My Female Jackson, MJ Stopped Eating

[MJ's Mama]

Your Chameleon - Female Jacksons chameleon, less than 1 year old, we have had her for about a week and a half.
Handling - We have only handled her when cleaning the cage, about 2/3 times.
Feeding - We are feeding her live crickets, about 2-4 a day. We feed her in the morning, about 30 minutes after we turn her lights on. We have used Flukers a couple days prior to feeding. Supplements - We are using zoo med reptivite and repticalcium dusting a few for the days ahead. Watering - We have a dripper that stays on all the time. We also mist the enclosure about 3 times a day. I dont ever really see her drinking tho.
Fecal Description - The dropping are dark drown with little bits of white. Not running and solid. I don't know if she's been tested.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - She is currently in a 16x16x30 screen enclosure.
Lighting - We are using the basic combination of blue light and the bright UVB light.We usually turn the lights on around 7am and off around 8 pm. Temperature - The cage ranges in the basking spot of 77 and a floor of around 65. Lowest temp overnight around 60. We have placed thermometers in the enclosure. Humidity - The humidity stays between 60 and 80 sometimes going to 50 but rarely. We have a dripper and we mist the cage around 3 times a day. We have a humidity gage in the enclosure.
Plants - We are not currently using live plants. She has a lot of vines and leaves to hide out in.
Placement - The cage is in a bedroom where there is no foot traffic during the day at all. It is located on a table top so the top of the cage sits about 5 and a half feel from the ground. It is near a fan that is never on and no vents anywhere close.
Location - We are located in southern California.
Current Problem - MJ is not eating and hasnt for about 2 days. She also keeps one eye closed almost all the time. She does open it while hunting and during high stress times like being removed from her enclosure.

 

[CamoChameleonsHuman]

Hello and welcome to the forums. Sorry to hear about your MJ not feeling well. Right off the bat I can see a few things wrong with your husbandry. Which I will list out for you.
1) Cage is a little small. Female Jackson's don't get huge by any means but a chameleon will always do better in a larger enclosure. 18x18x36"
2) Gutloading of crickets with Fluckers is not ideal. You want to be using more fresh fruit and veggies than anything else. There are some good dry gutloads you can get too like Repashys Bug Burger.
3) Supplement dusting. You should be dusting your crickets everyday with calcium immediately before feeding to your cam. Pick one day a week to switch to your Reptivite. And on the same day the next week supplement with Calcium+D3. Continue alternating between those two every week and all other days just the calcium.
4) Basking temp is too low. You want to be closer to 85* for proper digestion. This could be one reason why she's not hungry.
5) Feeding intervals. Adult chameleons like yours don't need to eat every day. In fact it's better they eat every other day to avoid obesity.
6) UVB lighting is insufficient. The bulb you are using for UVB is insufficient. It doesn't produce a enough UVB for your Cham to properly produce D3 naturally in the body which helps with bone growth and development. You'll want to buy a T5HO linear UVB from either ZooMed or Arcadia. I'd suggest the 24" model that has a 22" bulb.
7) Eye problem. Eye problems can usually be solved with proper Vitamin A supplementation. I would suggest purchasing some Repashys Vitamin A supplements for this.

 

[MJ's Mama]

Hello and welcome to the forums. Sorry to hear about your MJ not feeling well. Right off the bat I can see a few things wrong with your husbandry. Which I will list out for you.
1) Cage is a little small. Female Jackson's don't get huge by any means but a chameleon will always do better in a larger enclosure. 18x18x36"
2) Gutloading of crickets with Fluckers is not ideal. You want to be using more fresh fruit and veggies than anything else. There are some good dry gutloads you can get too like Repashys Bug Burger.
3) Supplement dusting. You should be dusting your crickets everyday with calcium immediately before feeding to your cam. Pick one day a week to switch to your Reptivite. And on the same day the next week supplement with Calcium+D3. Continue alternating between those two every week and all other days just the calcium.
4) Basking temp is too low. You want to be closer to 85* for proper digestion. This could be one reason why she's not hungry.
5) Feeding intervals. Adult chameleons like yours don't need to eat every day. In fact it's better they eat every other day to avoid obesity.
6) UVB lighting is insufficient. The bulb you are using for UVB is insufficient. It doesn't produce a enough UVB for your Cham to properly produce D3 naturally in the body which helps with bone growth and development. You'll want to buy a T5HO linear UVB from either ZooMed or Arcadia. I'd suggest the 24" model that has a 22" bulb.
7) Eye problem. Eye problems can usually be solved with proper Vitamin A supplementation. I would suggest purchasing some Repashys Vitamin A supplements for this.

Thank you so much for your help! I will adjust her enclosure with your recommendations right away! I really appreciate it!!!

 

[GoodKarma19]

Hello and welcome. Please check out this caresheet.

Supplement dusting. You should be dusting your crickets everyday with calcium immediately before feeding to your cam. Pick one day a week to switch to your Reptivite. And on the same day the next week supplement with Calcium+D3. Continue alternating between those two every week and all other days just the calcium.

Please be very careful when giving advice! We don't want to spread potentially harmful information.

"As a montane species (native to higher altitudes) Jackson's have decreased supplementation requirements compared to tropical species due to metabolism differences. Use calcium (without D3 or phosphorus) twice a week, a multivitamin once a month, and calcium with D3 once a month.

Otherwise, my additional recommendation would be to try and introduce other feeder insects to your girl's rotation. Adding black soldier fly larvae (Phoenix worms), silkworms, and dubia roaches, as well as superworms, waxworms, hornworms, etc as treats will add variety and enrichment to her diet.

 

[MJ's Mama]

Hello and welcome. Please check out this caresheet.



Please be very careful when giving advice! We don't want to spread potentially harmful information.

"As a montane species (native to higher altitudes) Jackson's have decreased supplementation requirements compared to tropical species due to metabolism differences. Use calcium (without D3 or phosphorus) twice a week, a multivitamin once a month, and calcium with D3 once a month.

Otherwise, my additional recommendation would be to try and introduce other feeder insects to your girl's rotation. Adding black soldier fly larvae (Phoenix worms), silkworms, and dubia roaches, as well as superworms, waxworms, hornworms, etc as treats will add variety and enrichment to her diet.

Does she look okay in your opinion?

 

[GoodKarma19]

Does she look okay in your opinion?

I'll tag someone experienced in Jacksons. @JacksJill

 

[MJ's Mama]

I'll tag someone experienced in Jacksons. @JacksJill

I really appreciate it! Thank you!

 

[JacksJill]

I hardly know where to start. First MJ is likely pregnant. I’m not on my computer so I can’t link you to the care sheet but you will find it under the resources menu- care sheets- Jackson’s. She would like to be a little warmer. 72 ambient and closer to 80 basking that should make her more active and help her appetite. The eye thing concerns me a lot you can try Vitamin A but if the temperature increase doesn’t help quickly the you may need a vet. The stress of the pet store and the move to a new house may have been too much for her.

 

[MJ's Mama]

I hardly know where to start. First MJ is likely pregnant. I’m not on my computer so I can’t link you to the care sheet but you will find it under the resources menu- care sheets- Jackson’s. She would like to be a little warmer. 72 ambient and closer to 80 basking that should make her more active and help her appetite. The eye thing concerns me a lot you can try Vitamin A but if the temperature increase doesn’t help quickly the you may need a vet. The stress of the pet store and the move to a new house may have been too much for her.

So we need to start with the temperature first and some vitamin A. How would we know if she is pregnant? Does she look unhealthy in the photos? I saved the caresheet and will start the changes asap. Anything else you see or information you have is very much appreciated! Thanks again!!!

 

[JacksJill]

I’m just guessing she’s pregnant because she’s from a pet store and that is generally how they come. The closed eye is what makes me think she is sick or stressed.

 

[Syreptyon]

So we need to start with the temperature first and some vitamin A. How would we know if she is pregnant? Does she look unhealthy in the photos? I saved the caresheet and will start the changes asap. Anything else you see or information you have is very much appreciated! Thanks again!!!

I'm not personally a Jackson's keeper, however I do have a lot of experience with a variety of species. One thing all chameleons have in common is that they will do better with live plants in their enclosure! Good for humidity, aesthetic, and making your chameleon more comfortable. I'll leave it to the Jackson's keepers make comments on her health, though

 

[Char333p]

Are jacksons livebearers? Or am i thinking of another chameleon

 

[JacksJill]

Yes they are live bearers so no lay bun needed. They do like to use a branch that is mounted at an angle.

 

[MJ's Mama]

I’m just guessing she’s pregnant because she’s from a pet store and that is generally how they come. The closed eye is what makes me think she is sick or stressed.

Is there any way we can know without a vet visit?

 

[MJ's Mama]

I'm not personally a Jackson's keeper, however I do have a lot of experience with a variety of species. One thing all chameleons have in common is that they will do better with live plants in their enclosure! Good for humidity, aesthetic, and making your chameleon more comfortable. I'll leave it to the Jackson's keepers make comments on her health, though

Web are planning on getting live plants for her this week/weekend. Any recommendations on places to get the plants from? Or plants themselves? Type? Size? I just want to get her everything she needs to be happy and healthy!

 

[JacksJill]

She will either have babies in the next 3-4 months or pass something that looks like tiny egg yolks. If all you get is yolks/slugs she isn’t pregnant but she will pass something 3-4 times a year.

 

[Calypratus]

Plants I would recommend are pothos,ficus, draceana and a few others. Typically as long as it’s not poisonous it’s safe. I get all my plants from the Lowe’s near my house.