over-sized jacksonii xantholophus (sp?) (long)

MdngtRain

MdngtRain

New Member
I aquired 2 adult female jackson's I believe to be xantholophus (sp?) at a show 2 weeks ago. Both are HUGE compared to the recorded average weights (the smaller one is 117g & the larger one is 225g). They are both about 12-14" (about right for the length stated on the adcham page)... I have them on a "diet & exercize" program, consisting of well gut-loaded crix, and more space to move around in. I am also free-ranging the crix in the enclosure. They both look to have mild MBD, for which they are receiving liquid calcium daily. They also have a URI, which they are on antibiotics for... all in all, they are in pretty poor shape. I am keeping them away from my other herps, to avoid passing on the URI. Oh, I am also showering them daily for 1/2 to 1 hour as they are pretty badly dehydrated (when my regular vet gets back, I will take them to him, and have some bloodwork done to check kidney function, b/c their urates are neon orange?!).
Do any of you have tips for getting them "up to par" in terms of health?
They are pretty mellow in terms of chams (may be due to their poor health), and enjoy being out of their cage & sitting on my shoulder (they lighten up considerably), so I am considering free-ranging them when I am home, but I will have to set something up for them to walk around on...
I don't know... At this point I hope they survive on me... Any suggestions/comments/advice are greatly appreciated.
Oh, Their set-up is a medium "fresh air habitat" that came with them. I will be upgrading their digs as soon as possible (seperate 2x2x4 screen cages). They have a basking temp of about 85, and ambient of about 70. They have a UVB that is new (they didn't come with one). The guy that gave them to me said he had bred them, but it was over a year ago, so I don't have to worry about babies any time soon. The humidity in my palce averages about 59% during the day, and drops at night.
I will get pics up as soon as I have access to the internet on my own computer, and hopefully I can get a positive ID on them.
Thanks in advance!
~C
 
If they are 12-14 inch females, they are definitely the xantholophus subspecies. I would guess they don't have horns at all? Also a xanth characteristic.

Also, Jackson's have been known to give birth after 2+ years of abstinence so I wouldn't be so sure about them not being gravid. Sounds like you're off on the right foot with the food and plenty of water. While they are montane chams, my Jackson's have always loved basking so you 85F basking spot sounds good. They are probably WC from Hawai'i so fecal exams would be a smart thing too.
 
Kent,

I was thinking possibly gravid as well, but don't know enough about the species.
Very interesting information.

-Brad
 
I have found that the montanes I work with prefer humidity levels of at least 70% during the day. Do you have a cool mist humidifier running? If not, upping the humidity will greatly improve their overall health and hydration.

I have not worked with the xanths in a loooooooooooooong time, but they don't need to eat every day! Particularly the girls. This will help with their weight, but it does sound like they are gravid to me as well.

Cheers,
t
 
Brad,

May I just say your custom title is not funny at all. :p What happened to using your other ideas??

As for the Jackson's, I believe it was Dr. Ed Pollak of Adcham fame who posted about a female having a baby or two after 2+ years of not being around any males. For quite some time I have suspected the females storing sperm thing to be a myth. Sperm dies and gets replaced frequently, that's why we have testes :) How viable sperm could be held inside a female's body, seemingly in defiance of what I've always known about gametes....I'm pretty sure this is an old wive's tale. I've seen recently that a few keepers on the European forums have started saying the same thing. At any rate, if they were both bred a year ago, it is quite likely they are both gravid now.

Oh, I'd like to see the pics about the MBD too. Jackson's are usually wildcaught which generally don't suffer from that disorder.
 
Veiled and Panther Fight!!!! Yay. Finally, probably the two most popular chameleons, and high experiance owners!! I like your title its refreshing to see something different.
 
I'll put up that wild fl. veiled on the first kingsnake ad against both your chams at the same time. Won't nothin be left but shards of pretty skin!
 
Trace said:
Parang is a lover, not a fighter...
Click to expand...

....who will take it if he has to.

To quote the genius Eric Cartman, "Heh, he's doing something to his #*%. He's not kicking his #*%, but he's definitely doing something to his #*%. "
 
Kent67 said:
If they are 12-14 inch females, they are definitely the xantholophus subspecies. I would guess they don't have horns at all? Also a xanth characteristic.

Also, Jackson's have been known to give birth after 2+ years of abstinence so I wouldn't be so sure about them not being gravid. Sounds like you're off on the right foot with the food and plenty of water. While they are montane chams, my Jackson's have always loved basking so you 85F basking spot sounds good. They are probably WC from Hawai'i so fecal exams would be a smart thing too.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice! They do not have horns, but they do have tiny little bumps where the horns would be. The person that I got them from said that thye were CB, and he has had them since they were young. I doubt they are gravid, they simply look over-weight, and kinda melt into little "jackson's puddles" when they bask. It's sad but cute. The bigger one's back legs are thicker than my thumb!! I will try to get pics up as soon as I can... I have to try to get pics of Bertha's mouth, it slacks on one side & her jaw is really flexable.
Again, thanks for the advice!
~C
 
I guess I mis-spoke, her jaw isn't so much flexible as it is really easy to open & it slacks more on one side, but isn't rubbery or anything.
The vet said to give the liquid Calcium daily... is that OD'ing them on the calcium? Or is that a better choice at this point? Also, when should the showering kick in & I begin to see more white urates than orange ones? I'm suspecting kidney problems b/c it's been 2 weeks already of intense hydration, and I still see more orange than white...
Sorry, I feel like such a newbie. I've never really dealt with chams in such bad shape before. Thanks for putting up with my questions!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

StevensUneven
Meet Chemilio
Replies
6
Views
591
Sonny13
Sonny13
Peppered
Hatchling colors
Replies
2
Views
387
Peppered
Peppered
absolutbill
Hurricane Prep and Reptiles
2
Replies
22
Views
917
Tkrd69
Tkrd69
L
Female 4 month old panther health question
Replies
15
Views
488
Landgoat
L
TazersOnFullCharge!
New to the Chameleon community, First post!
Replies
9
Views
1K
MzLaurie
MzLaurie
Back
Top Bottom