Newborn Death
- Thread starter TheFlash
- Start date
RobTheChameleonLover
Member
Chameleon care regular reptile care is very different. And did they have habit setup right. Feeding them right. Giving calcium and vit. Much can play a factor in what happened.
TheFlash
Member
I oversaw the care and enclosure; everything was going to plan.
Chameleophlaged
Avid Member
What do you mean by "malnourished"? Was it eating and pooping properly? What was its normal coloration while you had it?
I have a lot of Jacksons, and I believe that I once read that it is best to house them communally for a couple of months. I keep mine in communal cages until about 3 months old and I have pretty good luck with them, but sometimes one that seems healthy, just dies, nothing apparent, it's heartbreaking and I always blame myself, but it could be just something in the genetics of that particular animal.
I have a lot of Jacksons, and I believe that I once read that it is best to house them communally for a couple of months. I keep mine in communal cages until about 3 months old and I have pretty good luck with them, but sometimes one that seems healthy, just dies, nothing apparent, it's heartbreaking and I always blame myself, but it could be just something in the genetics of that particular animal.
Jackson's babies tend to be more delicate than other commonly kept species. I've heard of them dying of exhaustion being unable to get out of a feeding cup. The rule of thumb for rehoming is at least 4 mos. with over 6 mos. being best.
People that keep them outside seem to be able to raise them together better I suspect because there isn't just one basking/UVB area and they don't have to compete and get stressed. Indoors they do better in smaller groups or best in singles or pairs.
Another possibility as mentioned above is that they are low on the food chain and are very good at hiding any underlying illness. It's possible the little guy wasn't that strong to begin with.
People that keep them outside seem to be able to raise them together better I suspect because there isn't just one basking/UVB area and they don't have to compete and get stressed. Indoors they do better in smaller groups or best in singles or pairs.
Another possibility as mentioned above is that they are low on the food chain and are very good at hiding any underlying illness. It's possible the little guy wasn't that strong to begin with.
Miss Lily
Chameleon Enthusiast
When I got my first Jackson baby, I read that they can suddenly just drop dead seemingly for no reason. Once they get to about four months (the usual age to sell them on) they tend to be more robust. I had my little man from 7 weeks old and he was so tiny! I worried constantly about him until he was four months old. Mine was a gift from a friend.
Char333p
Avid Member
Its sad, but things happen. Just like in other animals. Theres always a runt of the litter. It either pulls through or passes. But with chameleons obviously they need nearly 24/7 care, specially babies which makes it harder to determine what went wrong, if it otherwise looked good.
jajeanpierre
Chameleon Enthusiast
I would say predation and starvation/lack of water. I can't remember the statistics for juvenile birds of prey but it is something like 80% by the fall or winter of their first year. They die of starvation soon after they leave their parents.
Few babies in the wild would could ever develop a heavy parasite load that would be a health issue. Parasites are a captivity/stress problem. In the wild they usually deal very well with a parasite load. Some new thinking suggests a small number of parasites are beneficial. Infection is another issue I would not expect in the wild.
I agree this is not a common occurrence but if an animal is suffering an infection or heavy parasite load they will likely be the first to fall to predation or starvation. Then that technically isn't what killed them but was a contributing factor. I also agree that some things we think of as parasites may be normal flora. I know this is the case in a few vegetarian reptiles.
