How do I create a bond with my reptile pet?

[Jennie]

Hello there,

I've recently bought my first juvenile female Jackson chameleon from my local pet store for $20. The female chameleon (Lizzy, like lizard) is very friendly,(compared to what I hear about other people's reptilian pets) but lately she has been changing to dark colors with dark patterns and remains to stays that way even she sleeps. I live I oahu so it gets hot here, from 80-90s degrees at day and 70-80s at night, am I not taking care of her properly? (CHECK BELOW FOR MORE DETAILS)

QUESTIONS:

How do I make her bond/comforable with me?

Should I give her meal worms, silk worms or vitamins to help her grow?

Should I get her a screen cage instead of a glass one?

Do chameleons contains parasites/viruses? And if so how can I get rid of them?

Is the temperatures on Oahu right for my chameleon?


More Details:

[1]The chameleon is light brown and not old enough to turn red, blue, or green but only brown, darker brown, and neon green when she is in the sun (werid, huh?). I would say she around 1-2 1/2 mouth old because of her size...

[2]Her cage is very small and made out of glass that's placed right outside a big window where she gets 9 hours of direct natural sunlight but she doesn't over bake cause one half is shaded too.

[3](NOTE: She been trying to climb the glass wall for almost 2 days since I got her, is that stressing her out?). She has a dark organic tree branch I just took from my yard and natural coconut fiber bedding to keep in the moisture (I mist her around 4-5 a day). I was thinking of getting a screen cage but a good quality cage are upwards to $100.


[4]Her hydration is excellent and I feed her only 1-2 live crickets a day. Around 3-4 times a day I lift her from her cage, pet her and let her roam around and sometimes place her onto a plant, so she can climb on ever since I recently got her.

Thanks!

 

[MelissaB]

QUESTIONS:

How do I make her bond/comforable with me?

Should I give her meal worms, silk worms or vitamins to help her grow?
A varied diet with different feeders that are gutloaded is best. Gutloading is feeding the feeders good food so they're nutritious. You will also have to use calcium powders and vitamin supplements. She will also need a UVB light.

Should I get her a screen cage instead of a glass one?
Depends on the conditions in your house.

Do chameleons contains parasites/viruses? And if so how can I get rid of them?
The only way to know is to take a fecal sample to the vet. If it comes back positive the vet will prescribe the proper meds.
Is the temperatures on Oahu right for my chameleon?


More Details:

[1]The chameleon is light brown and not old enough to turn red, blue, or green but only brown, darker brown, and neon green when she is in the sun (werid, huh?). I would say she around 1-2 1/2 mouth old because of her size...
Female jacksons never turn red, or blue. Just varying shades of green and brown.

[2]Her cage is very small and made out of glass that's placed right outside a big window where she gets 9 hours of direct natural sunlight but she doesn't over bake cause one half is shaded too.
UVB from the sun will not penetrate through glass. I would be careful as a glass cage in direct sun can overheat very quickly. It will be hard to get a decent temperature gradient if the cage is small.

[3](NOTE: She been trying to climb the glass wall for almost 2 days since I got her, is that stressing her out?). She has a dark organic tree branch I just took from my yard and natural coconut fiber bedding to keep in the moisture (I mist her around 4-5 a day). I was thinking of getting a screen cage but a good quality cage are upwards to $100.


[4]Her hydration is excellent and I feed her only 1-2 live crickets a day. Around 3-4 times a day I lift her from her cage, pet her and let her roam around and sometimes place her onto a plant, so she can climb on ever since I recently got her.
Handling her that much, especially since she's new, isn't a good idea. It usually stresses them out.

It would be a good idea for you to read the site's care sheet on jacksons. There's lots of great information on it.
link: https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/jacksons/
Thanks!

 

[jajeanpierre]

Congratulations on your new chameleon. Have you read the care sheets MelissaB provided? That will give you a lot of information.

I don't have Jacksons, but have a montane (mountain) species, which Jacksons are as well. One thing about montane species is that they live at higher altitudes and need cooler temperatures. The temps you are reporting seem much too hot for a Jackson. Also, you have a small glass enclosure that you keep in the window in the sun. Regardless of any shade, the temperature will be higher than the ambient room temperatures, which already seems too high to me by about 10F.

Her trying to climb is a sign of stress. She might be stressed because she is overheating and cannot find a place to cool down. She might be stressed because, based on your description of her cage, she has a very barren enclosure and feels vulnerable to predation. A chameleon needs places to hide. She might be stressed because your cage is too small. I suspect she is a wild caught, so you have just taken an animal out of the wild and put it in a tiny glass box that is too hot and too small with no place to hide from all the monsters looking at her and then is subjected to repeated handling (near-death experiences from her point of view) from chameleon-eating predators--and that predator would be you.

I'm at a loss to understand why you think she is one to two and a half months old. How big is she? If you don't know that a Jackson chameleon doesn't turn red and blue, why do you know how big a one to two and a half month old Jackson is? Can you send a picture? Do you have a weight?

As far as your feeding, I would say she is eating too little. There is so much to learn about feeding, supplementing and proper lighting. Please read the care sheets and the general care sheets asap.

Your handling of her is problematic. Chameleons don't like to be handled or petted. To them, they are being captured by a monster and are about to die. A wild-caught animal, which this one might very well be, will be even more afraid since they haven't been exposed to humans before. They really need to be left alone in a densely furnished (lots of live plants) enclosure where they can hide for quite some time. Chronic stress suppresses the immune system and and leads to illness. Infections and parasites that are held in check by a healthy immune system will rage out of control when the immune system is compromised. Stress compromises the immune system.

Your questions:

How do you "make" her bond with you? You don't. Chameleons don't bond with anything. Not a mate and not their young. It is not in their biology. You can make her less afraid of you. You do that by not making her fear for her life every time she interacts with you.

Your second question baffles me. Yes, you are supposed to feed your pets, and growing is a sign you are doing something right. Please read the care sheets. When you've read the care sheets, you will be in a better position to ask specific questions so we can help you do the best for your new pet.

Screen or glass? It always depends. Based on what you've said, heat seems to be your biggest problem and too high temps will stress your chameleon just as too much handling will. Do you have air conditioning in your house. You also need to worry about UVB lights and they will throw off heat as well. You definitely need to get her into a more suitable enclosure. How small is your description of small? Proper cages and lighting cost money. You might be able to set up a home-made screen cage in a cool spot in the garden. That would solve the UVB problem. You would have to worry about predation from rats and other animals.

Yes, chameleons do have diseases and parasites. Some of the parasites can be transmitted to people. You should have a series of fecals looked at by an exotic reptile vet. A clear sample today does not mean they don't have parasites. If she is in fact a wild caught, she is likely loaded with parasites. Your vet will prescribe the appropriate treatment.

Good luck.

 

[Carlton]

I've recently bought my first juvenile female Jackson chameleon from my local pet store for $20. The female chameleon (Lizzy, like lizard) is very friendly

How do you know she was being "friendly"? Its easy to misinterpret their behavior. A cham can be so stressed out it doesn't move while being held...its trying to shut you out.

she has been changing to dark colors with dark patterns and remains to stays that way even she sleeps.

Sounds like normal stress coloration to me.

QUESTIONS:

How do I make her bond/comforable with me?

Give her stability from day to day. She will want a cage with lots of foliage she can hide in if she wants, lots of places to drink, to hunt, and to watch the world from a hiding spot. Get her used to you by keeping daily cage chores to a routine, put lights on timers, and start offering her treats by hand once she doesn't show stress colors when you open up her cage.

Should I give her meal worms, silk worms or vitamins to help her grow?

Mealworms are not a great feeder to use. Silkworms are great. The greater variety of insects the better. Blue bottle flies, dull-colored night moths, hornworms, silkworms, crickets, roaches, leaf insects, mantises, small spiders, and cultivated isopods (sowbugs, pillbugs), occasional waxworms as treats.

Should I get her a screen cage instead of a glass one?

Depends!

Do chameleons contains parasites/viruses? And if so how can I get rid of them?

Is the temperatures on Oahu right for my chameleon?


Depends! Need to be much more specific.

More Details:

[1]The chameleon is light brown and not old enough to turn red, blue, or green but only brown, darker brown, and neon green when she is in the sun (werid, huh?).

No, sounds pretty normal for a jax. She shows her blotchy coloration when she's more active and stimulated. The neon green is a normal color too. No reds or blues.

I would say she around 1-2 1/2 mouth old because of her size...

[2]Her cage is very small and made out of glass that's placed right outside a big window where she gets 9 hours of direct natural sunlight but she doesn't over bake cause one half is shaded too.

Sounds very warm for her.

[3](NOTE: She been trying to climb the glass wall for almost 2 days since I got her, is that stressing her out?). She has a dark organic tree branch I just took from my yard and natural coconut fiber bedding to keep in the moisture (I mist her around 4-5 a day). I was thinking of getting a screen cage but a good quality cage are upwards to $100.


[4]Her hydration is excellent and I feed her only 1-2 live crickets a day. Around 3-4 times a day I lift her from her cage, pet her and let her roam around and sometimes place her onto a plant, so she can climb on ever since I recently got her.

Sorry, but she's very stressed as already mentioned. Hardly any cham likes to be petted. They don't groom each other so its not something they consider nice. She's probably thinking you are going to kill her when you touch her.

 

[Jennie]

Here's the picture of the chameleon: (sorry for the quality, I used the IPad's camera)

 

[Jennie]

Her cage

Is this good enough for her cage?

 

[Carlton]

Is this good enough for her cage?

I'm sorry, but no this is not adequate at all. Please read the cham care articles located under the forum's Resources tab above.