gut load mix such as cricket crack or Rapashy Super load and also with leafy greens and veggies.
What you feed your feeders go into your Chamelion so your crickets need to be fed really well to prevent vitamin deficiencies.

 

[JaxyGirl]

I'm using a 75 watt. I give lettuce and apple to crickets... I'm reading everything you are writing and gonna do it asap , if more comments I'm all ears... I told the guy at the pet store it shouldn't be glass and talked to the" reptile manager " ... But anyway, lots of work to do !

So far your Cham looks healthy so that's a good thing
I can tell by the dirt on his feet that he's been walking around on the bottom of the tank which is too small and the substrate needs to be removed. Jacksons need cooler temperatures and good air circulation. He needs a screen cage ASAP.