Male Jackson Chameleon stays asleep HELP!!!!

Young Kris

New Member
Chameleon Info :
*Jackosn chameleon, male, 5-6 months old, owned for about 2-3 months, *handled abut once a day everyday
*Fed gut-loaded crickets, eats about 2 a day then knocks right out around 12pm, bought fom Petsmart
*Dusted with Exo Terra multivitamin
*I hand feed my cham water out a sprits bottle everyday. Misting out the bottle as well 3 times a day
*The picture of normal bowel movement in poop 101 thread, once had diarrhea about a month ago

Cage Info :
*All around screen cage, ReptiBreeze 16x16x20
*Petsmart brand light 60 watt, turn the light on around 10am and turn the light off at 10pm
*I'd say about 80 degrees F during the day and about 70 degrees F at night
*There is no humidity level in the cage, i do not have a fogger
*Fake plants
*The cage stays by my window of my room about 3 feet off the ground
*I live in Tampa, Florida now that its summer temperatures get about 90 degrees F daily with some rain

Current Problem :
My chameleon stays with his eyes closed seems to always be asleep. I try moving him, which usually wakes him up, but he just moves with his eyes closed. When i hold him he does'nt move at all, today i held him took him outside and he was just laying on my hand not moving arm hanging thought he was dead BIG scare. I want to know what is wrong with him this never happened and i don't know of any vets for chams PLEASE HELP ME OUT HERE.:mad::(:(
 
I see a lot wrong with your husbandry. If changed I think your Cham will be much healthier.

First, no red light at night. Only total darkness. You should get rid of the coil and get a reptisun 5.0 linear tube bulb, that will cover UVB. For basking bulb use a regular house bulb, with those temps prob 40-60 watt.

Your ambient temps are too high. It should be 70 during the day and aim for 60 at night. Aim for 85 degrees 8 inches under basking spot.

Multivitamin is only dusted twice a month, no more. This may be one main reason his eyes are closed, or the red light. Use a calcium with out D3 daily and calcium w/ D3 twice monthly. Getting this right is critical.

Don't hand feed water. Mist 3-6 times daily and offer a dripper for 2-4 hours daily.

Get this right and it will make a big difference.
 
Ok I'll make sure I get everything right I'll be sure to take the advice you gave me thank you so much for the help and the time I really appreciate it and I'm sure broly will too :)
 
Okay, there are several things that stand out that can use some attention. I'm going to run through a BUNCH of stuff, so don't let this overwhelm you.

Things you need to do NOW:
  • Since you have only had him a little while, he may have come to you with issues already, like internal parasites. We have a lot of members here in Florida, and I am sure one can recommend a good chameleon vet. ASAP you should take him in for a visit and have a fecal check done. Find a fresh poo (the brown part), and take it in a ziploc baggies. They will look in the poop for parasites and other issues. A vet visit may cost about $60 and the fecal check will likely cost around $20.
    .
  • The first thing that jumps out in your 10 AM to 10 PM lighting schedule. Your cham wakes up with the sunrise and wants to go to bed around sundown, maybe earlier. By keeping the lights on until 10 PM, it disrupts his natural sleep cycle. Change him to a 7 AM to 7 PM schedule - something more natural with sunrise/sunset. This is important for his overall health in the long term. No lights at night - not even the red ones. Get a timer for your lights (make it easy on yourself!). This is the time I have and I really like it (http://www.lllreptile.com/store/cata...-power-center/)
    .
  • Are you using a multivitamin powder with every feeding? If so that is WAAAAAY too much multivitamin. Jacksons are very sensitive to oversupplementation - it can make them sick and kill them with organ damage. You will need at least two products: Plain calcium with no D3 or phosphorous for use 2-3 times a week (http://www.lllreptile.com/store/cata...l-nod-3oz-jar/) and a multivitamin with D3 for use once every 4 weeks (http://www.lllreptile.com/store/cata...-with-d3-2-oz/). Buy small jars because a little goes a LONG way.
    .
  • You may not be providing him enough water with only misting three times a day. Jacksons like a lot of water and can be very slow to start drinking. He will definitely benefit from a long misting at least once a day - for 5 minutes or more. Until you can get an automated mister, get a dripper (http://www.lllreptile.com/store/cata...ittle-dripper/) and a pressurized hand mister (http://www.lllreptile.com/store/cata...-spray-bottle/). Don't waste your money on a waterfall. They are not recommended for chameleons, but some pet stores will try to sell you one anyway.
    .
  • The temperature at his basking spot should be about 83°F and needs to be monitored periodically to make sure it is steady. Get a digital thermometer/hygrometer. This is what I have (http://www.lllreptile.com/store/catalog/-/zilla-digital-thermometer--hygrometer-with-probe/); it's decent.
    .
  • Do you have a UVB bulb? Chameleons absolutely MUST have a UVB bulb unless they get real sunshine every day (not through a window). Get the 18" fixture (smallest they come) (http://www.lllreptile.com/store/cat...light-fixtures/-/18-fluorescent-hood-fixture/) and remember that it takes 15" bulbs (http://www.lllreptile.com/store/cata...n-50-uvb-bulb/). You will need to replace the UVB light every 6 months. You will want the 5.0 strength for a normal sized cage.
    .
  • Humidity is really important to Jacksons, since they are montane (mountainous) species. Overall, they like a lower ambient temperature (75ish) with higher humidity (50%ish with higher spikes during misting). Get a digital hygrometer that is also a thermometer.
.
Things you will want to do soon:

(You don't have to buy any of this through LLL Reptile. I just use them as product examples since they have almost everything in stock.)

This may also help out:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/chameleons/

Hopefully everything will turn out okay.
 
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