Questions From a Beginner

[BobaOat]

Aloha,

I have a lot of questions, so bear with me:

I'm a new Jackson Chameleon keeper and have been doing my best to provide a happy and healthy environment for my baby chameleon. I adopted him/her when it was only one week old about a month ago. I have a few questions regarding the enclosure, and health.

I recently purchased a Zoo Med Daylight Blue 40W reptile bulb for the enclosure. It's the type that can screw in to any standard lamp. I was wondering what sort of health benefits come from a bulb like this? Will it provide UVA and UVB light for the chameleon? What is the difference between using this bulb versus natural sunlight? Which is the better option? Would you recommend this type of bulb?

Also, at one month old, I haven't seen too much growth in my chameleon. He/She's filled out a bit, and the ridges on it's back are starting to protrude and darken. I've also noticed three stubs coming in where normal horns would be. Other than that, it hasn't grown much. It's only slightly bigger than when I first adopted it. Is this normal?

Also, what is the recommended amount of crickets to feed it per day? Some days it likes to eat up to 7 crickets while others it will only eat one or two. I also purchased ReptoLife Plus, a powdered supplement that I sprinkle over the fruit that I feed the crickets. Is this an adequate supplement?

And finally, when will I be able to tell if it's a boy or a girl? I haven't named it yet because I don't know, lol.

Here's are some pictures of him/her:

At one week and one day old:
http://i945.photobucket.com/albums/ad300/nfrazier87/IMG_1222.jpg

At about 2.5 weeks old:
http://i945.photobucket.com/albums/ad300/nfrazier87/IMG_1256.jpg

At about 4 weeks old:
http://i945.photobucket.com/albums/ad300/nfrazier87/IMG_1696.jpg

Thanks for all your help!
Mahalo!

 

[OOOst16]

Ok basking temps for a baby Jackson chameleon should be no more then 80degrees. You need a heat bulb....which a 40 watt house bubl would be fine. You also need a linear tube UVB bulb at 5.0. Babies need the UVB for bown growth. Your chameleon is male. Males have horns. You need to remove any substrate from your enclosure. Look at the safe plant list for resources for safe plants to use....which increases humidity. Humidity for Jacksons should be no less then 70% . Basking temps at no more then 80 ambient teems at 75. In regards to daylight bulbs....there pointless and provide no UVB. Just use a regular house incandescent bulb. The higher the wattage the higher the heat. Remember never use a coiled UVB light. For they cause eye issues in chameleons. Your going to need to go shopping. You'll also need a dripper and of course a mister. I'm assuming since you saif aloha...your from Hawaii...your chameleon is wild-caught from the islands. Therefore it will need a parasite check. Parasites may be the cause of your chameleons slow growth. What does his poop look like? Does it smell really really bad? Is it watery? If your chamois urate is orange ....that means it's dehydrated.

 

[OOOst16]

You will also need to gut load the crickets / feeders. Don't feed anything bigger then the width of your chameleons eye. Now you wil need a calcium powder with d3. A calcium powder without d3 and a multivitamin. D3-every 2weeks. Without d3- 5 days a week. And multivitamin, once a month. Since you say nothing about having a UVB light.....I hope your keeping the little animal outside.....for UVB is needed for growth of bones.....and without it they will die. UVB is from the sun....so if it has been kept outside it will be fine.....but if it's been inside I'm sure the lack of UVB + parasites since it's probably wild caught. Or born from wild caught parents....since jack sons chameleons are all over hawaii.....are causing the slow growth. You need to do your research. Chameleons are the hardest reptile to keep in captivity. Now jack sons are the easier of the different species available for captivity. But you need to research and research to provide it with adequate care.

 

[jamncristian]

you should read this article
http://chameleonnews.com/10JulManchen.html

 

[OOOst16]

Thank you for e link jamn. That will help the poster a lot.

 

[BobaOat]

He was bred in captivity and his mother and father were domesticated animals that were also bred in captivity. I know there is a wild population here, but he was not originally "wild caught." Does this make a difference, or should I still have a parasite check?
He poop is dark brownish black, not super solid, but not super runny either. Looks a bit like bird poop I guess. Doesn't smell at all, and his urate is mostly clear.

I gut load the crickets (which are pinheads) with different fruits (strawberries, bananas, avocado, etc) and then sprikle the ReptoLife miltivitamin over their food. Is that good enough or should I be doing something else?

I've definitely been doing a lot of research, but I'm finding mixed answers for a lot of questions I have, so I figured it be best to ask this forum Thanks for your help!

 

[jamncristian]

urates should be white, orange, or in between

white means your cham is well hydrated
and is your goal as long as he lives

orange means your cham is dehydrated and you need
to be giving more drinking opportunities to drink immediately

do not gutload with avocado, it is really high in fat and poisonous to most animals

please read my blog it will help answer alot of questions
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jamncristian/256-chameleon-care.html

 

[OOOst16]

I'd suggest reading the link above. You need all 3 dusts listed. They are a must. Even though he was captive bread, I'd suggest a parasite check. You do have a UVB light right? Or is he raised outside? Many people do raise them outside there....I mean why not? It's a perfect climate. If u don't have a UVB. I suggest raising it outside until you do have one. But if placed outside....make sure you provide it with a lot of plants, so if it wants to get away from the heat he can.....babies are most susceptible to metabolic bone disease caused by unadaquate UVB amounts. So it's very important this baby is getting UVB lighting spectrum. This will increase diet and overall health.

 

[BobaOat]

Thank you for both of those links, I read them both thoroughly and took notes

I guess his urate is closer to white then if those are my options...

I have a Zoo Med Daylight Blue bulb. I asked the pet store employees if it was both UVA and UVB but they weren't really able to help me. They said the bulb would replace natural light, but I don't know if that's correct because the box says UVA, but I couldn't find anything about UVB. I'm assuming that it doesn't provide UVB, so until I'm able to get one I'll be sure to take my chameleon outside more often.

Which brings up another question I have. How many hours of sunlight should I give to my chameleon? I've been taking him outside about twice a week for a couple hours at a time. I have a smaller Ficus tree and cage out there, so he has plenty of shade. Should he be getting more sunlight? I would like to keep him out there longer, but I'm just not sure of how much sun he needs, and I don't want him to overheat.

I think he is well hydrated. I mist his substrate 5 times a day and he drinks regularly. He lives on a Ficus Benjaminus tree indoors, which is about 3 feet tall right now, and he seems to really like it.

Also, what is the recommended amount of crickets he should eat in a day?

Thank you for all your help! Hopefully with all this information I'll be able to become a better keeper for my baby chameleon

 

[carol5208]

you should be dusting the crickets, NOT their food with the powder!

 

[JaxyGirl]

Also, at his age being a baby...feed him as many crickets as he will eat everyday...

I know you said he drinks but make sure that he drinks a lot...Jackson's can dehydrate very easily. I have a male Jackson's and he loves water...I spray him and the plants around him for at least 5min a day during one spraying and then I spray him with several smaller increments during the day...I've had him on this routine since he was a baby and he's now 1 1/2 years old.

 

[BobaOat]

Wow, I guess I should stop getting my information from the pet store. They said to feed the multivitamin to the crickets.

Thank you all very much for your help and advice.

 

[Champeleons]

It is for reasons like this that i am glad i found this forum! I'll be getting my 1st Chams in 3-4 weeks when they are old enough, & these cham lovers are gonna make sure they live a long hppy life! I just wish i had found them b4 i ordered the Cham books online & save some $, the 1st of which arrived in the mail today!

 

[carol5208]

don't ever listen to the pet shops! Most of them do not know when they are talking about when it comes to chameleons.

 

[OOOst16]

His enclosure should substrate free. Because if eaten acidently it can cause intestinal impaction which will kill the chameleon. Lhonestly since you don't have a UVB light right now I can garentee that your chameleon has iriversable beginning stages of metabolic bone disease. Therefore. Until you get a tube UVB light.....you must! let your Cham live outdoors. Look pet store people know nothing about chameleons....seriosly nothing.....ther idiots. This site and the Internet will provide all your information. The fact he's goon this long without a solid UVB source is astonishing. Thank goodness you took him outside for that has probably saved his life. As a baby you should feed aS much as it can eat. As he gets older the appetite will diminish. You need to dust othe crickets themselves. With the dusts I said. A chameleon is not a cheep animal and you should've researched it before purchase to be able to get everything needed . No substrate.( if you have a potted plant in the enclosure....cover the soil with large rocks) Spray the leaves. Gut load the feeders. Dust the crikets with the dusts listed. And most importantly....get a linear tube UVB. 5.0. Basking temps at no more then 80 for a baby. Folow is and you will have a healthy chameleon. If not. It dies. Simple as that.

 

[BobaOat]

Thank you OOOst16, and everyone else for all your help!

I had been planning to adopt a chameleon for a while, but before I had the chance to get everything set up, an old boss's chameleon had her babies. She had to find a new home for them ASAP because the mother started to eat them all (is that normal?), so we took him in unexpectedly. I've just been trying to research and do as much as I can for him since, and unfortunatley all this time I've been getting most of my information from the pet store, who I now realize are completely ignorant to chameleon care.