Worried about new Jackson, sleeping during the day

Lingling

New Member
I just got a pair of Jackson's on Friday, who now go by Max and Margaret (I've never been one for "pet" names). According to the previous owner, they are an unrelated CB pair, just over a year old. They both looked great when they arrived, aside from a little stress due to shipping. The female appears to be gravid. The first day or two they just sat around, not too unusual, considering they just got boxed across the country. The female has really perked up and is exploring her free range. She drinks every time I mist and spends time under the UVB. The male however, still hasn't been very active. Aside from last night, when I moved him closer to the UVB (he hadn't been near it after 3 days), he's mostly been hiding in one of the pothos. Last night he cruised around for maybe 20 minutes after I moved him. They've both eaten, although the female seems to have a better appetite than the male, and I've seen the male drink a little bit, but not as much as the female. He did poop, with white urate, although the rest of it was a very light brown, not dark like "normal" cham poop. He's also been sleeping during the day; I've noticed this 3 days now.

Should I be concerned about him yet, or just keep a close eye and assume he's still adjusting from the big move? Anything specific I should be watching for? If he was on a different lights on/off schedule with his previous owner, could this be affecting him now? My lights come on around 8am and go off around 8pm.

I've never kept Jackson's before. Are they generally as active as panthers or veileds? He ate 3 crickets today (5/8s), and the female ate 4. Does that sound normal for a adult Jackson's? My panther eats 10-12; granted, he is larger, but not by much.

I've ordered some small hornworms and reptiworms, hoping to get his appetite up and hydrate him (he doesn't look dehydtrated, but since he isn't drinking as much as the female I want to prevent him from becoming dehydrated. I'm also setting up a second UVB spot above the pothos he's been hanging out in, since he isn't wanting to go near my current UVB spot.

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Male Jackson (xanth), 1 year
Handling - Just once, as explained above
Feeding - I've seen him eat 2 days, one day he ate 2 crickets and today he ate 3. The other days he was hidden away in his plant, and I dropped some crickets near him, but I couldn't see if he ate them or not.
Supplements - So far it's just been very light Ca w/o D3
Watering - Mist heavily several times a day, and a humidifier runs most of the day, in intervals. It's high in the free range, so the mist creates water droplets on some of the plants.
Fecal Description - I haven't had a fecal done yet. Urate was white, but the rest was a very light brown, almost yellowish

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Large free range, currently they're both up there. Lot's of visual barriers.
Lighting - Reptisun 5.0 (about 6 mo old) and 60 watt housebulb. Adding another UVB spot, like I said above.
Temperature - Room temp is 72-76. Basking temp is 83-85, but varies greatly depending on where they are (lots of perches).
Humidity - Humidity is around 55% - 85%, fluctuates depending on how high the humidifier is set.

Sorry for such a long post.... but I'm getting worried about the little guy.
 
Right now they're on the same free range. They were caged together for several months before I bought them, supposedly without any problems.
 
You need to separate them. Regardless if they have lived fine with each other when an animal is sick or not acting normal it needs to be isolated from others. Its possible they were fine before but the female could be being aggressive towards the male since she is gravid now. Usually an animal will hide in a corner or deep in a bush being dark all the time if another animal is harassing it. Depending on how long this has been going on there could be other problems. The male could not have been basking and getting adequate UV for a while, getting less or no food and water etc. Remove him, get a plastic storage container if you need something temporary, see if he starts to perk up after a few days being isolated. If not you may need to take to a vet because of nutritional, hydration or both issues.

Its possible its not that she is being aggressive and its something else or a mix. First thing is first. Get him isolated and out of sight of the female.

Edit: Pics of the free range?
 
Alright. I'll order a new cage tomorrow and try to find something temporary to put him in until then. What's the recommended cage size for Jackson's? They're all asleep and I don't turn the lights on after their "bedtime", but I'll try to get a picture tomorrow.

you get these in wheaton or another expo?

No, I had them shipped from a forum member in Kansas.
 
Can you post pictures of your free range?

In my experience if Jacksons are sleeping during the day it's definitely not good. I haven't been able to keep a Jackson alive if they are "sleeping" during the day. If they are sleeping in the day then they are not eating and their health will continue to deteriorate. Usually CB Jacksons shouldn't be doing this unless they haven't been cared for properly. WC Jacksons often go down this road to their demise. I'm curious how many Jacksons bought from importers or at shows actually make it.

I recently bought a pair of Mount Meru's. The female died within 24 hours and the male died about a week and half later. Both were in sketchy condition when I bought them but since they are so hard to find I took a gamble on them. I noticed the male sleeping during the day the second day I had him.

I hope you figure out how to improve his health and if so please let me know.
 
If the female is gravid then the male may be stressed by seeing her. If he's not getting enough UVB light or heat it could be taking a tole on him. Just a thought.
 
How long can chams go without UVB before it affects them? Days, a week? Since I don't have an extra UVB light around, and the Jackson hasn't been receiving UVB, could I give him my panther's light for a couple days in a temporary enclosure? Will it harm my panther to not have his UVB until Friday when I can get a new fixture?
 
Alright... I set up a temporary cage for him that will work until the weekend. I used a rat cage, covered a couple sides with tarp, and threw some plants and sticks in there. Just until the weekend. Plus I found an extra UVB bulb for him so I don't have to worry about borrowing from my panther. Hornworms and butterworms should get here on Thursday, so hopefully that'll coax him to eat a little better. He is eating crickets - just not many.

I hope it's not too late to get him back on track :( The weather is supposed to be nice this week, some sunny days in the high 60s. Perhaps taking him out will perk him up a bit?
 
In my experience, chameleons are both very fragile and very resilient. They respond well when their conditions improve. I hope this will be true for you.
 
I got a Jackson about two weeks ago everything is going good he is a one year old male and very active during the day. He does not mind being handled and seems to hate going back in the cage. My temp goes from a max of 85 during the day and as low as 60 at night. He is eating just about every other day depending on how much he takes.

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its just a wire cage extension that you can place on top of a glass aquarium tank. I have seen them @ my local petland discounts and petco stores, prices vary per store and size of extention in relation to the aquarium tank.
 
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