First Chameleon few questions...

[Funkateer1]

Hello Chameleon Forums,

I am the proud owner of a captive bred female Jackson's Chameleon. She's roughly 5" head to tail. I got her last night from a reputable local reptile supplier. I am no stranger to exotic animals (Reef Aquariums and Poison Dart frog keeper) and ready to give this animal the level of care it requires.

I have received tons of conflicting information. Right now she has an LED/T5 hybrid and the house gets to the mid 50's at night. The viv is 16"x16"x30" and has a trimmed ficus in it for her to climb. Should I get a ceramic heater for her at night or is 50's fine for the winter? The tank gets tons of ambient light and direct sun in the afternoon. It gets very warm.

She was drinking from the dripper last night but showed no interest in dusted crickets. I assumed she was just nervous. She also is very dark (you can see in the picture). Can anyone ID her species from the picture as well?

Also should I get her a mister? I am wary of diaphragm misters due to awful quaity and would rather hard plumb a real spray system. Also the mesh cage seems to have lots of run off that's tricking out. I have bark substrate mixed with ecosoil I may have to set up some sort of drainage system.

here are some pics...

Pic taken transfering to cage. I am not handling her till she settles in.

Awful picture but you get the gist of the tank. Lots of light made it hard to take a good picture.

 

[littlered20030710]

Good luck!!

 

[zlew]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/jacksons/

Read this through. It is the best care sheet out there. A drop to the fifties should be fine.

 

[chamfriend1]

first thing I can say is loose the substrate... I tried that and it was a huge headache.. for one its a bacteria farm no matter what you do to keep it clean...the reptile carpet works good.. food cant get under it and its pretty easy to clean..
the enclosure is a bit small for her type and size... if she's 5 inches, she is pretty much full grown... Jacksons love to climb.. the taller the better.. they feel more comfortable and safe if they are above you when you approach them... mine is 4ft tall and sitting off the ground about 2+ feet... also on the light issue.. most people don't know this.. but window glass is UV protectant to a large degree.. which means you get hardly any UV waves through a pane glass window and these need a lot of UVB to be able to digest food correctly and to stay healthy... with how tall my enclosure is I went with the UVB 10 (desert bulb)... I have 2 of those along with 2 UVB hybrid bulbs.. I have 2 heat bulbs.. not large ones...just enough to keep the heat concentrated to a fairly small area for basking... the heat may also be too much for her... no higher than 85/89 in her basking spot and ambient of about 75/78.. water water water is pretty much the only way to say it.... they love water... no standing water..no waterfalls.. a drip or misting system works best for these guys... females are a bit tricky with color... their normal color can be a nice green or a brownish color...
you said she was drinking last night but not eating... pretty normal in my experience.. mine didn't eat for 3 to 4 days after they got home... now they chow down like its their last meal...
I hope this helps... if you need more info this is a good place to find it...

 

[garrettt331]

Welcome. I'm glad to see a fellow hobbyist interested in doing right for their animal. First get rid of the substrate. Unless you want to mop up water all the time, a drainage system is recommended. I use both a mistking system and a dripper. The dripper really just makes me feel better that he always has access to water. A larger enclosure is needed unfortunately. Lastly I prefer to keep my chameleon night temps above 60F. That is easy for me b/c I live in Texas, so I know that may be hard for people up north. All the literature says mid 50's is ok at night, so it is probably ok. I would recommend a 60-75 watt incan. bulb for basking during the day and a UVB bulb close to the basking spot. I'm not sure about the LED/T5 hybrid, but someone else could chime in if they have experience with these. I also suggest real plants that are chameleon safe if you don't have some already. A grow light will help your plants thrive. Hope this helps. I can send you pics of my setup if you need a reference.

 

[MeruJack]

"Can anyone ID her species from the picture?"

She is definitely a female Trioceros Jacksonii Xantholophus.

 

[Carlton]

Hello Chameleon Forums,

I am the proud owner of a captive bred female Jackson's Chameleon. She's roughly 5" head to tail. I got her last night from a reputable local reptile supplier. I am no stranger to exotic animals (Reef Aquariums and Poison Dart frog keeper) and ready to give this animal the level of care it requires.

I have received tons of conflicting information. Right now she has an LED/T5 hybrid and the house gets to the mid 50's at night. The viv is 16"x16"x30" and has a trimmed ficus in it for her to climb. Should I get a ceramic heater for her at night or is 50's fine for the winter? The tank gets tons of ambient light and direct sun in the afternoon. It gets very warm.

She was drinking from the dripper last night but showed no interest in dusted crickets. I assumed she was just nervous. She also is very dark (you can see in the picture). Can anyone ID her species from the picture as well?

Also should I get her a mister? I am wary of diaphragm misters due to awful quaity and would rather hard plumb a real spray system. Also the mesh cage seems to have lots of run off that's tricking out. I have bark substrate mixed with ecosoil I may have to set up some sort of drainage system.

here are some pics...

Pic taken transfering to cage. I am not handling her till she settles in.

Awful picture but you get the gist of the tank. Lots of light made it hard to take a good picture.

You will definitely need some sort of tray or drainage container to avoid damaging your furniture. If you can spray the cage multiple times a day you may not need an auto mister, but if the room and the cage gets too dry too quickly adding an ultrasonic humidifier (the room types tend to be sturdier and more reliable, plus have a larger water reservoir) controlled by a multiple setting timer may be enough. Some of this will be trial and error based on your particular situation and climate. Also, covering some sides of the screen cage with clearn plastic sheeting will control overspray too. For visibility's sake I like those "crystal clear" shower curtain liners.

 

[Funkateer1]

Thank you for the good advice everyone!

- Drainage has been bad on the tank. I have the viv placed on a plastic tray to collect the water.

- I will replace the bark with rep carpet, I just hate how it looks... makes the bottom look like a butting green. I may cover it with few pieces of wood, maybe a pinch of dirt for texture too.

- Right now night temps get to the 60's and mid-high 70's during the day. The window gets really warm when the sun hits it too. The fixture does have plenty of UVB and I leave it on 12-14 hours a day. The LED's I only really turn on at night a for a bit to observe the chameleon. Their not very bright compared to the ones I use on my reefs and vivariums. I might get her a little 25w heat lamp just to be safe.

- Bigger cage will happen soon. Prbly do a 4x2x2 or at least a 36x18x18. Seeing whats available locally used.

- I still have not seen her eat, but when I came in this morning all her crickets were gone.

 

[werecat]

Your fixture looks like the new Zoomed T5 uvb/led combo. If that's the case, you are probably good on uvb and it has grow lights built in for the plants. I would caution against using the moon lights or anything at night since chameleons are very sensitive to light and it disrupts their sleep. A little bit is probably ok, but she will definitely sense when it's on.

My only other concern is her proximity to the window. You say it gets quite warm but have you measured the temps? Jacksons are a montane species and can be uncomfortable if it gets too warm. Follow the temps on the care sheet and make sure the sun from the window is not cooking her. Lots of light during the day is great, just make sure it's never getting too hot since she has no way to escape if it does.

She looks nice! You're going to have a lot of fun with her!

 

[werecat]

Also, do you have a heat lamp for basking? I know jax like it cooler, but I thought they still needed a temperature gradient with a warmer area for basking. I don't keep jax so hopefully someone who does can confirm.

 

[Funkateer1]

Also, do you have a heat lamp for basking? I know jax like it cooler, but I thought they still needed a temperature gradient with a warmer area for basking. I don't keep jax so hopefully someone who does can confirm.

I do not have a basking lamp. I was told that these Jax's were bred locally outside and have never had a heat lamp. I was thinking about getting her one too.

I live not to far from you in San Diego, even in direct light the tank never gets above the low-mid 70's. She really seems to like to hang out wherever the sun is hitting the tank.

Also she's eating

 

[chamfriend1]

They like both... Mine usually sit under the basking area in the mornings to warm up..then go roaming around....
I'm curious about one thing though... I keep seeing and reading about using both a drip and misting system in the same enclosure... I have been using nothing more than a monsoon 400 misting system for almost 2 years just by itself and my chameleons get plenty of water and humidity... So why are both so strenuously stated as needed..??

 

[werecat]

Funkateer, you may want to consider a basking light at least for part of the day. If she is spending a lot of time in the sun she is probably enjoying the warmth. As someone posted above, it might be nice for her to be able to warm up in the am. Cool that you live in San Diego. You could keep her outside if you want to. Or take her out for some real sun from time to time. We are lucky to have such nice weather in So Cal!

Chamfriend, I don't think a dripper is always necessary depending on your setup and your species of cham. For instance, I have a panther and a rain dome. Panthers don't typically need as much water as a jax or some other species. Also, drops collect on the screen below the rain dome so there is always water available for my cham. I think if you have been successful without a dripper then you are fine without. It's just nice for the cham to have access to water whenever they want it.

 

[Funkateer1]

Funkateer, you may want to consider a basking light at least for part of the day. If she is spending a lot of time in the sun she is probably enjoying the warmth. As someone posted above, it might be nice for her to be able to warm up in the am. Cool that you live in San Diego. You could keep her outside if you want to. Or take her out for some real sun from time to time. We are lucky to have such nice weather in So Cal!

Chamfriend, I don't think a dripper is always necessary depending on your setup and your species of cham. For instance, I have a panther and a rain dome. Panthers don't typically need as much water as a jax or some other species. Also, drops collect on the screen below the rain dome so there is always water available for my cham. I think if you have been successful without a dripper then you are fine without. It's just nice for the cham to have access to water whenever they want it.

I am getting a larger 36x18x18 cage and mist king tomorrow. I'll prbly get him a heat lamp for the morning.

 

[Montium]

They like both... Mine usually sit under the basking area in the mornings to warm up..then go roaming around....
I'm curious about one thing though... I keep seeing and reading about using both a drip and misting system in the same enclosure... I have been using nothing more than a monsoon 400 misting system for almost 2 years just by itself and my chameleons get plenty of water and humidity... So why are both so strenuously stated as needed..??

It really depends on your cham and your setup. Montanes need a fair amount of water to be happy along with cooler temps. Many people that have misting systems do not run them very long due to drainage issues. If you get your drainage figured out you can run misters much longer and really don't need a dripper. Kidney failure can be a slow thing and take a long time to show up. Many folks think they are giving enough water only to come home to a mysteriously dead cham.

So again, as with any subject, your mileage may vary. What works for one person may not for another. My misters run about two hours per day, mine are also outside so drainage isn't an issue for me and the enclosures are large enough to still leave a dry area while running. I do not use a dripper since I run my misters so long. That time goes to about four hours in the summer. Obviously this isn't going to work for many people so there is no one right way to provide water to your chams but they do need it and should look fleshy if they are getting enough and not like beef jerky.