Give me some advice

[Candidmule]

So I am a new chameleon owner i just dove into this hobby 2 days ago so any ways i got a young juvenile Jackson chameleon and shes a total sweet heart I got the chance to work with her and she always wanted out of her tank and just wanted to run around any ways i feel in love with her and got her cuz ive always wanted a chameleon and ive done research on them for about 6 years but just never pulled the trigger on getting 1 but now i did and now shes in her new cage and she really slowed down she is very lethargic not eating shes hardly drinking and shes sleeping during the day and im cerious on if this is all stress related from the move or could this all be an underlying illness that's just starting to manifest.

 

[extrajordinary]

Hello and welcome to the forums! If you fill out the following you’ll be more likely to receive helpful, specific feedback -

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been 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?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• 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?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

 

[JacksJill]

Filling out the information listed above would be a big help. I'm really interested in your lighting setup and your temperature gradient, ambient and basking temperatures.
I hope you are not running any lights over night.

 

[Candidmule]

Hello and welcome to the forums! If you fill out the following you’ll be more likely to receive helpful, specific feedback -

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been 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?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• 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?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

.Chameleon- its a girl jackson cham shes about 5-6 months old and shes only been in my care for 2 days but I work at the store I bought her from as well if that changes anything

.handeling- I've handled her twice sense i got her once to show my friend and once to move her into her cage and currently im just letting her do her thing just so i dont stress her out

.feeding- so far ive only tried feeding her crickets dusted with calcium powder and vitamin powder cuz shes not a big fan of greens or worms and I tried feeding her four-five of those and the schedule is every morning

.Supplements - I use the zoomed vitamins and calcium suplemts and im not on a set sexual yet for dusting them

.Watering- I mist and when I mist I mist for about 30 seconds about 3-4 times daily and use a dripper and it seems like the drippers the only thing she will drink from

.Fecal description - shes only pooped once sense shes been in my care and it was dark brown with white and wet but it wasent liquid and she hasnt been tested

.History- I got her from petco she came from a really open cage that was a short and wide glass cage with little cover shes pretty clumsy and hasent had any past illness

.Cage- its a full screen cage 30.5 x 18 x 18

.Lighting- I'm useing the zoo med duel uvb heating lamp with a 50w basking bulb and I have my lights on a timer from 10 am to 10 pm

.Temp- her basking spot is at 85 degrees and at mid level the temp is 75 degrees cage floors about 70-69 and the over night temps are about 70 degrees and i measure that all with the digital thermometers

Humidity I keep it at about 65-50% and yea I'm for sure maintain them very well and I measure them with a zoomed humidity gauge

.Plants- all my plants are fake

.Placement- the cage is in my room which is usally low traficed but ive been off work the two days ive had her so its been more traficed then normal and the cage is very high its almost touching my ceiling and its not by any fans or vents

.Location- and I'm from Minnesota

 

[Candidmule]

Filling out the information listed above would be a big help. I'm really interested in your lighting setup and your temperature gradient, ambient and basking temperatures.
I hope you are not running any lights over night.

I am running a light at night just to keep the temp up just cuz my house usally gets pretty cold at night

 

[Daesie11]

I am running a light at night just to keep the temp up just cuz my house usally gets pretty cold at night

Curious, do you sleep with a light in your face to stay warm, or do you find other ways around that? She needs darkness to trigger sleeping. Also how in the world did a Petco get their hands on a jacksons???

 

[Candidmule]

Curious, do you sleep with a light in your face to stay warm, or do you find other ways around that? She needs darkness to trigger sleeping. Also how in the world did a Petco get their hands on a jacksons???

No I have a night light for her cage cuz it keeps her cage at a nice 70 degrees and idk I just recently started working there and she was there and there was another male jackson but my chameleon stressed him out to much and he died but that was before I started there

 

[Coop]

My local petco, along with racks of the dreaded chameleon kit, has a male AND a female jackson’s chameleon in a tiny cage and a baby female amibeloble panther, all probably wild caught

 

[krikinit]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/jacksons/
Start here. Get a linear uvb bulb asap or this will be an mbd issue real fast. Welcome and stick with it, read as much as you can and always try to be a better keeper.

 

[Daesie11]

No I have a night light for her cage cuz it keeps her cage at a nice 70 degrees and idk I just recently started working there and she was there and there was another male jackson but my chameleon stressed him out to much and he died but that was before I started there

That's very sad, and why chain stores like that should not have reptiles at all. But regardless of that, you shouldn't be using any lights at all at night.

 

[Candidmule]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/jacksons/
Start here. Get a linear uvb bulb asap or this will be an mbd issue real fast. Welcome and stick with it, read as much as you can and always try to be a better keeper.

Yea I was already in the market for getting one. the small uvb light is just temporary. thanks I'll for sure check out that link im always down to learn more

 

[Candidmule]

That's very sad, and why chain stores like that should not have reptiles at all. But regardless of that, you shouldn't be using any lights at all at night.

Any advice om what i could do to keep the temp up at night then? And yea it sucks thats why i had to snag the female jackson well that and she has the best temporment

 

[Daesie11]

Any advice om what i could do to keep the temp up at night then? And yea it sucks thats why i had to snag the female jackson well that and she has the best temporment

It's ok for the temp to drop a bit at night, just like it would in the wild. I dont remember the magic number, but most people on here seem to go by the rule that if it's ok for you it's ok for your cham. I wrap my enclosure in a blanket at night to keep the humidity in, light out, and I'm sure it keeps the temp at an appropriate level as well

 

[Candidmule]

My local petco, along with racks of the dreaded chameleon kit, has a male AND a female jackson’s chameleon in a tiny cage and a baby female amibeloble panther, all probably wild caught

Yea the cages suck i wish i could change them but thats beyond my control

 

[Candidmule]

It's ok for the temp to drop a bit at night, just like it would in the wild. I dont remember the magic number, but most people on here seem to go by the rule that if it's ok for you it's ok for your cham. I wrap my enclosure in a blanket at night to keep the humidity in, light out, and I'm sure it keeps the temp at an appropriate level as well

Yea I'll for sure do that thanks for the advice I was thinking about doing that but my lights where on a timer so ill just take them off the timer and smack that blanket on

 

[Daesie11]

Yea I'll for sure do that thanks for the advice I was thinking about doing that but my lights where on a timer so ill just take them off the timer and smack that blanket on

I also have lights on a timer, I have velcro that attaches the blanket to the sides of the enclosure. And when I say blanket, I just mean a few yards of fleece I got from Joanne's and some stick on velcro

 

[krikinit]

Keep that humidity up 60-80% is what they require.Do you have a misting system? You will want to increase the duration of misting also.

 

[Candidmule]

Keep that humidity up 60-80% is what they require.Do you have a misting system? You will want to increase the duration of misting also.

No i dont have a misting system but when i get my next paycheck I was gonna get 1 I was gonna get the mist king and got ya I always heard I should try to shoot for the 50-60 mark but ive noticed my chameleon likes it higher cuz she brightens up when its higher so ill for sure do that

 

[Candidmule]

I also have lights on a timer, I have velcro that attaches the blanket to the sides of the enclosure. And when I say blanket, I just mean a few yards of fleece I got from Joanne's and some stick on velcro

Yea I'll have to rig somthing up like that but currently in just useing an extra blanket we had lying around that seems like its already working really well my lights have been off for 47 mins and the temp is at 74 so its already working better then the light i was useing

 

[JacksJill]

Chameleons will not sleep in the presence of light not even red light. Jackson's sleep best over night when their cage temperature is closer to 60 degrees F. They start to sleep during the day when the can't sleep at night and eventually die of sleep deprivation. I'm glad you are ditching the light.
Only give multi vitamins once a month and Calcium with D3 once a month. Use plain calcium only twice per week lightly. Jackson's are very sensitive to over supplementation. They don't eat greens like veiled do so that won't be necessary save that for gutloading insects.