jackschamnewbie
New Member
The misters that were available at the hardware are pumping roughly 5 gallons in a 72 hour period @ 4x 15min cycles throughout the day. A cool mist humidifier is converting roughly 1 gallon of water into mist every 24hours which most of which condensates onto the screen top. Then drips onto the leaves maintaining a humidity gradient within the enclosure between 30% to 80%+
These amounts are estimated by the time between refilling the relative reservoir.
Two baby T. j. Xantholophus were being housed in a single 16x16x30 all of which is entirely made of aluminum brackets and aluminum screen. The bottom is also screen)
There are currently two Schefflera Arboricola one of which is aggregated and previously, two braided hibiscus Rosa S. were cycled every other week.
There are washed and heat treated grape wood vines for perching and basking. A cool mist humidifier running for 12 hours/day which is keeping a small portion of the enclosure dripping wet at all times.
I have observed problems with the plants such as fungal infections, iron deficiency, nitrogen deficiency, and a loss of leaves/wilt disease in the rosa and a loss of leaves from the scheffleras possibly caused by lighting changes and over watering.
My educated guess is that the water condensing on top of the enclosure from the humidifier is dripping down over the plants and soaking the stems all the way to the root ball on one half of the pot. A quarter if not half of the root ball is dry when inspected.
With the amount of water that has been moving I have not noticed any signs of a mold or bacteria on the pots, leaves, stems, rocks or pots of the plants nor the screen of the enclosure. However the two braided hibiscus were removed after discovering black spots in the leaves that were visually identified as a fungal infection after researching common problems of the species.
I have maintained one side of the cage dry and warm at all times with plenty of branches and grapewood vines to move between the two sides and various levles to bask near the lamp.
The max Temperature the basking spot reaches temperatures of 70-90ºF and the cool wet zone is typically between 58-72ºF dending on the time of night or day.
The cool bottom of the dry side has an abundance of fruit flys loitering on the screen and small crickets are often found at the dark area above the basking lamp on the top of the warmer dry side.
My concern is that when the crickets and flies explore the cage, they get caught in either the drops from the humidifier or the rain from the misters and drown.
Summary of Problem
*******************
The zone I described as being constantly wet and drowning the feeders is concerning me. I am afraid that I may be creating a cesspool of bacteria and infection at the bottom that all the insects may be able to feed on. I feel as though I may have been responsible for the parasites that killed the male jackson previously sharing the enclosure.
The two are both from the same clutch of T. j. xantholophus and roughly 5 months of age. The male passed away yesterday which ignited this burst of inspection and modifications.
In order to correct the noticeable issues I have reduced the size of the ducting the humidifier was pumped in to from 4.5" to 1.5", and have observed a decrease in the surface the water drops spread. The plants have been removed and cleaned and rinsed extremely well. and the timer on the mister has been set for only 2x 15m cycles/day. I have picked up a tub of mini superworms for added supplementation in the event that this is all a problem with their diet and ensured that the enclosure is undisturbed for a majority of the day. I lured the female out with food and placed her onto a small ficus tree near the cage to prevent major stressing.
I have been checking the bottom of the enclosure, the pots, the ducting, and all reservoirs and disinfect them all weekly. The water in 5 gallon bucket that the mister draws its water is being filtered by an aquarium organic/carbon filter rated for a 10gallon tank. It is also aerated with an air stone. All of the water is pumped into the enclosure and drained into a separate bucket every 4 days.
I do not understand what I have done wrong that has caused the death of another jackson...
When I lost my first chameleon I threw away every plant and piece of the existing enclosure and rebuilt an entirely new one based off the lay outs I observed in the picture thread of enclosures.
Everything I have done this time correlated to the care sheet and recommendations I have found for Jacksons. Everything except the amount of water moving through the cage.
I am hoping that this is the only problem but an even bigger problem is that in order to fix this issue and still adequately mist 1/2 of the set up a few times each day. I would have to buy a new pump strong enough to make the misters mist instead of rain. I currently do not have the money for a more powerful fountain pump or a timer capable of doing less than 15 min.
What exactly is enough and too much water?
There should be a few pictures attached to this post for a visual description of what is going on. If anything I am doing stands out as a major problem please let me know. I am tired of losing my babies...
The male showed visible behavioral signs of a parasitic infection before his death. The female appears to be in good health, staying active for a majority of the 12 hours that her light is on Appetite is normal and consistent and shows visible enthusiasm when insects are dropped onto the canopy. Her skin tone is in the appropriate color range and texture for her age. Her movement between the zones is frequent enough to suggest that she has good bone health and the ability to thermoregulate efficiently. There are no apparent signs of malnutrition or dehydration. Her fecal material is normal in visual consistency showing signs of proper digestion.
I am just worried that she may too have parasites. The kind that will not cause her any problems that I can see until it is too late to help.
I am working on buying a microscope to do monthly fecal exams on my own. I cannot afford to take her to the vet. However I have found a microscope on Craigslist capable of 600x magnification and google has plenty of information about identifying parasitic infections and other health problems that can be seen only under a microscope. I realize that this is not an alternative to veterinary care but it is the best I can do until professional help is even feasible.
These amounts are estimated by the time between refilling the relative reservoir.
Two baby T. j. Xantholophus were being housed in a single 16x16x30 all of which is entirely made of aluminum brackets and aluminum screen. The bottom is also screen)
There are currently two Schefflera Arboricola one of which is aggregated and previously, two braided hibiscus Rosa S. were cycled every other week.
There are washed and heat treated grape wood vines for perching and basking. A cool mist humidifier running for 12 hours/day which is keeping a small portion of the enclosure dripping wet at all times.
I have observed problems with the plants such as fungal infections, iron deficiency, nitrogen deficiency, and a loss of leaves/wilt disease in the rosa and a loss of leaves from the scheffleras possibly caused by lighting changes and over watering.
My educated guess is that the water condensing on top of the enclosure from the humidifier is dripping down over the plants and soaking the stems all the way to the root ball on one half of the pot. A quarter if not half of the root ball is dry when inspected.
With the amount of water that has been moving I have not noticed any signs of a mold or bacteria on the pots, leaves, stems, rocks or pots of the plants nor the screen of the enclosure. However the two braided hibiscus were removed after discovering black spots in the leaves that were visually identified as a fungal infection after researching common problems of the species.
I have maintained one side of the cage dry and warm at all times with plenty of branches and grapewood vines to move between the two sides and various levles to bask near the lamp.
The max Temperature the basking spot reaches temperatures of 70-90ºF and the cool wet zone is typically between 58-72ºF dending on the time of night or day.
The cool bottom of the dry side has an abundance of fruit flys loitering on the screen and small crickets are often found at the dark area above the basking lamp on the top of the warmer dry side.
My concern is that when the crickets and flies explore the cage, they get caught in either the drops from the humidifier or the rain from the misters and drown.
Summary of Problem
*******************
The zone I described as being constantly wet and drowning the feeders is concerning me. I am afraid that I may be creating a cesspool of bacteria and infection at the bottom that all the insects may be able to feed on. I feel as though I may have been responsible for the parasites that killed the male jackson previously sharing the enclosure.
The two are both from the same clutch of T. j. xantholophus and roughly 5 months of age. The male passed away yesterday which ignited this burst of inspection and modifications.
In order to correct the noticeable issues I have reduced the size of the ducting the humidifier was pumped in to from 4.5" to 1.5", and have observed a decrease in the surface the water drops spread. The plants have been removed and cleaned and rinsed extremely well. and the timer on the mister has been set for only 2x 15m cycles/day. I have picked up a tub of mini superworms for added supplementation in the event that this is all a problem with their diet and ensured that the enclosure is undisturbed for a majority of the day. I lured the female out with food and placed her onto a small ficus tree near the cage to prevent major stressing.
I have been checking the bottom of the enclosure, the pots, the ducting, and all reservoirs and disinfect them all weekly. The water in 5 gallon bucket that the mister draws its water is being filtered by an aquarium organic/carbon filter rated for a 10gallon tank. It is also aerated with an air stone. All of the water is pumped into the enclosure and drained into a separate bucket every 4 days.
I do not understand what I have done wrong that has caused the death of another jackson...
When I lost my first chameleon I threw away every plant and piece of the existing enclosure and rebuilt an entirely new one based off the lay outs I observed in the picture thread of enclosures.
Everything I have done this time correlated to the care sheet and recommendations I have found for Jacksons. Everything except the amount of water moving through the cage.
I am hoping that this is the only problem but an even bigger problem is that in order to fix this issue and still adequately mist 1/2 of the set up a few times each day. I would have to buy a new pump strong enough to make the misters mist instead of rain. I currently do not have the money for a more powerful fountain pump or a timer capable of doing less than 15 min.
What exactly is enough and too much water?
There should be a few pictures attached to this post for a visual description of what is going on. If anything I am doing stands out as a major problem please let me know. I am tired of losing my babies...
The male showed visible behavioral signs of a parasitic infection before his death. The female appears to be in good health, staying active for a majority of the 12 hours that her light is on Appetite is normal and consistent and shows visible enthusiasm when insects are dropped onto the canopy. Her skin tone is in the appropriate color range and texture for her age. Her movement between the zones is frequent enough to suggest that she has good bone health and the ability to thermoregulate efficiently. There are no apparent signs of malnutrition or dehydration. Her fecal material is normal in visual consistency showing signs of proper digestion.
I am just worried that she may too have parasites. The kind that will not cause her any problems that I can see until it is too late to help.
I am working on buying a microscope to do monthly fecal exams on my own. I cannot afford to take her to the vet. However I have found a microscope on Craigslist capable of 600x magnification and google has plenty of information about identifying parasitic infections and other health problems that can be seen only under a microscope. I realize that this is not an alternative to veterinary care but it is the best I can do until professional help is even feasible.
