Chameleon Inbound

[ArowanaLover1902]

I have a Jackson's chameleon coming in the mail tomorrow, he was just shipped. I've built his cage and setup water (I have a cham fountain, a mister, and a pressure water thing to spray the trees, I also have a terrarium for tropical plants that could be used as a hydration chamber if he is looking dehydrated), I've caught a few crickets (and will buy some more from petsmart tomorrow, the ones I caught are just in case he gets here wayyyy earlier than I plan) (I'm still lacking a technical feeder, I'll probably just mount a cup of sorts for him.) What should I do when he arrives?

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums. When he arrives I'd start with a nice misting.
Here's the forums caresheet for Jackson's
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/jacksons/

 

[cstocke]

The best thing to do is get him in his enclosure, give him a good mist, put some food in there with him and leave him be for a bit. Letting them get used to their new home is important as they can easily get stressed out from shipping and handling. I just got a new baby cham and just now after 3 days started to really interact with him more. I want him to be as comfortable as possible.

 

[OrangeJuice]

Make sure you clean out the water fountain a lot! They get bacteria all over 'em. Good luck with your new baby

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

He hasn't really gone for his food, I'm not sure he's eaten any of his crickets. I think the problem is how large his cage is. It's a free range and he has about 4x2x3ft to climb around in, it's huge (It's a big PVC structure with vines and stuff in between). He spends most of his time in his umbrella plant (which is huge, maybe 3.5 feet tall) and occasionally comes out and struts around. He's very small, maybe 3 inches, 5 counting his tail. I had to hold him to place him in the free range and he was really cool about it, he didn't hiss or anything. I placed him near his cricket bucket, so he definitely know where they are. If he doesn't eat some by tomorrow, I'm going to add some more bowls around the space, maybe that'll help. I've misted his plants a few times today, I saw him drink some the first time. All in all, he seems like a happy chameleon, I'm not totally sure of health yet, but I'm giving Underground Reptiles a pretty good rating so far. An employee even called me today to check on the health of the chameleon, so that was pretty cool too.

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

Btw pics of his free range are on the free range section of the forum

 

[leedragon]

no fountain. it will kill him with mounth rot.

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

Well he hasn't exactly used it at all, I thought he would be a little bigger and was a bit more sure of chameleon's climbing abilities, but he can't traverse some of the large branches. If I had the money and expertise, I'd want to build a little stream and have some tetras in there (maybe Hyphessobrycon anisitsi), that would be moving water, it would look great, and I feel I could center the enclosure around that. I bet if I built it in the right shape and had a few pumps, I could have a recirculating system between the mister and the stream. I could use that great stuff foam (I really need to learn how to use this) to make terrain. I could even run the water under the roots of some of the plants, purifying it. I know that was off topic, but it would be awesome. I'm going to try to learn how to use that foam stuff for my next free range and my goal is to have a few pumps in the system, so next time we will see what happens.

 

[leedragon]

Well he hasn't exactly used it at all, I thought he would be a little bigger and was a bit more sure of chameleon's climbing abilities, but he can't traverse some of the large branches. If I had the money and expertise, I'd want to build a little stream and have some tetras in there (maybe Hyphessobrycon anisitsi), that would be moving water, it would look great, and I feel I could center the enclosure around that. I bet if I built it in the right shape and had a few pumps, I could have a recirculating system between the mister and the stream. I could use that great stuff foam (I really need to learn how to use this) to make terrain. I could even run the water under the roots of some of the plants, purifying it. I know that was off topic, but it would be awesome. I'm going to try to learn how to use that foam stuff for my next free range and my goal is to have a few pumps in the system, so next time we will see what happens.

there are threads covering this. you can have other animals maybe salamandras in a stream paladarium or something similar. that´s however not the enviroment for the chameleon. pumps nor filters kill the bacteria that will give the ani,al mouth rot. if anything it creates a good Place for them to live and multiply. you should try it but wwith other animals. you can create due an neat arboreal set up for a Jackson with hanging plants, flores of different kinds, vines and branches

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

This is his cage, I put some pics here for easy viewing. With the appropriate plumbing, bacteria is generally a simple problem (I do reef tanks, and I've always used UV to kill algae and bacteria), have a bypass loop for UV filtration, thus killing (almost, but with a few loops all) all bacteria, you could also combo this with a "splash filter" (I'm not sure what the real name is, but it throws the water into sponges and stuff, a good drop, it can help break down all types of stuff). Yeah I know the chameleon wouldn't go low to get it, but I figure with a few waterfalls up high, near where he hangs out, he'd have even more access to water and it would be far easier to water his plants. I'm confident I could make water clean enough for him.

 

[leedragon]

meh. try it. just keep an Eye just in case and pick up the poop of it as you see it. they tend to poop in flowing water.

 

[absolutbill]

If you have streams and other water features there is always the very real chance your chameleon will fall into it and drown. Just not worth the risk IMO.

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

On the subject of chameleons, I really don't think mine is eating enough. I've seen him eat only one cricket (though I'm pretty sure he's eaten at least one more). He's fairly small, maybe 3 inches, so he probably doesn't need much more than 3-4 a day, I've put feeder cups all over the place, tried hand feeding and everything. Any thoughts?

 

[leedragon]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Jackson's Chameleon - Male - 2 days
• Handling - Only once to place him in his free range / hand fed twice
• Feeding - Crickets - several bowls around enclosure as well as hand feeding - irregularly - grapes and adding a potato tomorrow
• Supplements - I just recieved Reptical and a reptile vitamin thing, I have yet to use
• Watering - He has a fountain, he has not used it. I also mist regularly with a pressure sprayer, I mist until leaves move with weight of water - I have seen him drink several times
• Fecal Description - I have yet to see any droppings
• History - He is very small, only about 3 inches plus 2 inch tail

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Custom free range with PVC structure
• Lighting - Hydrofarm 4ft / UV bulb / heat bulb - 12 hours a day
• Temperature - Basking spot is very large and varied, he can total control of how close he is (can get up to 7 inches and as far as he wants)
• Humidity - I haven't checked humidity, it isn't very dry or very wet though
• Plants - Tons, umbrella tree, pothos, orchids, dracena (various types), and an unknown plant
• Placement - Corner of my room, very inactive, there is a fan in the room that is very rarely on (only ever at night too), the cage top is 7 feet above the floor
• Location - N/A

Current Problem - I am not seeing much independent eating from the bowls (he may have gone for one, but I'm not sure), it was a bigger problem earlier, but he is handfeeding now. How do I get him to eat more from the bowls? Should I give him other insects? The only ones my Petsmart had were mealworms and crickets. I can order if I need too.

 

[kinyonga]

What's the temperature in the basking area? Can he get to the wires that lead to the lights? What size afpre the crickets...can they fit comfortably into his mouth? What were the crickets you caught? How are you going to keep the humidity up? How are you going to provide water? A fountain can be a reservoir for bacteria if not cleaned almost every day.