Jackson's Horn Development

[Devokid]

I am wondering if any of you guys know what is required for proper horn development in Jacksons. I was under the impression that it is the same as what is required for proper bone growth, (calcium and natural light) however my encounter with wild jackson's challenged this premiss. Many of the wild males had very crooked horns despite having perfectly normal and healthy bone structures. Any insights into this conundrum would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Juliaf3]

I found this helpful.

 

[fluxlizard]

Were the wild ones in hawaii?

Not sure, but I did once read that warmer temps can make them crooked, and in hawaii the population started with a very small number of individuals (inbreeding) so either scenario could play out in hawaii and end up with higher numbers of crooked horned individuals.

But that's totally my speculation and the temp thing I read was also probably a good guess by whoever wrote it...

 

[deadhd5]

Interesting discussion topic. I am sure that poor nutrition can affect the uniformity of the horns, but I am also sure that crooked horns do not necessarily equate to poor nutrition. I bought my previous Jackson Reggie from a petstore that kept him in lousy conditions. His horns were quite crooked. However, all horn growth under my care was perfect and you could use his horns as a timeline to tell how long he had been in my care.

Another thing that influences horn uniformity in my opinion are the conditions during shedding. If there is not enough humidity, the area around the horns has a lot of difficulty shedding properly. Stuck shed can distort horn growth.

 

[Devokid]

It was in Hawaii, and that all makes sense. I had though about the inbreeding, but had no idea that heat could make them droop. It can also get quite chilly up high on Maui and at the Pali lookout at times. With the horns changing with temps, could they fluctuate drastically with rapid temp swings? I know it can be 90 one day and then 50 the next. Could cause some serious headaches. Haha.
On the small initial genetic diversity front, I wonder if they will form their own subspecies here in the next 5,000 years.

 

[Juliaf3]

http://geocities.ws/chamjacksonii/trouble.html

That's the link where I found that awhile back, I book marked it because it's full of info!


It has pictures and thing to compare illnesses too. It's a good read for a new jackson owner.