New to chameleons (rescued Jackson's)

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Hey guys! My name is McKenna, and I have had significant experience owning reptiles (leopard geckos, bearded dragons, ball pythons, even a conehead at one point), and I work at a pet supply store. On Friday, a man came in and asked my manager if he could take in a chameleon and put it up for adoption, as his son no longer cared for or wanted him, and that if he couldn't, there was a possibility of him ending up in a shelter. We do not have the capacity to take in reptiles at my store, so my manager began to tell him no. I was one aisle over, and poke my head around the corner and told him that I would take him– I've always thought they would be fascinating to keep.

TLDR version: I took in a spectacular Jackson's chameleon, male, age unknown (didn't ask), who is very friendly!!

Right now he's in the set up that he came with, screen cage with a live plant inside, heat lamp (not thrilled about it as the fixture does t seem to concentrate the heat, and the previous owner said to leave it on all the time? It's red.), fluorescent lamp, water dripper, crickets, and his supplements (rep-cal multi vitamin and rep-cal calcium with d3).

I plan on getting two ficus trees this week (or other suitable trees), one for outside were I can easily monitor him, and one for inside- I want him to have the opportunity to climb something big and explore. My neighbor who was an avid chameleon keeper told me that taking them outside in the sun is the best thing for them, and to avoid too much D3. I believe the cage is too small for him, so that is another thing that is high on my priorities.

Originally, I made this post because I thought he was not eating, but as I was writing it, he munched down on a cricket, so I am happy. Now I guess the purpose is to introduce myself and see your opinions on the little guys health and set up. I've done a good bit of research and checked out the husbandry threads, but I'm sure I will have more questions.

One of which is, how can I tell if my chameleon likes to be held? I understand that it is very stressful for some, and that's the last thing I want to do. So far, sometimes when I try to take him out, he will literally jump for my hand, other times he will turn dark at initial contact, but quickly return to bright after or knows what's going on. And another thing– he loves to fall asleep on my hands and the top of my head. The previous owner said that he's very friendly and was held often.

 

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I can't figure out how to post more than one picture at a time

 

[Lathis]

Looks like the previous owner has given you some incorrect information.

Start here:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/jacksons/

Go through the care sheets in detail and let us know if you have any questions.

 

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Thanks!! So from what I gathered from that, I'm assuming that the wrong information by the previous owner was: turn all lights off at night(no wonder I have been observing him awake at night), get a bigger cage, don't rely on solely on the dripper and live plant for humidity, and more accurate supplemental regiments (I need to get calcium without d3 for the bi-weekly one). When I go to the store today I'll also pick up another hydrometer and probe thermometer, and since I don't know how long the current UVB bulb has been in use, I'll get another one for safe measure. The amount to feed him was also helpful/ interesting. I am considering starting a Dubai colony, and our silkworm eggs are starting to hatch so he will have some yummy treats! Is there a down side to feeding him on mostly silkworms during the season (my mom has them for her elementary classroom, and she's been using my reptiles to cull their numbers for years)?

Also what is your opinion on taking him outside and letting him climb/bask on our lime tree (and possibly soon, a ficus)? He was out for about a hour today. And can some be comfortable with being handled? How old does he look? Below is a picture of him on my hand for comparison. I'll try to get a better one. Does he appear healthy/happy?

 

[Carlton]

Thanks!! So from what I gathered from that, I'm assuming that the wrong information by the previous owner was: turn all lights off at night(no wonder I have been observing him awake at night), get a bigger cage, don't rely on solely on the dripper and live plant for humidity, and more accurate supplemental regiments (I need to get calcium without d3 for the bi-weekly one). When I go to the store today I'll also pick up another hydrometer and probe thermometer, and since I don't know how long the current UVB bulb has been in use, I'll get another one for safe measure. The amount to feed him was also helpful/ interesting. I am considering starting a Dubai colony, and our silkworm eggs are starting to hatch so he will have some yummy treats! Is there a down side to feeding him on mostly silkworms during the season (my mom has them for her elementary classroom, and she's been using my reptiles to cull their numbers for years)?

Also what is your opinion on taking him outside and letting him climb/bask on our lime tree (and possibly soon, a ficus)? He was out for about a hour today. And can some be comfortable with being handled? How old does he look? Below is a picture of him on my hand for comparison. I'll try to get a better one. Does he appear healthy/healthy?

View attachment 96365

Jax are sensitive to dusting supplements. It is easier to overdose them, so use them sparingly...especially the multivitamins. Reduce the frequency.

Jax will need cooler temps overall compared to almost all terrestrial basking herps, especially at night. If you have to cool your house with AC in the summer be aware that will drop the room humidity level a lot. Keep close track of the cage humidity level as jax do need cooler more humid conditions.

Jax are not necessarily "friendlier" than other species, but they do react to handling stress differently than veileds or panthers sometimes do. They don't tend to react aggressively (puffing up, gaping or bluff biting), but prefer to run and hide instead. They are individuals as most keepers will tell you. Some are very mellow and others much shyer. Make sure he has places in his cage to watch the world while out of view. He'll feel more secure and less stressy.

BTW, it isn't normal for a cham to fall asleep in your hand or head. It could be that he's trying to shut out the stress of the moment by closing down. If he's sleeping during the day there is something wrong. He's full grown, so shouldn't be napping.

Don't ever leave a cham outdoors in a tree unattended. They can and do sneak off much faster than you might think and are pretty hard to find again. If you want to let him spend time outdoors, do it in a CAGE with foliage, not a tree. Don't learn this the hard way. We hear it all too often.

 

[SaintJimmy]

He looks good health wise by the way..

Good luck with your guy. Pictures of him make me miss my little jackson!

Best of luck to you

 

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Thank you so much, the previous owner told me to dust every other feeding, but my neighbor told me to lookout for over doing it, so I haven't dusted since I got him, but I will do the calcium-only today after I get it ( I have some for my Leo's but I'll see if they have a special one for chameleons). My house doesn't have AC , we live by the ocean so we get a nice cool breeze in the summer and just open the doors and windows lol. It also helps with humidity. Once I get him his own hydrometer and thermometers I'll post back with those results.

I notice how he's feeling mostly by his willingness to climb towards me and his colors. The only time I've ever seen him act aggressively is when my dog (pitbull) passed by him, so I keep her at bay when he's out of his enclosure. The dog loves reptiles and birds, but hates anything with fur. The other dog we have (lab mix) is not allowed around the reptiles (don't know how she would react to them). I will also get more things for him to climb on/hide in today as well.

When I do take him outside, I am literally one foot away either just watching him, doing homework, or reading a book, so he is closely watched. Don't want any birds to get him either. Would a large, fake ficus tree be suitable for indoor out-of-cage time? I'm also looking into getting one of those hanging cages with the plants inside for him. As for the sleeping on hands and things, that might be attributed to the previous owner never having his enclosure totally dark; the red light is very visible at night, and even bothers me when I'm trying to sleep T_T, so I'm glad I can turn that off now! I will keep a close eye on his sleeping patterns once he's got a nice sleeping environment.

Oh and his poops look good! Found a fresh one when I was taking the plant out to get rid of excess water from the container underneath and to wash the feces off of the plant. A nicely sized fecal portion and white portion (not sure what it's called); there was a little bit of clear liquid around the white part. Is that something to be concerned about? It could hand also just been water?

Thanks again for all the helpful information and patience. Normally I do all of this research before getting a new addition, but this one just fell into my lap.

 

[laurie]

welcome, for that guy just falling in your lap you seem to be learning, and getting up to speed. You already have the part a lot of people miss, the desire to meet his needs, the the brains to ask what you don't know. Hang with us, you and your jackson will do fine. Does he have a name yet? I love naming mine.

Oh, he is an adult, no idea how old, and looks to be in good shape - but maybe a tad overweight.

 

[Juliaf3]

What a handsome Jackson! He looks healthy From what all I have read in your thread, he is in very good hands! I do not have anything to add, everything has already been addressed! My Jackson absolutely loves outdoors. I would put him in that real sun as much as possible! This is so so beneficial to them. The more sun the less supplementation you need. Jackson are so so sensitive when it comes to supplementation. Easily over supplemented. Repashy makes a supplement for jacksons called Lo-D , you may look into that. Its what I used and its doing just fine. Anyway, just thought id pop in on this thread and tell you he is so handsome. I didn't catch a name for him....does he have one?

 

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Aww, thanks guys!! I feel really lucky that I happened to overhear the previous owner and my boss talking about him. When people get desperate enough to try and drop animals off at a pet store, I get worried about what kind of home they'll end up in if we don't take them (and even if we do, for something with advanced care requirements like a chameleon). I've worked with dog rescue for about a decade, so I'm really set on the commitment you make to your animals; all the critters I have (aside from the fish) are ones that people wanted to "get rid of". And it saddens me that it's not common sense for people to realize that they rely on the owners for proper care and it's their duty to make sure they're doing it right. I always turn to forums for animal information; the people who respond to them and frequent them are usually enthusiasts with a strong love for their companions, and give out concise, helpful solutions.

Mike (my neighbor) always had his Jackson's in the backyard on foliage, I used to go visit them when I was a kid. So it's nice knowing that someone is close, should I run into an emergency occur. I'm not sure how savvy this guy is to being outdoors, so I'm exposing him to it in small doses. Right now he's hanging out under his heat lamp staring at me haha.

He doesn't have a new name, yet. He is currently still 'Rocco' from his previous home. I'm struggling because I've never named a chameleon before. I usually come up with silly names. Leopard geckos, current and past, have been named Donatello, Kira, Kiwi (current 3), and the ball pythons are named Raquel, Alucard, Trooper, and Mamas. The bearded dragon is named Rebel.

 

[chameeeleon]

He's a stud! Hahaha I love Jackson's they are like mini dinosaurs The only things I'd fix that no one else has suggested yet, is maybe get a mini deep dome basking fixture to focus the heat better, and give him some horizontal branches to rest on. (I recommend cutting branches to fit wall to wall in the cage, then thread a screw through the screen and into the branch, or use some heavy duty thumbtacks)

 

[Lathis]

Everybody beat me to it! You have some really great advice here.



He is very handsome! Look at those horns! He needs a name asap!

 

[Smiley]

He's a stud! Hahaha I love Jackson's they are like mini dinosaurs The only things I'd fix that no one else has suggested yet, is maybe get a mini deep dome basking fixture to focus the heat better, and give him some horizontal branches to rest on. (I recommend cutting branches to fit wall to wall in the cage, then thread a screw through the screen and into the branch, or use some heavy duty thumbtacks)

Yes!! That's what I was looking for! On the first post, I mentioned some apprehension towards the one he came with not concentrating the heat enough and making the ambient temperature too high. I have one in the garage I can dig out. Do they enjoy things like corkwood? I have 2 big hallow ones that I was going to use for the Leo's, but perhaps I could cut one down and fashion it to the side of the cage as a little platform.

Been thinking about calling him Busuzima, it's a character from a playstation fighting game called Bloody Roar, where the fighters have an animal form– Busuzima's animal form was the chameleon lol.

 

[spottea]

Or Bruce, which could be short for Busuzima, and a lot easier to say! He's a very handsome chap anyway. Congratulations!

 

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I posted a picture of the additions I put into his enclosure labeled "work in progress". It's a little haphazard right now, but I plan on putting more together very soon!!