Jackson's Gave Birth Today

[Spencejah]

I had asked for help in a different thread but didn't get any feedback. lol So hopefully creating my own thread will get some attention. But if this needs to be moved, then move it! lol

Okay so we came back home today and came to a big surprise with 13 little chameleons walking around the cage! We've had this chameleon since Christmas when my brother's gf bought it for him. We had two jackson's chameleons before way back when I was in 2nd grade and now we have this one.

Well I had no idea she was pregnant. She was fat but I thought it was just cause she had grown (I hadn't seen her for four months cause of college). I hadn't done my research and thought that our chameleon was gonna lay eggs until I looked it up today after the fact, and found out jackson's give live birth. lol

This was her about ten days ago
This is what she looks like now. Might be hard to tell but she's definitely skinnier now.

I guess it makes sense too cause lately, she had been black or dark every time I came out to check on her or feed her and she wouldn't turn green until I messed with her. So I thought maybe she was just a fat attention *****. lol. Even the other morning, the cham was near the bottom by the door, so I opened it just to see what it would do and it immediately jumped out. I put it back a few times and left the door open to see what it would do and it still climbed out.

Well here's some pics. There were 18 total with 4 of em still in that sac. Are they dead or is there a way to break em out?

There was this one that I thought was still stuck in the sac and I thought it was funny cause this other baby chameleon was "mourning" its death since it had stayed here for a good ten minutes while I fetched the other baby chams out. Well we came back later and the chameleon was alive and moving! I guess it just needed time. lol

This was our setup. I live in Hawai'i and have never used a bulb or misitifer or anything cause the weather seems to be good enough. I mean right now it's 7:12 p.m., about the time the chameleon usually goes to sleep and the weather is 73 degrees and humidity is 85%.

This is the temporary setup we have for now

So for now, I've misted the leafs and stuff, but I haven't seen the babies drink any. I went and got some fruit flies and put some in, but none of them ate any of it. I read that they won't eat until maybe 48 hours? What things should I do besides getting a new cage? What should I be aware of?

Also, I thought it was funny how when I carried the box into the house, all the chams just froze and like fell asleep. I guess there was a temperature drop? But we don't have AC or anything.

Sorry for long post but yeah, any advice would be nice. Thanks!


TL;DR - Got new Jackson's babies. What should I do in the next few days?

 

[Lovereps]

I have plenty more to learn about raising newborn Jackson's , so hopefully some very experienced folks will chime in.
Your other thread was tacked onto an old one, which is why it did not get the attention you had hoped for.
It is best to start a new thread, especially when a matter is urgent.

Many people get surprised by the sudden appearance of a bunch of Jackson's babies.

I am glad to share what I have observed and the little I know about Jackson's neonates.

Babies that didn't get out of the sac can sometimes be saved by carefully opening it but I believe it must be done shortly after they are born.

They need lots of humidity--which shouldn't be a problem where you are, unless you're running a dehumidifier.

If what I've read is correct, you should not not mist them directly, but should mist the foliage and walls of the enclosure numerous times throughout the day.
Plenty of plants will help keep things humid with 80% being the ideal.


Food must be tiny, so they don't choke to death on it.

Jackson's xantholophus neonates (that's the type most in the USA have) will eat the same day they are born but they need easy to catch food.

Flightless fruit flies--often available in jars at petstores--are one good food that they will enjoy.
There are 2 types: melanogaster and hydei--both are fine.
Pinhead crickets, extra small Phoenix worms, baby silkworms and baby isopods can all be used.

The neonates are not very good at hunting, so it is best to provide a lot of food--much more than you would think is needed--- to ensure that everyone can get enough food.

Temperatures for neonates are lower than for adults--about 80 at the very hottest near the light and with ambient temps in the 70s.

Many people use an already used Reptisun 5.0 to provide both basking and warmth.

Momma cham would surely benefit from at least a few meals of some higher calcium foods such as Phoenixworms, silkworms or land snails.

Jackson's go crazy for them--and eat them shell and all. The shells are high in calcium.
If using wild caught snails--they absolutely must be known to be free of pesticides--which is one reason why many people don't feed wild caught insects.

Snails that live in water are no good as they are notoriously heavily laden with parasites that will infect chameleons.

Providing appropriate sized things to climb on will keep them from staying upside down on the top screen.
I built a cham jungle gym using bamboo skewers with the pointy ends sheared off.

Good luck and I hope others with experience will add their thoughts!
You can also search in the breeding forum and look over recent posts by SCMCNARY for one.

 

[SMCNARY]

New Jackson's baby's

Sorry u didn't get the responses u needed for help with the new baby's. they look very good btw.I have been very busy and have not been reading or posting much lately and when I'm on I just skim through the posts quickly. I am no expert and many others here have MUCH more experience then I do but I will be happy to help in any way I can. Most people I know raise neonates in a tub,and most do not have a top on them. Your climate changes things a bit and u will need to adjust for that in your care of these baby's. These suggestions are JMHO and have worked for me but others might have better information for you!!! First I would set them up in a tub, it's much easier to control the temp and humidity then a screen cage. I use a top cut out and screened so that the fruit flys cant get out. It keeps the fruit flys in the tub and moving about so the baby's have more opportunity to eat them and u will waste far fewer. I use an old (6-8 month) 5.0 uv tube as to much uv can cause various problems. I also use a 15 watt basking bulb about 10 inches from the highest limb the baby's can get on.
The basking bulb doesn't change the temp more then a few degrees but the baby's still seem to enjoy basking under it and I notice them basking for a while, moving away and later returning to bask again so I think it's good for them.
Neonate s can inhale fine mist like any Cham and if to much is inhaled it can cause respitory problems. That is another reason I have screen tops as my misting gathers on the screen and then gently drips into the cage in a more natural way and the baby's drink from the artificial plant leaves. I let the whole tub temp drop to 70 degrees at night but keep it at 75 in the whole tub during the day. The basking site gets 77-78 max and is only in a small area of the tub. Mine get misted 2 minutes 5 times a day but the drops fall for several minutes after the misting stops. I made a mistake when setting up my tubs at first and had to re do them. The babies were able to climb on the screen but had trouble getting back down and I noticed one fall and the fall can hurt them so I quickly lowered the plants and now they can't get on the screen AT ALL!!!!!! I also put thick foliage all through the tub for two reasons,one if one falls they do not fall far or hit hard and so if they want to hide they can and I feel this has reduced there stress levels a lot. It does make it a pain in the rear to find them however and the only way I can ever see if all of them are ok is to remove the frame from the tub and hunt,remove one at a time until I have found them all and then put them into a clean tub. One reason I sometimes hesitate to respond to posts as it seems like the response is way to long (like this one). I have a lot more to share but don't think everyone wants to read my rambling so if you would like just pm me and I will be happy to share more.
Hope this helps
Steve

 

[Spencejah]

Alright thanks for the replies. It's also Father's Day so I guess everyone is busy too!

Well it's a new day and I guess I'm not as stressed out as I was yesterday. lol
I think everything should be under control for now, but they still aren't eating. My dad put a little more fruit flies in this morning but they just ignored them. I put the vial inside their temp home to see if they'd at least notice but they still ignore it. Maybe it'll just take some time? But I'm getting worried. I've been misting it quite a bit now so hopefully they are getting some water. I also put a lot more little branches and things for them to climb on.

How long should it be until they start getting their color?
Can I give some away right away? I have a friend who used to have a chameleon and I offered one to him.