Dehydrated Jackson's Chameleon

[ISA my Veiled]

Alright as some of you know I work at PetSmart and we recently got a Jacksons Chameleon. He was pretty good the first week we had him and then steadily decreased and has become dehydrated I am assuming by his eyes and fatigue. I was the only one besides one co-worker that spritz his cage at work frequently and often the managers ignore my knowledge of Chameleons and say he is fine. But anyway what is the best way to rehydrate him? I am a little frustrated towards that other co-worker because she adopted him out and has little knowledge of Chameleons. I have a bit more than basic knowledge but she does not. She has a red light on all day and night with a high temp basking bulb on her female jacksons and ended up killing her previous male jacksons because of this care. She has over 80 pets and just assumes she knows the care and ignores me...I offered several times and insisted that I take him but she refused. Anyway I need to know good methods for rehydrating him. It would be very well appreciated. Thank you guys!

Ben

 

[BeBoSON]

Fastest way to rehydrate would be to put him in a shower, so the water hits the wall so the mist falls on him.
I would say for about 15-20mins.

 

[bradley]

A shower is good. Also have a dripper running all day so it can drink if it wants at any time. just make sure there are no pools of water in the cage though. warm water is best.

 

[GabeCastro]

Glad to see you're back! You've been missed!

I'd suggest giving him some hornworms & silkworms if possible. I know they're alittle juicy spray his leaves more often, and have a dripper set up at a convenient spot. The shower would work but i don't know how you would take the cham from work for a shower. Maybe have your coworker who adopted him to do all of that asap. But it sounds like she wouldn't take any advice from anyone

 

[ISA my Veiled]

Thank you for all the ideas guys. I will have to check with my co worker, hopefully she will actually listen to me instead of blowing it off. They don't take my knowledge into consideration and it is frustrating. I work with her tomorrow morning so we will see. Any other suggestions are more than welcome!

And thanks Gabe! I appreciate it

 

[Carlton]

Sometimes showing your coworkers a website (this forum) that backs up everything you were telling them helps. They may not feel they have any reason to listen to YOU, but seeing an active husbandry community that deals with these problems daily may convince them you know what you are talking about. Maybe if they can come and read on their own they will be more open minded.

 

[sandrachameleon]

dripper, more frequent spray misting, juicy prey (like silkworms and hornworms, or roaches injected with water)

maybe point the owner to this blog entry: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/hoj/634-montane-chameleon-care-info.html

and this old site had some useful info too: http://web.archive.org/web/20090726114359/http://geocities.com/chamjacksonii/

 

[ISA my Veiled]

Sometimes showing your coworkers a website (this forum) that backs up everything you were telling them helps. They may not feel they have any reason to listen to YOU, but seeing an active husbandry community that deals with these problems daily may convince them you know what you are talking about. Maybe if they can come and read on their own they will be more open minded.

That is my problem, all I have done since I joined in June is talk this site up to them. I have shown them countless times and told them it would be an amazing thing to join with how much variety and information there is at our fingertips. They just ignored me... "They don't have enough time.." But yet they can acquire 87 different animals...

 

[kinyonga]

If the temperature is too hot in the cage rehydrating it won't likely save it for long. The temperature needs to be corrected.

 

[sandrachameleon]

That is my problem, all I have done since I joined in June is talk this site up to them. I have shown them countless times and told them it would be an amazing thing to join with how much variety and information there is at our fingertips. They just ignored me... "They don't have enough time.." But yet they can acquire 87 different animals...

try printing out that blog entry and leaving it in the toilet room at work, the lunch room, gift her a copy.... ??

 

[Psychobunny]

Jacksons are notorius for refusing to drink.
I have ongoing problems with Noogie and need to spray him from overhead with warm water sometimes for a few minutes before he starts to open and close his mouth to drink.
Then I get closer with the sprayer and squirt a bit in the second he opens up!!

It's a bit of a pain, but I do love my little Noogie

 

[sandrachameleon]

Then I get closer with the sprayer and squirt a bit in the second he opens up!!

are you not concerned about pulmonary aspiration ?

 

[Lovereps]

Jacksons are notorius for refusing to drink.
I have ongoing problems with Noogie and need to spray him from overhead with warm water sometimes for a few minutes before he starts to open and close his mouth to drink.
Then I get closer with the sprayer and squirt a bit in the second he opens up!!

It's a bit of a pain, but I do love my little Noogie

In the 3+ years that I had him, I might have seen my Jackson's drink two or 3 times.
My solution was a misting system plus a dripper. Obviously he wanted to be a "closet drinker" and having both gave him that option