Is he ok?? New cham

Chamjack

New Member
Hello, we just got our baby Jackson 24 hours ago. He's almost black right now although yesterday he was a light color. now his color changed to light. He isn't eating the fruit flies and i can't tell if he drank water yet. We are container feeding him he seems to have eaten a coupe yesterday. His cage size is 2x2x4 and his humidity and temps are good. We have a real plant and fake hanging vines. Anyone face same issues with their new cham, he's about a month old. Also his eyes seem to be closed a lot.

Also has anyone feed a baby this small pin head crickets?? Or anything else besides fruit flies??

Thank you four all help and suggestions.
 

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Hey there! Welcome to the forum.

It's not uncommon for chams to not eat for a couple of days as they are adjusting to their new home. Chams will turn dark in color for a variety of reasons: to indicate they are cold, they are extremely stressed, or they are sick.

I highly recommend a husbandry review to make sure that everything is set up properly for your cham. Please fill out the form below:

Chameleon Info:


  • 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?
Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:


  1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
  2. Photos can be very helpful
 
  • Your Chameleon: He is a male ( I think) Rainbow Jackson's chameleon. Unsure of exact age but seems less than 3 months
  • How long has it been in your care?- We received him yesterday.
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?- I have not really handled him yet, besides taking him for the box to the enclosure and putting him on a stick attached to the window for natural UVB for 10 mins.
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount?- He hasn't really eaten yet besides a couple of fruit flies. We are picking up pinhead crickets today.
  • What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?- We will try to mainly feed fruit flies and pinhead crickets with a gutload of mustard greens and collard greens.
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?- We have Zoo med calcium without d3 , flukers calcium with d3 and repashy vitamin A powder.
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?- I have a humidifier and a dripper. The humidifier goes off every couple hours to maintain humidity. I have not seen my chameleon drinking .
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?- I don't think my cham has pooped yet so I wouldn't know. He has not been tested for parasites.
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.- No info about history.

  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?- I have a Reptibreexze 2×2×4
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?- I'm using a EcoSmart 100 watt natural light bulb and Reptisun T5 HO 5.0. Lights go on at 9:30 A.M and off at 9:30 P.M
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?- Ambient temp is 74F and around the basking spot its 82F . Night temps are about 68F. I use a digital Thermomter/Hygrometer
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?- My humidity levels are around 30-35% when the humidifier is off and when on it goes up to about 40-50%. I use a humidifier and digital themomter/Hygrometer
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?- I use 1 money tree in my enclosure.
  • 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?- My cage is in my bedroom. It is not very high traffic. It sits on my dresser which is 28in of the ground.
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?- I live in New York
 
See my responses below. I also highly recommend going through the entire husbandry program on Chameleon Academy: https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
Also, refer to the species profile and care sheet for Jackson's on the same website: https://chameleonacademy.com/the-jacksons-chameleon-trioceros-jacksonii/
https://chameleonacademy.com/wp-con...-Yellow-crested-Jacksons-Chameleon-091320.pdf

  • Your Chameleon: He is a male ( I think) Rainbow Jackson's chameleon. Unsure of exact age but seems less than 3 months This is super young, where did you get him from?
  • How long has it been in your care?- We received him yesterday.
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?- I have not really handled him yet, besides taking him for the box to the enclosure and putting him on a stick attached to the window for natural UVB for 10 mins. FYI UVB does not pass through glass. If you want him to get natural sunlight, it's best to take him outside. However, it is important to make sure the temps outside are appropriate for him. As long as he has the proper UVB lighting for his enclosure he should be fine.
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount?- He hasn't really eaten yet besides a couple of fruit flies. We are picking up pinhead crickets today. He should be eating a lot at this age (as much as he wants)
  • What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?- We will try to mainly feed fruit flies and pinhead crickets with a gutload of mustard greens and collard greens. The more variety, the better! I'll attach feeder & gutload guides.
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?- We have Zoo med calcium without d3 , flukers calcium with d3 and repashy vitamin A powder. @JacksJill @Kaizen can you comment on supplementation at this age?
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?- I have a humidifier and a dripper. The humidifier goes off every couple hours to maintain humidity. I have not seen my chameleon drinking . The enclosure should be sprayed with either a hand or automatic mister a few times a day, for a few minutes duration each time. This will trigger your chameleon to drink the droplets off of leaves. The enclosure should dry out between mistings. Dripper is good.
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?- I don't think my cham has pooped yet so I wouldn't know. He has not been tested for parasites. It's a good idea to get a fecal analysis done for any new cham to rule out parasites
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.- No info about history.

  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?- I have a Reptibreexze 2×2×4 Good!
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?- I'm using a EcoSmart 100 watt natural light bulb and Reptisun T5 HO 5.0. Lights go on at 9:30 A.M and off at 9:30 P.M Good!
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?- Ambient temp is 74F and around the basking spot its 82F . Night temps are about 68F. I use a digital Thermomter/Hygrometer This is good, but see if you can drop his nighttime temps a little lower. Jackson's do better with cool nights and high humidity
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?- My humidity levels are around 30-35% when the humidifier is off and when on it goes up to about 40-50%. I use a humidifier and digital themomter/Hygrometer Humidity should be 30-50% during the day, and close to 100% at night. I would reserve the humidifier for nighttime use. Using it during the day when it is warm can put the humidity too high and pose the risk of a respiratory infection
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?- I use 1 money tree in my enclosure. More live plants are best, I would ditch any fake ones you have. Live plants help maintain humidity levels and provide shaded areas within the enclosure.
  • 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?- My cage is in my bedroom. It is not very high traffic. It sits on my dresser which is 28in of the ground.
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?- I live in New York
 

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See my responses below. I also highly recommend going through the entire husbandry program on Chameleon Academy: https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
Also, refer to the species profile and care sheet for Jackson's on the same website: https://chameleonacademy.com/the-jacksons-chameleon-trioceros-jacksonii/
https://chameleonacademy.com/wp-con...-Yellow-crested-Jacksons-Chameleon-091320.pdf
Didn’t see the part about the window, thanks!
 
I barely know where to start. It is unethical to sell a Jackson's chameleon this young. It is too early to determine the sex at this point. That said lets see what we can do to help you out.

Lets start with lights it sounds like you have a dual dome light fixture. It will not provide enough UVB in that large of a cage. You will need to move to a 24 inch linear t5 fixture ASAP to prevent MBD with a 5.0 or 6% bulb. Eco smart bulbs tend to be LED and do not produce enough heat to be useful. You need to make sure you have incandescent bulbs and this young they shouldn't be too close to the screen ass they may burn or dehydrate young jacksons. His basking spot should not go over 78 F until he is 9 months old. Prior to 3 months I don't even use a basking bulb. Basking bulb does not need to be on all day but rather an hour or two mornings and on and off as needed the rest of the day off before UVB lights at night prior to misting.

Supplements my plan is not typical but has worked for several years for me. I dust with plain calcium mixed with ground bee pollen Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I dust very lightly you can barely see it on the feeders. If they are getting fed twice a day it is only on one feeding or half of the feeder bugs. Every two weeks or twice a month I substitute Repashy Calcium plus Lod for the Monday calcium VERY LIGHTLY.
There are other options but you will need a multivitamin either way.
"Calcium and other vitamins are very important to your chameleon's health. Feeder insects should be lightly dusted with powdered supplement before being fed to your chameleon. As a montane species (native to higher altitudes) Jackson's have decreased supplementation requirements compared to tropical species due to metabolism differences. Use calcium (without D3 or phosphorus) twice a week, a multivitamin once a month, and calcium with D3 once a month."

You should add an early morning and late evening misting and move your humidifier to overnight as mentioned above. You don't really want high humidity with high heat. They aren't actually jungle creatures.

There is more but these things need to be addressed first.
 
I barely know where to start. It is unethical to sell a Jackson's chameleon this young. It is too early to determine the sex at this point. That said lets see what we can do to help you out.

Lets start with lights it sounds like you have a dual dome light fixture. It will not provide enough UVB in that large of a cage. You will need to move to a 24 inch linear t5 fixture ASAP to prevent MBD with a 5.0 or 6% bulb. Eco smart bulbs tend to be LED and do not produce enough heat to be useful. You need to make sure you have incandescent bulbs and this young they shouldn't be too close to the screen ass they may burn or dehydrate young jacksons. His basking spot should not go over 78 F until he is 9 months old. Prior to 3 months I don't even use a basking bulb. Basking bulb does not need to be on all day but rather an hour or two mornings and on and off as needed the rest of the day off before UVB lights at night prior to misting.

Supplements my plan is not typical but has worked for several years for me. I dust with plain calcium mixed with ground bee pollen Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I dust very lightly you can barely see it on the feeders. If they are getting fed twice a day it is only on one feeding or half of the feeder bugs. Every two weeks or twice a month I substitute Repashy Calcium plus Lod for the Monday calcium VERY LIGHTLY.
There are other options but you will need a multivitamin either way.
"Calcium and other vitamins are very important to your chameleon's health. Feeder insects should be lightly dusted with powdered supplement before being fed to your chameleon. As a montane species (native to higher altitudes) Jackson's have decreased supplementation requirements compared to tropical species due to metabolism differences. Use calcium (without D3 or phosphorus) twice a week, a multivitamin once a month, and calcium with D3 once a month."

You should add an early morning and late evening misting and move your humidifier to overnight as mentioned above. You don't really want high humidity with high heat. They aren't actually jungle creatures.

There is more but these things need to be addressed first.
Just curious. What is the ratio of bee pollen to cal w/o D3? is it 1:1?
 
  • Your Chameleon: He is a male ( I think) Rainbow Jackson's chameleon. Unsure of exact age but seems less than 3 months. Jax shouldn’t be sold under 4 months, and preferably 5-6.
  • How long has it been in your care?- We received him yesterday.
  • Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?- I have not really handled him yet, besides taking him for the box to the enclosure and putting him on a stick attached to the window for natural UVB for 10 mins.People have probably addressed this, but uvb will not penetrate window glass.
  • Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount?- He hasn't really eaten yet besides a couple of fruit flies. Jax are usually good eaters/hunters. Although fruit flies will elicit a good feeding response, pinheads and nymph roaches can actually be gutloaded, and are better feeder choices. We are picking up pinhead crickets today.
  • What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?- We will try to mainly feed fruit flies and pinhead crickets with a gutload of mustard greens and collard greens. So good job on the pinheads, but I’d up your gutload game. High calcium greens should be 70% of your gutload, but including other highly nutritious gutload ingredients is advisable. Check out the gutload care image.
  • Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?- We have Zoo med calcium without d3 , flukers calcium with d3 and repashy vitamin A powder.Ok, but what schedule are you using? Not to toot my own horn, but check out https://www.kaizenchameleons.com/supplementation-schedules for different supplement schedules that have a proven track record.
  • Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?- I have a humidifier and a dripper. The humidifier goes off every couple hours to maintain humidity. I have not seen my chameleon drinking . Again, what are the actual humidity numbers? See https://www.kaizenchameleons.com/hydration
  • Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?- I don't think my cham has pooped yet so I wouldn't know. He has not been tested for parasites.
  • History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.- No info about history.

  • Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?- I have a Reptibreexze 2×2×4
  • Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?- I'm using a EcoSmart 100 watt natural light bulb and Reptisun T5 HO 5.0. Lights go on at 9:30 A.M and off at 9:30 P.M Do you have a solar meter?
  • Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?- Ambient temp is 74F and around the basking spot its 82F . Night temps are about 68F. I use a digital Thermomter/Hygrometer my experience with jax is that your nightime temp is too high. Under 62 is important. I don’t think any jax need to see temps above 80...ever.
  • Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?- My humidity levels are around 30-35% when the humidifier is off and when on it goes up to about 40-50%. I use a humidifier and digital themomter/Hygrometer. again, this is not sufficient info. Check out https://www.kaizenchameleons.com/hydration
  • Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?- I use 1 money tree in my enclosure.
  • 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?- My cage is in my bedroom. It is not very high traffic. It sits on my dresser which is 28in of the ground.
  • Location - Where are you geographically located?- I live in New York
 
See my responses below. I also highly recommend going through the entire husbandry program on Chameleon Academy: https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/
Also, refer to the species profile and care sheet for Jackson's on the same website: https://chameleonacademy.com/the-jacksons-chameleon-trioceros-jacksonii/
https://chameleonacademy.com/wp-con...-Yellow-crested-Jacksons-Chameleon-091320.pdf
I just realized I posted the link to T. j. Xanth, not the Rainbow ( T. j. Jacksonii), my apologies. The jacksonii care sheet is linked below.
https://chameleonacademy.com/wp-con...-Machakos-Hills-Jacksons-Chameleon-091320.pdf
 
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