Completed "Help Form" with questions

[Heatherly30]

Hoping the answers to the form will help with getting answers to some questions.


Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? Pico is a young, Male, Jackson’s Chameleon. He has been in our care less than a week. Not sure of exact age.
  
  
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? We are handling once or twice per day.
  
  
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? Feeding him small gut loaded crickets. Usually 10-12 per day in the morning, replenishing if needed. Small plastic dish in the cricket cage for gut loading. Using store bought but plan to add fresh vegetables.
  
  
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Rep Cal/Herpivite.
  
  
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking? We mist 5+ times/ day for 20ish seconds per mist. Also purchased a cheap mister/fogger that goes throughout the day. Made a dripper out of a plastic cup. I saw him drinking a lot on the first day. Have not observed him drinking since.
  
  
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? The first droppings I saw were small, purplish black gel. I just observed a clear, with white center dropping. Not 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? 18x18x30 Screen Repti-Breeze
  
  
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? Exo-Terra UVB 100. Household Basking Light- 100watt is too hot, 60 watt is not warm enough, trying a 75 watt. Lights on around 7:00 am, lights out around 8:00 pm.
  
  
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? General temp is between 70-73 degrees. Current basking is high 70’s, so need to purchase a higher wattage bulb. We have a digital thermometer in the basking area and mid cage.
  
  
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? The typical range is 40-50%. Of course it’s higher right after misting. Also have a digital hygrometer.
  
  
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? We have a large, live plant. Attaching photo.
  
  
• 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? The cage is in a small bedroom. No fans, vent on opposite side of room. Top of cage is about 54 inches high.
  
  
• Location - Where are you geographically located? Just outside of Louisville, Kentucky.
  

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

-I’m just trying to soak up as much info as possible, and make sure we have things set up properly. I know I’m still working things out with basking temperature. Feel like we need higher humidity.

-How do we properly measure how many crickets he’s eating, or how many we’re offering? -Feeding process, including timing of gut loading and dusting.

-When he is out of his cage, he is bright green and active. Inside of his cage, he is speckled with black spots. Is this a problem?

Please offer suggestions on how to achieve desired results.

 

[Carlton]

If you confine your feeders to some sort of box or larger bowl you can keep better track of how much he's eating. I like to use a plastic box hung from the cage plants with florist's wire so a shy cham can climb down to shoot from the rim of the box while staying out of sight. I put a pinch of gutload in there with them and return the uneaten feeders to their keeper at night so they can refill themselves. Check your dusting schedule. Jax are sensitive to fat soluble vitamins such as vit. D3, so you don't want to overdose them. The correct dusting schedule is...plain calcium (no added vit D3) daily. Dust with calcium WITH added D3 about once a month, and dust with a herp multivitamin about once a month.

When a jax is stimulated and active they tend to be brighter green. When they are upset stressed out or angry they will usually be dark green with lighter diamond shaped patches on their sides. Young ones will look more mottled in color when chilling out.

 

[Lathis]

Looks like you are off to a good start!

 

[cricketkilla]

Sounds like he's just throwing a fit about having to go back in the cage. Once you start free ranging them they crave that freedom all the time lol