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.
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.