Some Advice For a New Owner

[Yak]

He will need feeders dusted with a multivitamin and D3 once every other week. I do it on Sundays. Dust his feeders with plain

calcium 3 times a week. It's easy once you get into a routine.



The gutloaded cricket drink doesn't have a good reputation with people here. It has also been reported that it grows bacteria in the bottle, so it should be refrigerated. I think it's easier to keep some leafy greens, butternut squash, and various fruits and veggies in the house to give to the bugs every third day or so. I snack and save the rinds and cores for the crickets. The squash keeps a long time in a zip lock baggie in the fridge, so you can slice off what you need.



You can make gutloading as complicated as you want, but I think the key is balance and variety for a healthy chameleon.



Look up Sandrachameleon's blog here on the forum. She is our gut loading queen. It gets a little over my head (okay, way over my head), but there is tons of great advice about what types of veggies/fruits to use and their nutritional values.

great advice lathis if I may add consider dubia and silkworms

 

[Lathis]

Yep, insect variety has kept my little guy happy and always hungry. Jax have a reputation for being picky eaters, and Ferdinand has to be the absolute pickiest!



Here is what I try to do for his diet. I usually just rotate what he gets one day at a time. It's still a little cricket heavy, but he just isn't interested in dubia or hornworms. I am still searching for another staple feeder. I am going to try raising banana roaches again once I'm not travelling for work so much.



Crickets 30-40%

Superworms 20-30%

Silkworms 20-30%

Other (isopods, wild caught bugs, blue bottle flies, calciworms, etc)



I raise the isopods, but everything else I buy. Crickets and supes come from the local pet store, and I get the silkies and flies online.



It's easier than it sounds once you get everything up and going

 

[Mew]

Superworms?

All right, thanks everyone, Merlin appears to be happy/healthy so far, but here are the plans. When I have more money I plan to remove all the dirt/moss and simply have the carpet mesh from ZM. I'm trying to get the heat just right at the moment, I have a 40W at the moment and trying to suspend it as it was heating the basking spot to around 91-92 degrees. I have heard that people will try normal incandescent light bulbs? As for superworms, do you all crush/cut off their heads first? I've heard that they can be trouble for reptiles un-beheaded as they can chew their way out of a lizard's stomach? Any voices of experience. My little guy loves his crickets for the moment, ate 6 of them and seems to enjoy hunting them, almost as much as I love watching him. He seems to mainly stick to exploring up and down his vine now, which doesn't bother me particularly. He usually just turns his spine and entire tale more of the blackish color now, except when I mist the tank, he gets black triangles, which I assume is stress from my hand intruding and spraying water everywhere.

Thanks again for all of your help!
Zack

 

[Lathis]

Removing the dirt and moss will make it easier on you to keep everything clean, too. I am a big fan of keeping it as easy on myself as possible - more time to enjoy my little guy! If the bottom feels too bare, get some smaller plants in pots to fill out the bottom (get the bottoms with drainage holes in the bottom not the sides of the pot). Real plants will help keep up your humidity, and IMO will make your cham healthier and happier.

I use a halogen bulb for basking. Incandescents and halogens put out a lot of heat, so either one of those is fine. No need to buy an expensive bulb for basking - save the pricing bulbs for the UVB. I think a 40-watt incandescent bulb and a 15-watt halogen will probably put out the right about of heat if the bulb is about 12" from the basking spot. 82-86F should be about perfect.

The superworm thing is a myth, so no need to worry about cutting off their heads I feed them straight off and have never had a problem. Crickets and superworms are my guys favorite because they crunch. I HIGHLY recommend you get him some blue bottle flies. If you want to see a Jax absolutely freak out with happiness, get flies

Stripes could be stress or nervousness. He is still getting used to you and his new home. You should try using warm water in the mister and spray all around him, then slowly move up his body, tail first. That will go a long way to him liking his showers and not freaking out.

You are going to love having a Jackson's.