Jacksons
- Thread starter c2c
- Start date
DekuScrub
Avid Member
they are nice big leafy plants that dont need much light. jacksons in all likelihood are not going to eat them. they do have a mild toxicity that will impede their ability to absorb calcium. so if you see them doing this increase your d3 supplementation. id recommend ficus and umbrella plants, tho according to some they are difficult to keep in low light, but ive never had problems.
Jackson chameleonair
New Member
Bought mines for 10 here in hawaii. :]
xanthoman
Avid Member
about 3 mths
already responded to the op via pm, so i will save everybody that diatribe. but havent been on the forums in a while and saw this post with 110 replies so thought i would drop in and see what all of the buzz was about, have only read 2 pages of this post so far so may post again when i am finished.
xanthoman
Avid Member
that seems appropriate to me if its a prime specimen. not to say that there arent any healthy cheaper xanths but far better (and cheaper) to spend $140 on something you want that is in prime health than to spend $50 on an animal that may have issues.
i know of somebody that sells extra lg xanths and high blue xanths for around $200. my usual source usually charges about <$100 shipped. and i have to admit that some of the prettiest xanths i have seen were under $100.
it seems to me that if somebody is serious enough to spend several hundred $ to start plus hopefully invest at least several dozen hrs of serious study, plus go to the trouble of raising insects and learning all of that, then trying to save money on the cham is the last thing you want to do. far cheaper and better chance of success by starting with an animal in prime health and if one is fortunate enough to find such an animal then it should be considered a bargain at any earthly price (say<$200). jmo
xanthoman
Avid Member
for the op
personally, i think you are best off starting with a solo male of about 6-9mths. i know in the pm i recommended female, but it all depends on what your intentions are. like eps have posted its not all that uncommon for seemingly healthy xaths <5mths to drop dead without warning and for no apparent reason, so, imo, whatever sex you get i would try to get something at least 6-9mths and preferably no older if a female.
males dont have as narrow of breeding window as females, and once you have tried it, its possible that you may find that one cham is more than enough, so if you are attracted to xanths because of the horns then start with a male. a male can and will breed anytime up until they drop dead, but common sense dictates you dont want to breed a juvenile or grandpaw, so figure 1-< 3-4yrs, the best window for a male.
imo, its not realistic to think about breeding before you have kept one for at least 4-5mths, if you start with a male, then starting with a 6-9mth animal will give you the longest breeding window and after a couple of mths, you can breed anytime at your leisure whenever you feel your husbandry is ready. if it ends up being your only cham then at least you will have a specimen with horns.
females have a fairly short optimum breeding window. imo the best window is 12-18 mth but one can certainly breed longer, bearing in mind the precautions mentioned in my pm and by another poster somewhere in this thread.
the problem with starting with a female (depending on where you get the animal and what is known about it) is that there is a reasonable possibility that the animal is already gravid, which imo, wouldnt be good for a starter situation, but starting with a 6-9mth female would give you enough time to get comfortable in your husbandry (say up to 6 mths of care) and still take full advantage of her optimum breeding window.
i know that you have kept other reptiles, but, imo, just to be clear, keeping chams especially xanths, isnt quite like keeping a snake, turtle, or a bearded dragon. chams are significantly more sensitive to metabolic issues and require considerable amount of more attn, and study, care, than keeping most other reptiles. sure there are lots of similarities, but i too had kept reptiles for many years before starting chams and still found chams to be quite a (different) challenge. thats not to say that one cant be successful first time around, but i wouldnt consider it a shoe in either. imo you would have a better chance of success starting with a solo animal. jmo
personally, i think you are best off starting with a solo male of about 6-9mths. i know in the pm i recommended female, but it all depends on what your intentions are. like eps have posted its not all that uncommon for seemingly healthy xaths <5mths to drop dead without warning and for no apparent reason, so, imo, whatever sex you get i would try to get something at least 6-9mths and preferably no older if a female.
males dont have as narrow of breeding window as females, and once you have tried it, its possible that you may find that one cham is more than enough, so if you are attracted to xanths because of the horns then start with a male. a male can and will breed anytime up until they drop dead, but common sense dictates you dont want to breed a juvenile or grandpaw, so figure 1-< 3-4yrs, the best window for a male.
imo, its not realistic to think about breeding before you have kept one for at least 4-5mths, if you start with a male, then starting with a 6-9mth animal will give you the longest breeding window and after a couple of mths, you can breed anytime at your leisure whenever you feel your husbandry is ready. if it ends up being your only cham then at least you will have a specimen with horns.
females have a fairly short optimum breeding window. imo the best window is 12-18 mth but one can certainly breed longer, bearing in mind the precautions mentioned in my pm and by another poster somewhere in this thread.
the problem with starting with a female (depending on where you get the animal and what is known about it) is that there is a reasonable possibility that the animal is already gravid, which imo, wouldnt be good for a starter situation, but starting with a 6-9mth female would give you enough time to get comfortable in your husbandry (say up to 6 mths of care) and still take full advantage of her optimum breeding window.
i know that you have kept other reptiles, but, imo, just to be clear, keeping chams especially xanths, isnt quite like keeping a snake, turtle, or a bearded dragon. chams are significantly more sensitive to metabolic issues and require considerable amount of more attn, and study, care, than keeping most other reptiles. sure there are lots of similarities, but i too had kept reptiles for many years before starting chams and still found chams to be quite a (different) challenge. thats not to say that one cant be successful first time around, but i wouldnt consider it a shoe in either. imo you would have a better chance of success starting with a solo animal. jmo
xanthoman
Avid Member
food choices
last time probably a good thing. xanths have been known to take occasional pieces of banana, pears or even strawberries, but just because they will eat something does not make it a good food choice, (crickets,waxworms are prime examples) bananas are high in phosphorus (1:3+) excess phosphorus is a major villain in cham metabolic issues, so not a good food choice. pears and strawberries are both high in sugars and high in oxalates so, not a good food choices either. you might be able to get one to eat a mushroom which for the record, would be one of the worst offerings of all.
imo, best plant type items to offer would be occasional hiscus leaves, mustard or dandelion greens.
if a xanth shows a frequent tendency to eat plants then i would consider it a red flag. jmo
Jacksons are really cool. Mine was 160$ here in Europe.
Are they the only chams that wont chew on plants and vegetables?
I have offered my xanth a piece of banana once and he took a big bite, but this was the first and the last time lol
last time probably a good thing. xanths have been known to take occasional pieces of banana, pears or even strawberries, but just because they will eat something does not make it a good food choice, (crickets,waxworms are prime examples) bananas are high in phosphorus (1:3+) excess phosphorus is a major villain in cham metabolic issues, so not a good food choice. pears and strawberries are both high in sugars and high in oxalates so, not a good food choices either. you might be able to get one to eat a mushroom which for the record, would be one of the worst offerings of all.
imo, best plant type items to offer would be occasional hiscus leaves, mustard or dandelion greens.
if a xanth shows a frequent tendency to eat plants then i would consider it a red flag. jmo
High blue xanth??!!! Can I see a photo or a link???
