New to website and Chameleon community and looking for opinions.

lydiadubb

lydiadubb

Member
I have just gotten a Jacksons chameleon (His name is Hendrixx :love:) just a day or so ago and have some questions and thought this was the right place.Im sure all chameleon parents are worried about their cham at first like this. Anyways, he has been more of a brownish to dark green color to him during the day (Heard that that is due to stress, is that normal since he is in a totally new habitat?) and when he is sleeping a bright green.
Ive been keeping his enclosure at around 75-81 degrees farenhight during the day and at night 65-75. he has a UV light and i am in the process of getting his heat fixture set up for basking. I usually have all lights off at night. I have (vita)crickets in the enclose for the time being but have not seen him eat anything. The humidity level has been around 50-85% and I have a fogger from the reptile store and have been misting the plants multiple times a day for humidity and hydration. He has a couple fake plants but I am getting reptile safe live ones asap.I have been giving him the vitcrickets from the pet store but in need of a list of vitamins to purchase. There is a dripper on its way in the mail along with vines and sticks. Any insight and/or ideas would be greatly appreciated. :)
 
Also please fill out the ask for help form so that the experts here can make sure that you are doing everything right, so that he can live a wonderful and long happy life!!! Happy Holidays!!! :):p:D:p:)
 
How are you getting your cage temps up without a basking light? Lower areas of the cage should be cooler so he can pick and self regulate his internal temperature.
He may not like it initially but do spray him as well as the plants to stimulate him to clean his eyes and get a good drink every other day or twice weekly minimum. He may try to get away at first but will settle down and clean his eyes etc.
 
Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - Jacksons, male, juvenile/couple of months . around three days
  • Handling - Not often but I do put my hands in his cage daily
  • Feeding - Only the crickets from the pet store that they call vitaCRICKETS. He hasnt been really eating because of the new location, so their is about three in there usually. Every other day. Leafy greens.
  • Supplements - The crickets I feed have the calcium on them and ?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
  • Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.
 
Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - Jacksons, male, juvenile/couple of months . around three days.
  • Handling - Not often but I do put my hands in his cage sometimes.
  • Feeding - Only the crickets from the pet store that they call vitaCRICKETS. He hasnt been really eating because of the new location, so their is about three in there usually. Every other day. feeding crickets carrots and leafy greens.
  • Supplements - The crickets I feed have the calcium on them and I will be giving the zoomed "reptivite" twice a month.
  • Watering - Misting and making a drip so he can get a drink (a dripper is on the way). Multiple times a day. Until everything is all wet and dripping (he doesnt really like it). Absolutely, most times and I keep going until he turns away and is done drinking.
  • Fecal Description - Havent really seen much but solid and dark. Has not been tested for parasites in my keeping?
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. No, not yet

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - My cage is a combo of glass and screen, the top has a large screen opening and the side has a large screen opening.
  • Lighting - Zoomed UVB bulb and Zoomed "nocturnal infared heat lamp 100w" for basking and warmth. Lights ON at around 7-8am ish and lighs off at 7pm
  • Temperature - warm/basking sopt at top corner high 80s and the rest 70-80 at night is it is mid 60s low 70s.
  • Humidity - 65-90% sice jacksons need more humidity. Misting and fogger, I also keep a reptirock of water at the bottom of cage. I have a digital temp and humidify scale at bottom.
  • Plants - Temorary plastic plants, live ones should be here in 5 buisiness days.
  • Placement - The cage is located on a dresser in my bedroom ive since kept it a low traffic area nd there is no fans airvents etc. in my room.
  • Location - Northern Arizona

Current Problem - Not really a huge problem just want to make sure im doing the right things. :)
 
What are the dimensions of the enclosure? Your basking temps are too high, by like 10 degrees, so get it down to the upper 70s and low 80s. Take the reptirock out. Pictures are helpful. What is the UVB? Take the nocturnal red light out, and put in a lower wattage white incandescent. I'm sure I missed something, but somebody will likely point it out. Happy Holidays!!!:):):D:p
 
Sounds like you are on the right track.
The reason you don't want the reptirock is because chameleons don't generally drink standing water but it can become a source of bacteria that would be bad for them to drink or walk thru.
You can adjust your basking temperatures by raising your basking light a bit or using lower watt bulbs. It takes a bit to fine tune it and it will need to be readjusted as the seasons change. As mentioned you won't need a heat source at night unless your temps fall below 50-55˚F for this species. They are used to tropical mountain nights and can take a slight chill. Light at night will throw of their sleep patterns, stresses them and causes them to sleep during the day when they should be hunting or basking. If you have harsh winters and don't heat your house a ceramic heat emitter that gives off no light can be used for the coldest hours of the night if necessary.
You are getting good amounts of humidity just try to let your cage dry a bit between mistings and overnight.
Crickets are a good part of a balanced diet especially if gut loaded properly. This page has a list of ingredients in the gut load section and a list of other good feeders to add variety and nutrition to the diet. https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/food/ Many people feed the gut load fresh every day but I make large batches in a food processor and freeze it in logs that I cut off in ready to feed sections.
Looking forward to seeing pictures of your little guy and his setup in the near future.
 
( dont mean to keep this going for to long but I just want to get it right haha) Thank You I will definatelty take these suggestions to action soon. How do you keep your feeders and how many do you buy at a time, I have quite a bit of them around 60 in a little critter keeper, just wandering how others do it.
 
My supers I keep in one of those 3 drawer plastic chest things. I'm working on breeding my own and have my beetles in the top and worms in the bottom two.

My roaches are in one of the big sterlite tubs. I have a small screen area cut into the top.

My crickets I've been using a medium tub for lately. I bought a big tub with the intention of breeding them but my wife hates the smell they end up with. So I've been buying a few hundred at a time locally on them.

Bfsl I buy locally as needed and keep in the tub they came in.

Horns and silks stay in the tubs I get them in. Horns I've been getting locally and working on breeding them as well. Silks I've gotten from @Katacara.


The heater is a loaded question so to speak. Depending on what temp you keep your house at night will determine if you have it on at night really. If you keep your house in the high 50's/ 60's or so no real need for it to be on at night. I use a inkbird temp controller with day and night settings though tbh. Though I have my night setting set to my typical sleep temp of 68, I really only went this route for those occasional sub 50 degree times of the year I get as a just incase type thing. You do want a temp drop at night though.
 
dshuld said:
My supers I keep in one of those 3 drawer plastic chest things. I'm working on breeding my own and have my beetles in the top and worms in the bottom two.

My roaches are in one of the big sterlite tubs. I have a small screen area cut into the top.

My crickets I've been using a medium tub for lately. I bought a big tub with the intention of breeding them but my wife hates the smell they end up with. So I've been buying a few hundred at a time locally on them.

Bfsl I buy locally as needed and keep in the tub they came in.

Horns and silks stay in the tubs I get them in. Horns I've been getting locally and working on breeding them as well. Silks I've gotten from @Katacara.


The heater is a loaded question so to speak. Depending on what temp you keep your house at night will determine if you have it on at night really. If you keep your house in the high 50's/ 60's or so no real need for it to be on at night. I use a inkbird temp controller with day and night settings though tbh. Though I have my night setting set to my typical sleep temp of 68, I really only went this route for those occasional sub 50 degree times of the year I get as a just incase type thing. You do want a temp drop at night though.
Click to expand...

I hate to ask a question on another persons question convo but since you breed your own hornworms I figured I could trust to ask you. Where or what websites can you order hornworms from and if you do how much do they cost ( please forgive me for barging in on another persons questions SUPER SORRY!!)
 
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