Colour consistency for female jackson (possible explanations)

[toeknees96]

I have a female jackson who is around 11 months old. I got her in mid november er and then moved at the end of December so I know moving and adjusting to environment takes time. But her colours have been, to me at least, stressed. Posting various pics of her. I've got answers from a previous thread on husbandry and allocated for that within the first week of getting her and monitor that. Just wanted some feedback on maybe if

it's just her lineage colours or something. Her lightest green is her sleeping, and the one of her free roaming was during transition of building the mesh cage so idk if she just doesn't like being enclosed? Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

 

[toeknees96]

I have a female jackson who is around 11 months old. I got her in mid november er and then moved at the end of December so I know moving and adjusting to environment takes time. But her colours have been, to me at least, stressed. Posting various pics of her. I've got answers from a previous thread on husbandry and allocated for that within the first week of getting her and monitor that. Just wanted some feedback on maybe ifView attachment 318270View attachment 318271 it's just her lineage colours or something. Her lightest green is her sleeping, and the one of her free roaming was during transition of building the mesh cage so idk if she just doesn't like being enclosed? Any feedback is greatly appreciated! View attachment 318268View attachment 318269

No issues with feeding or drinking or temps/humidity also! Just couldn't post videos in this thread of her eating

 

[kinyonga]

@JacksJill @Kaizen @Mendez

 

[JacksJill]

I'm not horrified by her pattern for a recently moved chameleon. If she was all dark I would be more concerned. That pattern suggests to me she is not totally confident in her surroundings. I might raise her cage up higher to boost her confidence.

 

[toeknees96]

I'm not horrified by her pattern for a recently moved chameleon. If she was all dark I would be more concerned. That pattern suggests to me she is not totally confident in her surroundings. I might raise her cage up higher to boost her confidence.

Alright, also I'm getting a 6' fake plant tree for her this weekend to have some extra climbing and treat her hehe, should I wait a bit before introducing her to it?

 

[Mendez]

No, don't wait. Extra foliage will help her feel more secure. However, if possible, try to get a live plant instead of a fake one. If you have the correct grow lights, a live plant will be more rewarding for both you and your chameleon. I do know that it can be hard for some people to find large, live plants, so I can understand you getting a fake plant.

Does her cage face out a window? I once had turkeys jump on my neighbor's roof where they were visible to my jackson's chameleon--he turned ghost white. Seeing any type of bird could trigger the fear response in a chameleon.

Also, it's hard to tell, but have you covered all sides of the cage except the front? If so, good. Doing so will help her feel more secure.

I'm on the same boat as jacksjill, I'm not too concerned with her coloration. As long as your husbandry is correct, and you provide her ample foliage to feel secure in, then there is not too much to be concerned about. She will get used to her environment and become more confident when she realizes that not everything is going to kill her.

I might add that chameleons, some more than others depending on personality, can be very sensitive to the color shirt that you wear in the room. A lot of my wardrobe consists of reds and blacks which my cham seemed to react to. I would usually walk around my room without peering into my chams enclosure. And right before leaving the room, I would sneak a quick peek, only to see him displaying "stress colors." I thought that I might have been doing something wrong with his care, but one day I walked right in and saw him wearing his relaxed greens. And as soon as he saw me, he started changing his colors. After that day, I went out and bought an oversized button-up shirt that I would put on over my clothes before entering the room. Since then, he has never displayed those colors once he has spotted me. He would still be uneasy and show slight stress marks, but not to the degree as he was showing before. My jackson's used to be incredibly shy, but now he is very comfortable with me wearing any color shirt.

When you walk into the room and see her, do her colors change significantly in the following minutes? She could just be very shy.

 

[toeknees96]

No, don't wait. Extra foliage will help her feel more secure. However, if possible, try to get a live plant instead of a fake one. If you have the correct grow lights, a live plant will be more rewarding for both you and your chameleon. I do know that it can be hard for some people to find large, live plants, so I can understand you getting a fake plant.

Does her cage face out a window? I once had turkeys jump on my neighbor's roof where they were visible to my jackson's chameleon--he turned ghost white. Seeing any type of bird could trigger the fear response in a chameleon.

Also, it's hard to tell, but have you covered all sides of the cage except the front? If so, good. Doing so will help her feel more secure.

I'm on the same boat as jacksjill, I'm not too concerned with her coloration. As long as your husbandry is correct, and you provide her ample foliage to feel secure in, then there is not too much to be concerned about. She will get used to her environment and become more confident when she realizes that not everything is going to kill her.

I might add that chameleons, some more than others depending on personality, can be very sensitive to the color shirt that you wear in the room. A lot of my wardrobe consists of reds and blacks which my cham seemed to react to. I would usually walk around my room without peering into my chams enclosure. And right before leaving the room, I would sneak a quick peek, only to see him displaying "stress colors." I thought that I might have been doing something wrong with his care, but one day I walked right in and saw him wearing his relaxed greens. And as soon as he saw me, he started changing his colors. After that day, I went out and bought an oversized button-up shirt that I would put on over my clothes before entering the room. Since then, he has never displayed those colors once he has spotted me. He would still be uneasy and show slight stress marks, but not to the degree as he was showing before. My jackson's used to be incredibly shy, but now he is very comfortable with me wearing any color shirt.

When you walk into the room and see her, do her colors change significantly in the following minutes? She could just be very shy.

Ya she goes and gets thay brown rhombus pattern, she just did when I walked in to turn her fogger on hehe

 

[JacksJill]

Alright, also I'm getting a 6' fake plant tree for her this weekend to have some extra climbing and treat her hehe, should I wait a bit before introducing her to it?

I would wait unless she can access the tree without you moving her to it. If she can climb to it from her cage and chooses to then by all means.

This isn't related to her coloring but could she be pregnant? Very few Jackson's females are sold un-bred.

 

[toeknees96]

I would wait unless she can access the tree without you moving her to it. If she can climb to it from her cage and chooses to then by all means.

This isn't related to her coloring but could she be pregnant? Very few Jackson's females are sold un-bred.

I got her from a store and they'd been there for a couple months isolated in their terrariums and I've had her for 2 so imagine that's not the case

 

[bbyoda]

I got her from a store and they'd been there for a couple months isolated in their terrariums and I've had her for 2 so imagine that's not the case

Jackson's can retain sperm for over a year, and give birth when they are happy with their care conditions. Give this a listen to prepare yourself just in case:

https://chameleonacademy.com/surprise-baby-chameleons/

 

[Kaizen]

I have a female jackson who is around 11 months old. I got her in mid november er and then moved at the end of December so I know moving and adjusting to environment takes time. But her colours have been, to me at least, stressed. Posting various pics of her. I've got answers from a previous thread on husbandry and allocated for that within the first week of getting her and monitor that. Just wanted some feedback on maybe ifView attachment 318270View attachment 318271 it's just her lineage colours or something. Her lightest green is her sleeping, and the one of her free roaming was during transition of building the mesh cage so idk if she just doesn't like being enclosed? Any feedback is greatly appreciated! View attachment 318268View attachment 318269

So, I know I’m late to the party, but have you done a husbandry review. She looks fine, but it’s sometimes helpful to go through things. For instance, what are your temps and humidity over a 24 hour period?

 

[toeknees96]

So, I know I’m late to the party, but have you done a husbandry review. She looks fine, but it’s sometimes helpful to go through things. For instance, what are your temps and humidity over a 24 hour period?

Temp is never higher than 77 and never lower than 67. Consistently at 71-73. Humidity I struggle to get to higher numbers, but always 50-60. I mist every hour or so when I'm home, and I work 9-5 so I run the fogger which makes the left side of the cage more humid. She poos/pees often also. Since I've introduced her to the tree she has been so green (turns green 10 sec after she's in it and the tree has no humidity/basking light, so just room temps which is 71 in the home, I've keep her on it for like a break to be in the open for a couple hours and then I put her back in her cage. So I feel like she's not a fan of her cage area. These pictures were taken today and yesterday

 

[Kaizen]

Temp is never higher than 77 You could offer a basking area of 80 for a few hours. and never lower than 67 That is a bit too warm for nightime. 64 and lower seems to be better. I drop my jax down to ~55. This is pretty important, as jax seem to slowly decline without cool nights. Consistently at 71-73. Humidity I struggle to get to higher numbers, but always 50-60 Those are ok daytime values (even lower is acceptable), but I like nearly 100% humidity at night. I mist every hour or so when I'm home, and I work 9-5 so I run the fogger which makes the left side of the cage more humid. Are you hand-misting? Is your cage all screen? I can offer advice here; let me know. She poos/pees often also. Since I've introduced her to the tree she has been so green (turns green 10 sec after she's in it and the tree has no humidity/basking light, so just room temps which is 71 in the home, I've keep her on it for like a break to be in the open for a couple hours and then I put her back in her cage. So I feel like she's not a fan of her cage area. These pictures were taken today and yesterday

If you’re interested, I can offer some suggestions. Likewise, @JacksJill has years of experience with jax, and would be a great resource.

 

[toeknees96]

I run the basking lamp when wake up and then around 6-7pm I'll turn it off, I'm sure the basking area is warmer, I have my thermometer in the middle of the screen cage. I tried using a garbage bag cut it up to block the sides and back and it didn't really improve the humidity. But yes I mist by hand with a spray bottle. I would take any advice you have to offer hehe.