Help me decide if I can have a Jackson

[splinter]

I was at Petsmart and saw 3 little guys that caught my attention. I've read that the color is 1 indication of health and 2 of them were dark brown and barely moving but they seems alert. The other one was walking around and was pretty bright, so if I buy one I believe it would be one like that, but before I spend my money I'll like to know a few things.

1. Can I keep it in a 1/4 inch metallic mesh? May be a bad idea considering the rust.
2. Were can I buy food? I know that I shouldn't feed it with just crickets.
3. Is that a good idea to put a little fountain in the cage? I spend most of the day out of my house so it will provide with enough water during the day (here in Puerto Rico the temperatures are over 90 almost all the year).
4. Knowing that the temperatures are pretty high. Should I buy a lamp anyway?

and last:
please advise if I should consider anything else in order to have a healthy Jackson chameleon.

Thanks

 

[chendy]

i heard mixed opinions on fountains, one it keeps humidity but the cham wont drink from it and it more likely to be a toilet for him. in turn birthing lots of bacteria . im not that experience so for sure get more opinions

 

[Dez and Delilah]

Do some research on the type of cage you're buying and read reviews to find out about durability and rust problems.

There are places you can order food from if the only thing locally available to you is crickets. It's a good idea to check if they'll deliver to you before purchasing your chameleon.

Fountains and waterfalls are generally not good ideas as they can become a breeding ground for bacteria. You can set up a dripper to provide water during the day as well as a misting system that can take care of your chameleons water needs.

If the temperatures are high enough, a basking bulb may not be necessary. I don't have experience in keeping chams in a higher temperature environment so maybe someone else can answer this better.

Jacksons can be difficult to keep and have been recommended to more experienced owners. Again, I have no experience with this species so hopefully someone who has can provide better advice.

 

[splinter]

Thanks a lot. That is the only species I saw today. I like them because of the similarity to the dinosaur. Maybe I should keep reading about that dipper and misting systems. Is that, something I can buy or should I get creative? The cage, I was thinking in building it myself, the chams that I saw today won't fit thru a 1/4 inch hole, I guest.

 

[Texas Ranger]

I think alot of research is in your future. Yes you can build your own cage, dripper and mister. I would highly recommend a Mistking. And a DIY cage. They are all my favorite products. I have 10 DIYcages and one mistking that is running my current 7 chams.

Good luck with you choice, your in the right place for help.

 

[splinter]

I was looking at some videos and the dipper and mist looks the same. What is the difference? The mist shouldn't be spouse to create like a fog?

 

[alexbrock]

research the proper housing of a jackson

the supplementation of jacksons

diet

lighting/temperature

watering is crucial. you can have a dripper and a mister if you cant decide

 

[alexbrock]

http://www.jacksonschameleoncaresheet.com/

 

[Carlton]

2. Were can I buy food? I know that I shouldn't feed it with just crickets.
3. Is that a good idea to put a little fountain in the cage? I spend most of the day out of my house so it will provide with enough water during the day (here in Puerto Rico the temperatures are over 90 almost all the year).
4. Knowing that the temperatures are pretty high. Should I buy a lamp anyway?

and last:
please advise if I should consider anything else in order to have a healthy Jackson chameleon.

Thanks

What are the temps in your house during the day? If you can't provide them with lower temps than the 90s you are going to have problems, especially at night. Jackson's are from higher elevation montane forests that are cooler. If you cool your house with AC that will dry out the air a lot. So, you will have to mist and fog your cage a lot more to keep it humid enough. The fountain won't be the best way to humidify the cage as it won't spread water droplets anywhere but into the pool. Misting ALL the cage foliage will be much more efficient and effective. And, there are all the other concerns about keeping the water clean. Not worth the trouble IMHO. Jax do bask in the mornings to warm up so a small regular house light bulb controlled by a plug in lamp timer could come on in the early morning but shut off later. But, if your cage is going to sit at 90 F without a light that's a problem.

I think a veiled or panther would suit your area better and you'd worry a lot less!

 

[Carlton]

I was looking at some videos and the dipper and mist looks the same. What is the difference? The mist shouldn't be spouse to create like a fog?

A DRIPPER is just that...a container of water with a tube that drips water at a set rate onto a plant's leaves. Misting (really a sprayer) is a way to cover the entire cage with water droplets. All those droplets provide surfaces for the cham to lick water from, and as the droplets evaporate they humidify the cage air. A fogger creates a very fine mist...much finer and lighter than a mister. If you fog the cage for a while the mist will condense as droplets on the leaves too. Foggers are more for raising the air humidity and misters/sprayers better at producing larger droplets the cham can drink. In dry areas you can easily need both.

 

[splinter]

Thanks Carlton
That is great info, here the temp goes down in the afternoons but during the day it is just over the 90s.