A pic of Lo-key, our yellow crested Jackson's Cham. Just under 4 months old

[Cordawayconstruction]

We got him on December 24, fulfilling a promise to my son. Truth be told I've always been fascinated by chameleons and always wanted one.
I did a lot or research prior to getting our little guy but still didnt realize how much care goes into keeping these little guys happy. The learning curve is steep: if you don't learn fast your buddy will die fast. It's been a very neat and unique experience.
My first month as a chameleon owner has been nothing short of joyous. Getting to know him a little more each day and am blown away by the personality these little guys have. I can sit back and just watch him for hours. Giving him showers for his "rainstorms" has been really cool too, I would dare say even a bonding experience between myself and him.

Anyways, 1 month down, hopefully 120 more to go with this fella!

 

[jajeanpierre]

He looks lovely!

I know zip about Jacksons but do breed a couple of species of true horned chameleons and I would say he is a lot older than four months. He looks like a mature young male to me. His horns are gorgeous which makes me think he is a wild caught. Very few people can raise a horned chameleon to have beautiful horns like his. I don't know if it is nutritional or humidity, but very few captive raised horned chameleons have nice horns.

Maybe a Jackson person can chime in.

 

[Cordawayconstruction]

He looks lovely!

I know zip about Jacksons but do breed a couple of species of true horned chameleons and I would say he is a lot older than four months. He looks like a mature young male to me. His horns are gorgeous which makes me think he is a wild caught. Very few people can raise a horned chameleon to have beautiful horns like his. I don't know if it is nutritional or humidity, but very few captive raised horned chameleons have nice horns.

Maybe a Jackson person can chime in.

You know, I couldn't get a definitive answer from the pet store where I got him, but found out from them that he's supposedly a baby. So I really don't know. I would say that he is still pretty small compared to what they're supposed to be but really have no way of telling. He's starting to get a little bit of blue also which I understand is what happens around 4 or 5 months?

Thank you on the compliments tho, we think he's a very handsome young man regardless.

 

[CamrynTheCham22]

I just love those horns! I have to get a Jackson's someday. They are so prehistoric, and they are always so handsome! That is very true about the learning curve. If I didn't learn something new every day, who knows where my cham and I would be.

 

[Cordawayconstruction]

Thank you! We got really lucky finding him local when we did. He's our little Dino now. Lol

 

[Tattersb]

My Jackson's was about that size at around a year old. He definitely doesn't look four months old with that body and those horns. Here's mine at about nine months.

 

[jajeanpierre]

My Jackson's was about that size at around a year old. He definitely doesn't look four months old with that body and those horns. Here's mine at about nine months.

That was my guess based on the horn development and his mature bulge of his hemipenes. He is sexually mature, but a young adult.

@Cordawayconstruction I think you missed completely something else in my post--I would bet a lot of money on him being a wild caught. Wild caughts can be incredibly challenging for keepers, especially novice keepers. He is in terrific condition so I doubt he came from Africa. It is more likely he was taken from someplace like Hawaii. Wild caughts are problematic especially for novices.

I think I have very good success with wild caught montane species (mountain species, which yours is). One thing I would strongly recommend is that you not worm him which is counter to the advice many will give. His parasite load is likely very very high right now because his immune system has been compromised by stress. Stress of capture, stress of captivity, stress of being shipped to countless places, stress from being put in overcrowded cages before you bought him and probably stress of not getting enough water/humidity or good nutrition. Trying to worm him right now could be a tipping point to a downward spiral. A heavy parasite load that is killed off all at once can cause a blockage. Also, many parasites attach themselves to the intestinal wall, so when they die they leave a lot of little open wounds in the bacteria filled intestines. Many zoos don't even look at fecals of new imports that are doing well until they have passed the 90 day period.

Let him acclimate to captivity before you even think of doing a fecal. Let him destress and let his immune system get back to work. If he is in good health with a really good immune system, he will likely take care of much of his parasite load. If he declines, of course, a vet visit is in order but if he is doing well just leave him alone. He has a lot to deal with. Many wild caughts cannot deal with captivity or have to learn to deal with being caged. As a novice, you will not likely recognize the beginning of his decline. Keep that in mind.