Baby Jacksons chameleon is he eating enough?

[Shieldz]

I just got a baby Jacksons chameleon 3 days ago and I'm new to having a chameleon. He is about 3-4 inches from head to tail and I was just wondering how often he should be eating. I haven't actually seen him eat yet, I have small crickets for him but he seems to have only eaten like 3 within the past few days. I'm not sure if he actually ate them or not or if they escaped somehow

but he pooped 3 times already once the first day, once yesterday and once earlier today. He has been drinking also but today I seen him laying on the floor of his cage and he had a white, really light tan tone to him when he usually is brown/dark brown. His grip isn't very strong either and he seems to stumble sometimes but he isn't very big and he's young. Not exactly sure how many weeks he is. Does this seem like normal behavior or am I just being over paranoid about him because I've read that Jacksons are very fragile.

 

[carol5208]

He should be eating way more, but seeing that you just got him he might just be getting use to his surroundings. Falling and laying on the bottom of the cage is not normal behavior. His grip should be strong. Do you have all the proper lighting required??

 

[fluxlizard]

Hi welcome!
That's not a baby anymore- he's a juvenile.
Which means he is almost certainly wild caught unless you purchased him directly from a breeder.
Which means he is probably going to take some time to acclimate to terrarium life.
It also means he should really be deparasitized. Especially considering your description of his behavior. It is probably best to contact a vet ASAP and get a fresh stool sample to the vet so appropriate medication can be given to get him cleaned up.

 

[Juliaf3]

The first six months of a jackson life are scary! They have been known to drop dead for no reason. My suggestion would be to cup feed since he is so small and having feeding issues. This will also help you keep track of how much he is eating. Jackson also are sensitive to supplementation. How are you supplementing? They also need higher humidity then most chameleons. When I set my cage up, I gave him a cool humid side, and a warm dry side. This allows him to easily go where he needs to. Be sure to gut load his crickets with awesome nutritious gut load. This is where a lot of his nutrients will come from. He can not live on empty crickets that are dusted with supplements perfectly. Just like we could not live on vitamins alone. I see you got him three days ago- he could just be getting use to his new home like fluxlizard said. Just be sure you have everything readily available (feeders, supplementation, and water) for when he is comfortable and ready to chow, if becoming acclimated is the issue! I also agree with fluxlizard about getting him to the vet ASAP. Being on the ground is not normal behavior, even when they are new to a home. Hope this helps!

 

[Shieldz]

I have a 40w blue glass bulb for lighting, I'm not exactly sure if its the correct lighting or not but it was the best one that fit into my budget. I have small crickets for him but there not gut loaded or anything. I was hoping to have this set up for him just for a little while until I can get the correct essentials. I bought him from a vendor at a reptile expo but I forgot to ask if he's bred or wild caught. I'm sorry for the loss of information I have I'm still new to the chameleon game. I've always wanted one though and I'm determined to give him everything he needs

 

[Juliaf3]

I have a 40w blue glass bulb for lighting, I'm not exactly sure if its the correct lighting or not but it was the best one that fit into my budget. I have small crickets for him but there not gut loaded or anything. I was hoping to have this set up for him just for a little while until I can get the correct essentials. I bought him from a vendor at a reptile expo but I forgot to ask if he's bred or wild caught. I'm sorry for the loss of information I have I'm still new to the chameleon game. I've always wanted one though and I'm determined to give him everything he needs

I did the same thing. I got lucky and my Cham survived. I was very unprepared. Just like you. Only my jackson was much older. With him being so young I would fix the issues you have ASAP! Babies are very fragile. What I use is a reptisun bulb 5.0 (for UVB essential for keeping chams in captivity because this helps them properly break down calcium and absorb. this is a replacement for natural sun light) then I also have a basking bulb. This is for heat. NO lights at night. Jackson like most other cams, need a good ten to fifteen degree drop in temp at night. As long as you aren't getting below 50 you should be just fine. The temp drop helps slow down their metabolism. I have an ultrasonic cool mist humidifier with PVC pipe connected to it. This is used for humidity on the "cool moist" side of his cage. I also have a good size live a schefflera in his cage to help with humidity as well. For his cricket gut load I use repashy bug burger and add some greens and things from time to time. I chose an all in one supplementation. You'll find there is much debate about this. I am just telling you what is working for me. I use the repashy calcium plus low-d. It actually has a picture of a jackson on the front of it. I LIGHTLY dust the crickets every other feeding. Do NOT make the crickets look ghost white. Like I said before, Jackson's can be very sensitive and easily over supplemented. These are just some things I can think of off the top of my head. I hope this is helpful, if you'd like, I can get pictures of anything you need that I'm using. I'm really really hoping your boy survives. If there is ANYTHING else, feel free to pme or ask in here. I am no expert by any means, I will just tell you what is working for me.

 

[Juliaf3]

What kind of enclosure is he in currently? May I see a picture?

 

[Shieldz]

I did the same thing. I got lucky and my Cham survived. I was very unprepared. Just like you. Only my jackson was much older. With him being so young I would fix the issues you have ASAP! Babies are very fragile. What I use is a reptisun bulb 5.0 (for UVB essential for keeping chams in captivity because this helps them properly break down calcium and absorb. this is a replacement for natural sun light) then I also have a basking bulb. This is for heat. NO lights at night. Jackson like most other cams, need a good ten to fifteen degree drop in temp at night. As long as you aren't getting below 50 you should be just fine. The temp drop helps slow down their metabolism. I have an ultrasonic cool mist humidifier with PVC pipe connected to it. This is used for humidity on the "cool moist" side of his cage. I also have a good size live a schefflera in his cage to help with humidity as well. For his cricket gut load I use repashy bug burger and add some greens and things from time to time. I chose an all in one supplementation. You'll find there is much debate about this. I am just telling you what is working for me. I use the repashy low-d. It actually has a picture of a jackson on the front of it. I LIGHTLY dust the crickets every other feeding. Do NOT make the crickets look ghost white. Like I said before, Jackson's can be very sensitive and easily over supplemented. These are just some things I can think of off the top of my head. I hope this is helpful, if you'd like, I can get pictures of anything you need that I'm using. I'm really really hoping your boy survives. If there is ANYTHING else, feel free to pme or ask in here. I am no expert by any means, I will just tell you what is working for me.

Thanks I will try my best to get the proper essentials in time. I would just like to see him eat so It can ease some stress off my mind.

 

[Juliaf3]

Thanks I will try my best to get the proper essentials in time. I would just like to see him eat so It can ease some stress off my mind.

Well........his set up or "cage" can play a major role on his appetite or lack there of

 

[Shieldz]

What kind of enclosure is he in currently? May I see a picture?

Here is his enclosure for now, I had his light off and he is a very light color of white/tan again.

 

[Juliaf3]

Ok I can see a couple things right off hand that can help tremendously. I now understand why he was on the ground. He has no way to climb really. A cheap fix, go buy some dal rods. You can get them at like wal mart- cut them to the appropriate size and stick them in there. An even cheaper way, get some sticks from outside. He also needs some "foliage" or vines which you can wrap around the dal rods or sticks. You can get the vines at petco or petsmart. They love to hide. It calms them down and makes them feel safe. If when you look in there, it takes you a little bit to find him, then you have enough foliage in there. He is probably extremely stressed out. How is he drinking? When you get the money- invest in an all screen enclosure. It's hard to get vivs like you have in the correct size for a chameleon. They are ReALLY expensive. This one seems too small to me. The taller the the better.


Also, with such a small enclosure, and big light, he could be getting way to hot. Especially in that Viv. They hold in moisture great, bit they also hold in heat. His ambient temp or temp not under the basking bulb should be no higher then 75.

 

[teejayteej]

The cage needs to be bigger as soon as you can afford it and he needs more hiding spots. The enclosure needs to have lots of vines and sticks for him to climb and hid in. You can get the cheep stuff from Walmart or where ever you can find fake vines in the floral departments.

good luck with your new little addition.

 

[Juliaf3]

The cage needs to be bigger as soon as you can afford it and he needs more hiding spots. The enclosure needs to have lots of vines and sticks for him to climb and hid in. You can get the cheep stuff from Walmart or where ever you can find fake vines in the floral departments.

good luck with your new little addition.

I've read and been told from a site sponser that there are sometimes harmful chemicals to chameleons on fake plants bought at floral departments and walmart. Who knew right?!

 

[teejayteej]

well I think it depends on the type you get ....but where you are new to looking for the right things to use, I'd play it safe and get the ones from the pet store.
You do have to watch and not get things that they can eat easily because they will chew on them.

 

[Shieldz]

Ok I can see a couple things right off hand that can help tremendously. I now understand why he was on the ground. He has no way to climb really. A cheap fix, go buy some dal rods. You can get them at like wal mart- cut them to the appropriate size and stick them in there. An even cheaper way, get some sticks from outside. He also needs some "foliage" or vines which you can wrap around the dal rods or sticks. You can get the vines at petco or petsmart. They love to hide. It calms them down and makes them feel safe. If when you look in there, it takes you a little bit to find him, then you have enough foliage in there. He is probably extremely stressed out. How is he drinking? When you get the money- invest in an all screen enclosure. It's hard to get vivs like you have in the correct size for a chameleon. They are ReALLY expensive. This one seems too small to me. The taller the the better.


Also, with such a small enclosure, and big light, he could be getting way to hot. Especially in that Viv. They hold in moisture great, bit they also hold in heat. His ambient temp or temp not under the basking bulb should be no higher then 75.

Okay I will probably go outside and get some sticks haha, he drinks fine, I mist it occasionally and sometimes he drinks off the ground, on the fake plant or even straight from the water dish, I just checked him again and it seems he has pooped again but all the crickets are still in there, I will try the cup method and see how far I get with that.

 

[Shieldz]

Here is a picture of this white /tan color he's been getting, i tried putting him in an empty jug with crickets but he just layed and did nothing. I'll keep trying.

 

[Psychobunny]

Here is a picture of this white /tan color he's been getting, i tried putting him in an empty jug with crickets but he just layed and did nothing. I'll keep trying.

You mean you removed him from his cage, and put him in a container with nothing in it but crickets??

Dont do that, this is going to cause him a lot of stress, and it will set you way back in your attempts to tame him.
Just let the crickets loose in his cage, so he can hunt them naturaly.

 

[Action Jackson]

I'm not sure if anyone have recommended you have a look at this link yet, so here it is.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/jacksons/

Follow this care sheet closely for your best chance at success. His current living conditions inadequate. Imo.

Good luck.

 

[Shieldz]

Things still aren't going well for him, I got home from work and he was sprawled on the bottom of his enclosure and his eyes were sagging, he looks very weak. . I've tried my best to get him to eat but the crickets just pass right in front of him and he doesn't seem interested at all. His colors are also blotchy and not the normal patterns like they once we're. I'm really hoping for the best. I don't have the money to get him proper veterinary treatment so I guess the only thing I can do is to keep trying my best to get him to eat.

 

[carol5208]

Things still aren't going well for him, I got home from work and he was sprawled on the bottom of his enclosure and his eyes were sagging, he looks very weak. . I've tried my best to get him to eat but the crickets just pass right in front of him and he doesn't seem interested at all. His colors are also blotchy and not the normal patterns like they once we're. I'm really hoping for the best. I don't have the money to get him proper veterinary treatment so I guess the only thing I can do is to keep trying my best to get him to eat.

Do you have a uvb bulb???? The bulb you have sounds like it is just a basking bulb. They will become very ill without uvb. Please read the link that Action Jackson attached for you and do your best to get his cage in order. Not to sound rude here, but why do people get animals when they cannot afford them? Having money for a vet visit is part of owning an animal...just sayin....