Winter blues, or....?!

[Psychobunny]

Noogie has not been acting his usual self. It seems to coinside with the change of season.
He used to be way more active, and beg to come out and explore the free range.
Now, he goes through all the normal routine, but has no interest in coming
out. Just likes chilling in his cage.
I can leave the cage door open all day, but he will not wander out.
He eats, drinks and poops normal, and I did a fecal, which was clean.

Nothing in my husbandry has changed (except I did repace his UV tube).

He shows no signs of any illness, and I have checked and doublechecked the
temps, got him a new UV tube, and keep him well hydrated.

He is 16 months old, and I recall him acting somewhat lazy last winter as well.
But he would still come of his cage sometimes.

Has anyone seen this behavior in their male jacksons?

One possibility; when younger, he was likely more interested in finding a mate, hence his interest in being out and about all the time.
Now that he is 'older', he may be more settled down?!

People who have owned Jax for a few years, have you seen this with your chams?
Will he snap out of it in spring?

 

[Lathis]

This is my first winter with my Jax (I got him last spring), but I just commented to the hubby that over the last few weeks especially, Ferdinand has been less perky than usual. Basking all day, not interested in coming out of the cage. He's eating, drinking, and pooping normally, he just seems... "down".

Temps inside haven't changed, but I think the shortening of daylight hours, particularly the loss of direct sun coming into the house, plus the recent spat of cloudy days might partially to blame?

It's very nice today. I'm going to try to lure him into the sunshine. Yesterday he spent the morning following patches of sun until it was gone, then put himself back in his cage.

 

[szpond]

I was about to post a forum about this! I am glad to see another forum member is experiencing the same thing. I can't recall how my male Jax responded to the season change last year, he is likely between 2 and 3 now as he was a little bit older when I got him. I haven't performed a fecal, but am about to look around for a vet that is qualified to help me out.

He has been basking more than usual lately - cut down on food a little, will still warm up to his favorite meals though! Drinking fine, otherwise is normal, doesn't want to come out, I have been leaving him alone. Checked and double checked the temps - noticed the cooler temp in the house was cooling the basking spot a couple degrees, got a new higher wattage light and adjusted the distance from his basking spot to make it a warmer and correct temp.

Yesterday I revamped his cage. He was near the front of the cage and I got him to walk out onto a plant and I placed the plant (with him on it) in an old viv in another room. While he was in there, I added a lot of old disinfected vines from other chameleons and fake pothos to "hide" his basking spot - will see how he reacts for the next few days with the change and the corrected basking spot.

Jacksons are weird

 

[szpond]

This is my first winter with my Jax (I got him last spring), but I just commented to the hubby that over the last few weeks especially, Ferdinand has been less perky than usual. Basking all day, not interested in coming out of the cage. He's eating, drinking, and pooping normally, he just seems... "down".

Temps inside haven't changed, but I think the shortening of daylight hours, particularly the loss of direct sun coming into the house, plus the recent spat of cloudy days might partially to blame?

It's very nice today. I'm going to try to lure him into the sunshine. Yesterday he spent the morning following patches of sun until it was gone, then put himself back in his cage.

"Less perky than usual" is a good way to put it, exactly what I've seen with my male. Just seeming down. Spot on.

Ah yes, I shortened as well a couple weeks ago now - but the change has recently just come about, maybe it's an adjustment thing.

 

[Lathis]

Jackson's ARE weird but in a good way

 

[szpond]

Jackson's ARE weird but in a good way

That's why we like them, right?!


Right...???

Duh! I think Max is a special weirdo case..

 

[ridgebax1]

How can anyone NOT just love that face!

 

[Psychobunny]

Where I am, in the fall and winter, the temp goes down and the house heating
comes on, which tends to create low humidity.
So, I need to do extra mistings and keep a humidifier going 24/7.

I also have to change the basking bulb from a 40 to 60W.

I think they know it's cold outside! and he is used to going out to catch the
morning sun. He is not getting that now, so that alone may be bringing him
down.

His apatite is good, and he drinks water. In fact, he sticks his head under the
dripper a few hours a day and just sits there, letting water drip on his head

He also has his own little humidifier, with the mist going right into his cage.
He likes to sit in front of that as well.

I think they are just extremly sensitive to changes in temp and RH, even if my
thermometer and hygrometer read in the safe zone, he knows it's different,
and he is not ammused !

He used to get right on my hand to be let out, sometimes running up my arm.
But now he just looks at me, puts his 2 feet on my hand, sits there a few minutes, then changes his mind and turns around back into the protection of his little 'jungle'.
It's almost like he has become afraid of something outside the cage, either that, or he just couldnt care less!!??

Would love to get some feedback on this from jax keepers in Calif. and Fl, where temps remain fairly warm and constant.
Is this just a climate/location thing, regardless of how much I try to compensate?

 

[Psychobunny]

I see a other members with the same problem who live in MO and MI, where
the seasons are extreme.

That's interesting, I am wondering if Jax simply do now do well in these climates!!?? even with artifical temp and RH control??

This maybe an important thing when deciding on which speicies to keep, so
I would really like to hear from keepers from all over to form a concenses.

 

[Lathis]

I see a other members with the same problem who live in MO and MI, where


the seasons are extreme.





That's interesting, I am wondering if Jax simply do now do well in these climates!!?? even with artifical temp and RH control??





This maybe an important thing when deciding on which speicies to keep, so


I would really like to hear from keepers from all over to form a concenses.

I would be interested, too.



I'm sure he feels the season change, daylight, temps, humidity levels are all subtle but important clues that animals respond to (and human animals too, ugh, I can already feel the winter blues starting). Even though Jax natural habitat is milder than here, it does have seasons. I would be curious if anyone knows about seasonal behavioral studies of Jax in the wild.

 

[Psychobunny]

Me too, but I dont know how such a study would be done.
First, you would need to record the weather in detail over a long time period.
Then you would need to observe the chams behavour w/o causing them stress with human presents, which would interfere with the results.

We may just have to rely on anacdotal reports from keepers

 

[Lathis]

Day 1: Explorers log, 1932. I am going to infiltrate the habitat of the wild chameleon. It's a dangerous mission but someone has to do it. For science.

...

Day 132: the chameleons have finally accepted me as one of their own... Today we feasted on flies and performed traditional mating dances.

...

Day 345: today the tribe is restless...everyone is brown I think they have started to suspect me.

...

Day 375: my cover is blown! if you find this journal, tell my wife I love her, aaaaassaaaaaaaaah!



And that's why there are no detailed chameleon behavioral studies. It was tragic.

 

[kplatvoet]

I lived in Ethiopia in the 70's and the seasons were pretty much the dry season and the rainy season- there were the long rains and the short rains - the short rains were in Feb. I think and the long rains in the summer- It didn't rain like it does in NJ where you get days of gray - it would pour for about an hour and the sun would come out - and 12 hours later it would do the same thing- the next day it would do the same thing only 15 min later-It would get cold at night (50's) but never hot - We were only there for 4 years and traveled in the summer as both my parents were teachers but my memories are foggy - one summer we spent with my grandparents in Kenya & Tanzania where Jacksons are from - I don't remember rain when we were there we saw one chameleon but it wasn't a Jackson ( It was a Usambara Giant) I think it must have been at the end of the summer when the rains were tapering off.

 

[Psychobunny]

I lived in Ethiopia in the 70's and the seasons were pretty much the dry season and the rainy season- there were the long rains and the short rains - the short rains were in Feb. I think and the long rains in the summer- It didn't rain like it does in NJ where you get days of gray - it would pour for about an hour and the sun would come out - and 12 hours later it would do the same thing- the next day it would do the same thing only 15 min later-It would get cold at night (50's) but never hot - We were only there for 4 years and traveled in the summer as both my parents were teachers but my memories are foggy - one summer we spent with my grandparents in Kenya & Tanzania where Jacksons are from - I don't remember rain when we were there we saw one chameleon but it wasn't a Jackson ( It was a Usambara Giant) I think it must have been at the end of the summer when the rains were tapering off.

I think Kenya and Tanzania have "rainy" season, then a dry season?!

But what about the temp? I asumme it's cooler during the rainy season?

Maybe I should do a weather log

 

[Psychobunny]

Day 1: Explorers log, 1932. I am going to infiltrate the habitat of the wild chameleon. It's a dangerous mission but someone has to do it. For science.

...

Day 132: the chameleons have finally accepted me as one of their own... Today we feasted on flies and performed traditional mating dances.

...

Day 345: today the tribe is restless...everyone is brown I think they have started to suspect me.

...

Day 375: my cover is blown! if you find this journal, tell my wife I love her, aaaaassaaaaaaaaah!



And that's why there are no detailed chameleon behavioral studies. It was tragic.

Hey! this is a serious thread we are having here! no SILLYNESS allowed

 

[Lathis]

Hey! this is a serious thread we are having here! no SILLYNESS allowed

Sorry (not really)

When I travel for work, CF is my only entertainment. You get the brunt of my weirdness!



Did you see the other post yesterday about someone's Jax acting off and basking all day? We are all experiencing it.



My little guy seems to be pretty sensitive to even 1-2 degree temp change. I am going to boost his ambient temps a TINY bit, from 72-74 to 73-75, and see if that perks him up.

 

[Psychobunny]

LOL! just teasing U, I actually like your sillyness

Maybe Noogie needs a nice dose of real sun!

Low temps outside, like in the 50's, dont bother him as long as it's nice and sunny, and no wind.

Not gonna get many days like that though

 

[Lathis]

Update: I bumped up my Jax's temps by 2-3°F. I also switched from a mini halogen to a normal sized halogen bulb at his basking spot. The combo of slightly warmer temps and more light in the enclosure seems to have perked him up a bit. We're getting back to normal, I think.

Now he's shedding and that always makes him crabby. His loose skin has made little socks on his feet - cracks me up

(...and I just got "flashed". Apparently, he's quite well endowed. Thanks, Ferdinand.)