Freakin out

[fredismyboy]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Male Jackson's approximately 1 yr old
Handling - rarely
Feeding - 5 in the morning, 3 at lunch, however many he wants at dinner (crickets right now. silkworms when i have them)
Supplements - calcium
Watering - drip system
Fecal Description - brown with fluid surrounding
History - bought him from breeder in texas. i've had him since october

Cage Info:
Cage Type - steel bird cage. rectangular. covered in screening
Lighting - red heat light at night. uvb light 12 hr. during the day
Temperature -
Humidity -
Plants - hibiscus plant, fake plants
Placement - on floor. 3 ft. tall
Location - bedroom. key west, FL
Current Problem - He is freaking out. He is completely skiddish today. When i put the crickets in his cage, he dashed away from me. He normally just stays still. He was holding onto a branch at the bottom right corner of his cage with on hand for a while. What is wrong with him? I'm leaving him alone right now. Is there anything else that can be done?

 

[ChromaChameleons]

did he calm down when you walked away?? Did you recently move his cage? Go you have a cat? How long have you had him?

Consider changing the night lamp to a ceramic heater if you need to add night time heat. Jax should handle a cool night without extra heat and need a dark nigh tcycle...

 

[fredismyboy]

i've had him for 5 months. I dont know if he calms down when i leave the room, but i just checked on him again and he isnt calm. He also looks deathly hungry, even though i fed him yesterday and put crickets in his cage this morning.

 

[fredismyboy]

I recently put new fake plants in his cage, but he has been normal for the week they have been in there. I do have a cat, but she isnt allowed inside.

 

[ChromaChameleons]

are yuou wearing a really bright coloured shirt when you approach the cage?

He may be looking for a female. Id he stressed or just roaming around the cage?

 

[ChromaChameleons]

are there stray crix in the plant leaves. Maybe they are stressing him out?

 

[fredismyboy]

Chameleon's don't move fast in general, but he is dashing away from me when i approach. He is dashing down, also. I thought they liked to go up when they're scared. Im wearing light and dark purple. nothing too bright.

 

[fredismyboy]

all the crix are in the mulch on the bottom of the cage. Some crawl on the screen walls, but there aren't any in the leaves.

 

[ChromaChameleons]

the crix may have stressed him through the night
do a round up and watch that you dont have stray crix at night for the next few days

 

[fredismyboy]

i'll try that. thank you.

 

[JaxyGirl]

I also have a Male Jackson's and he's around 13 months but I've had him for a year now. He started behaving weird at about a year also. Not freaking out like yours..but acting pretty strange and restless. I attributed it to the fact that he was reaching breeding age and was going through hormonal changes. Ummm he also started getting overly friendly with the carpet on the stairs
If he's eating..and drinking try leaving him alone and see what he does. Also, if you have mulch on the bottom of his cage I would remove it because it can be ingested and can cause impaction. Good luck with your baby
Natalie

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Do some research on supplementing his feeders also. jacksons supplementation schedule should be closely monitored they are susceptile to hypervitaminosis.(spelling) You should be using three supps: 1. Calcium w/o D3 2. Calcium W/d3 Used 1 or 2 times monthly 3. Multi vitiamin 1 time a month
Make sure his basking temps are 80-83. Ambient temps mid 70s are fine. Humidity: 60-80%. These guys love to sit and be misted. So if you have the $$ get a mistking. And what size bird cage is he in? If hes an adult he should be in at least a 18 x 18 x 36 screen cage. He may be stressed due to the size of his enclosure.

 

[fredismyboy]

His cage is 28x35x13. He stopped going to the bottom to eat, and only eats his crickets out of a tin or off the wall now. I'm not sure why. It may be because it is still a little too cold for him. I don't have a heater in my house, but i keep a heat light on at night time. He is doing much better. He turns his body away when i'm putting food in his cage, but that's all now. It may have been the dramtic temperature change we had down here the other day.