Just got a sub adult male Jackson 4 days ago. He drinks but won't eat at all. Plenty of live plants, misting several times a day, dripped, lighting, heating...everything.
I've been using free range gut loaded.crickets...could it be that he's used to cup feeder with old owner?
its possible. I would try that and try hand feeding also. It is a good sign that he is drinking. Sometimes they don't eat right away when you first get them. Some do and some don't. I took in an adult male panther and he did not eat for the first 12 days or so. He still does not eat regularly but he does eat here and there. Drinking is more important so he does not become dehydrated.
From the sounds of it you're a great owner and his husbandry sounds really good. I have a female Jackson who actually refuses to eat unless I hand feed, so I say go for the cup feeding. If that doesn't work maybe give hand feeding a go? And if all else fails maybe a quick visit to a vet would be best but I doubt it should come to that. Im just going off of what little knowledge I have good luck!
One more question..my guy is about 5 inches nose to butt...crickets I have are around3/4 inch to an inch...those are the smallest I could find besides tiny ones. Are those too big for him? Could this possibly be a "these crickets are too big what is this women thinking" scenario?
I mean you could try but you would have to feed him an awful lot of pinheads to make up for the size of the 3/4 inch. He could be intimated by the size. It is possible.
How old exactly?
I would say stick to the rule of no longer then the space between the eyes, as everyone else has stated. If you jackson won't eat, i would try perhaps feeding a different feeder.
My "Ace in the hole" Or rather "Aces" as far as getting stubborn chams to eat are:
Flies, ( Blue Bottle Flies are my favorite)
Moths,( Keep them overnight to ensure no pesticides came in contact)
Phoenix Worms
these are temptations none of my chams have been able to resist.
Ps, Welcome onto the Forums! Always a pleasure having new faces on here.