new to jacksons and new to da forums

[im faster]

howzit... so i have my first today.. new jackson male dunno how old.. but younger. i have owned a few lizards i have done some resarch but i still have a few questions...

ok,,,
my room gets cold at night should i but a redlight??
2. i hear you shouldnt handle but i have seen a few pepople that do... whats the scoop.. mine seems like it doesnt care.. gets a little dark not real bad though...

other than that i have in the cage a ficus ad some other ivy type plant...plant lady said both are harmless to a chameleon..

 

[scooter4n]

Plants are good.
Handle as less as you can, and enjoy when you do.
Temps at night can go as low as mid 60's with no prob's

 

[im faster]

ok.. illcheck to night to see how cold it gets.. i hate it i have my ac off and windows open and it still seems to get cold.. also how can you keep humidity up?

 

[scooter4n]

in room humidifier, or ultrasonic one for the cage. There is a good post going on right now "humidifiers"

 

[im faster]

ok so after the first few days... relized not enough stuff in the cage so add some bamboo polls and some more fake plants to go with the 2 real ones..

my cham really hates water.

the first day it was really active and ate crickts like mad.. dunno if he is really eating anymore i havent seen him at least.. and i have bark on the bottom so its hard to see if there gone...

i was told to getrid of the bark.. is moss ok or what should i use for the bottom.. i just got the bark because it looked good.

he is still dark not very colorfll maybe cause he has only been in the cage a few days and he is almost done with sheadding.. anyway thats about all if you have advise i would love to hear it..

what else do you feed you jacksons im going to get some silk worms in a a few days.

 

[kinyonga]

You said..."i have bark on the bottom so its hard to see if there gone..."...I don't recommend using substrate for chameleons. Some contain toxic oils...some can cause impaction...and to me it just isn't worth the risk.

As for handling, chameleons tend to tolerate handling rather than not mind it. Sometimes they don't show whether its stressing them out or not.

Make sure he is well-hydrated.

Do you gutload your insects? Supplement/dust them with phosphorous-free calcium at most feedings? Insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous so this helps to balance it out. Do you dust with vitamins (with a beta carotene, not preformed, source of vitamin A) a couple of times a month? Preformed vitamin A can build up in the system...beta carotene won't. Does he have a UVB bulb or get direct sunlight (neither of which pass through glass or plastic)? UVB from artificial lights or from the sunlight is needed to allow the chameleon to produce vitamin D3 so that it can use the calcium in its diet. If it doesn't get sunlight, then it may be necessary to dust with a calcium /D3 powder a couple of times a month too. D3 from supplements can build up in the system, so don't overdo it.

Appropriate temperatures are important for the proper digestion of food, thus in the absorption of nutrients too.

Good luck with it!

 

[im faster]

okso i have the temps right. i bought a better basking bulb.. decorated the cage more and he seems to be more active.. i have only had him for a couple days butyes i try to gutload the crickets with carrots for now..

what should i put on the bottom of the cage??

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Nothing. Or paper towels (Easy clean-up)

-Brad

 

[im faster]

hmmm but i wanted somethin that looks nice...

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Well...
You also don't want your chameleon to accidentally, or for that matter on purpose, ingest material that could cause a blockage.
Try putting some lower level potted plants in to disguise the floor of the enclosure.

-Brad

 

[im faster]

good thinking..

 

[kinyonga]

You said..."okso i have the temps right"...you didn't say what temperature the cage is at during the day or what the basking temperature is so I assume that you mean the nighttime temp? Appropriate daytime temperatures are important for the proper digestion of food, thus in the absorption of nutrients.

You said..." i try to gutload the crickets with carrots for now"..although carrots will be fine for a couple of days you really need to gutload with a wider variety of things than just that. I gutload mine with greens (dandelion greens, collards, kale, endive, etc.) and veggies (carrots, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, etc.).

You asked..."what should i put on the bottom of the cage??"...I already answered this question..."I don't recommend using substrate for chameleons. Some contain toxic oils...some can cause impaction...and to me it just isn't worth the risk."