Jackson’s Cham not eating

[Jackscham13]

Hi I’m new just joined! I just recently bought a Jackson chameleon about a week ago from a local reptile store. They said he is about 4 months but looks to be older. He already went through his first shed. He hasn’t been wanting to eat much. I have dubia roachs, super worms, and crickets. Since I had him he’s only eaten a couple of times and not many bugs either. Instead he just kills them and lets them sit at the bottom of his enclosure and acts like they don’t exist. Anyway to fix this problem?

 

[GrayMadder]

Hi and welcome to the forums!! Its likely stress. I added a video on what to expect when you bring your cham home.

I would suggest filling out this form and ensure your husbandry is correct! We have a lot of knowledgeable people who can help!

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.

 

[Jackscham13]

Chameleon info:
- Male kenyun Jackson chameleon, told was about 3-4 months, been in my care for a little more than a week
- I handle him very minimally so he’s not stressed
- feeding: I have dubia roaches, superworms, and crickets. I currently have no schedule because he doesn’t seem to be wanting to eat. He ate 2 and killed the others he saw and left them the last two feedings.
- I currently only have calcium w/ D3
- I use a spray bottle for now until his fogger is on the way, I mist about every 3 hours for 1 minute to 1:30 seconds. I do see him drink from his plant quite often.
- fecal description: brown/ black sometimes has white.
- Cage: 16x16x20 mesh
- Lighting: UVB 5.0 bulb and 75 watt heat lamp. Lights on 7am lights out 7pm
- Temp: basking spot 82.7 F and cooler area around 78.9 F
- Humidity: it’s fairly low since I was told when he sheds he needs a lower humidity 25-30%
- I do have a live plant Golden Pathos
- Cage is placed in my room, top of enclosure about 50 in from the floor , no air vents by the enclosure
- I am located in Las Vegas NV

 

[Jackscham13]

oh and the problem is getting him to eat!

 

[Jackscham13]

I also forgot to mention I do use a drip system as well

 

[kinyonga]

Looks female. Can you post a photo of it on something to show the size please?
How big are the insects?
@JacksJill @Kaizen any comments?

 

[Mendez]

Yep, looks like a female jacksonii jacksonii. Though like @kinyonga said, we need a closer pic to be certain.

 

[Jackscham13]

He seems to big to be 3/4 months.

 

[Jackscham13]

The bugs are more on the smaller side, like medium

 

[kinyonga]

Males have 3 horns. Can you put her on your hand and take a photo. I'd like to see her size.

 

[kinyonga]

Your supplements and lighting and a few other things need changing. More in a few minutes.

 

[Jackscham13]

Comparison of size to 10in feeding tongs and a close up of his (her?) face for a better look

 

[kinyonga]

I'm wondering if she could be gravid.

 

[Jackscham13]

here’s a picture with them on my hand

 

[Mendez]

- feeding: I have dubia roaches, superworms, and crickets. I currently have no schedule because he doesn’t seem to be wanting to eat. He ate 2 and killed the others he saw and left them the last two feedings.
- I currently only have calcium w/ D3

How is she killing the bugs? Does she chew on them and spit them out or what?

And how often are you supplementing D3? Too much D3 can lead to an overdose and cause terrible side effects. D3 should be given only twice a month. And what brand are you using? If it doesn't have multivitamins, then you also need to supplement with multivitamins twice a month as well. Repashy Calcium plus LoD has both D3 and multivitamin so you can hit two birds with one stone.

- I use a spray bottle for now until his fogger is on the way, I mist about every 3 hours for 1 minute to 1:30 seconds. I do see him drink from his plant quite often.

How often do you see your cham drinking? Some people like to play humidity levels by ear, but unless you have experience with humidity levels, you should invest in a digital hygrometer. The daytime levels should be anywhere between 30-50% and the night should be between 75-100%. Proper humidity leads to a healthier chameleon.

- fecal description: brown/ black sometimes has white.

If it has white (urates), then you should be fine. But I would strongly recommend getting a hygrometer to check the humidity. If it is too dry, they lose more water when breathing and become dehydrated faster.

- Cage: 16x16x20 mesh

Since jacksonii jacksonii are a smaller subspecies, they don't need as much room as other larger chameleons. With that said, the smallest I have seen people recommend is an 18x18x36--but bigger is better.

- Lighting: UVB 5.0 bulb and 75 watt heat lamp. Lights on 7am lights out 7pm

You need a linear uvb bulb and fixture. There is not enough uvb output for an animal of this size which can lead to mbd. She doesn't seem to have mbd yet but make sure to make this change asap. Your 12 hr light schedule is good.

- Temp: basking spot 82.7 F and cooler area around 78.9 F

I'd shoot for a solid 80F

- Humidity: it’s fairly low since I was told when he sheds he needs a lower humidity 25-30%

25% is too low and can lead to dehydration. And it is especially important to raise the humidity at night if you are keeping the humidity that low during the day.

- I do have a live plant Golden Pathos

Adding more plants to the cage will make her feel safer and also stabilize the humidity fluctuations within the cage. When given more options to hide behind plants, they often feel safer and become bolder animals--a win-win situation!

- Cage is placed in my room, top of enclosure about 50 in from the floor , no air vents by the enclosure

Very good!

 

[Jackscham13]

Chews and spits the bugs out

How is she killing the bugs? Does she chew on them and spit them out or what?

And how often are you supplementing D3? Too much D3 can lead to an overdose and cause terrible side effects. D3 should be given only twice a month. And what brand are you using? If it doesn't have multivitamins, then you also need to supplement with multivitamins twice a month as well. Repashy Calcium plus LoD has both D3 and multivitamin so you can hit two birds with one stone.


How often do you see your cham drinking? Some people like to play humidity levels by ear, but unless you have experience with humidity levels, you should invest in a digital hygrometer. The daytime levels should be anywhere between 30-50% and the night should be between 75-100%. Proper humidity leads to a healthier chameleon.


If it has white (urates), then you should be fine. But I would strongly recommend getting a hygrometer to check the humidity. If it is too dry, they lose more water when breathing and become dehydrated faster.


Since jacksonii jacksonii are a smaller subspecies, they don't need as much room as other larger chameleons. With that said, the smallest I have seen people recommend is an 18x18x36--but bigger is better.


You need a linear uvb bulb and fixture. There is not enough uvb output for an animal of this size which can lead to mbd. She doesn't seem to have mbd yet but make sure to make this change asap. Your 12 hr light schedule is good.


I'd shoot for a solid 80F


25% is too low and can lead to dehydration. And it is especially important to raise the humidity at night if you are keeping the humidity that low during the day.


Adding more plants to the cage will make her feel safer and also stabilize the humidity fluctuations within the cage. When given more options to hide behind plants, they often feel safer and become bolder animals--a win-win situation!


Very good!

Chews and spits the bugs out, I’ve only been able to feed two bugs dusted with calcium with D3 since I have no luck with them eating at them moment. How do I go about raising humidity? I do have a digital hydrometer to check levels. They drink about almost every time the cage is misted. Brand of calcium is ZooMed.

 

[Mendez]

Chews and spits the bugs out

Chews and spits the bugs out, I’ve only been able to feed two bugs dusted with calcium with D3 since I have no luck with them eating at them moment.

Is this every type of bug you give or only one type (e.g. She only spits out dubia roaches)?

How do I go about raising humidity? I do have a digital hydrometer to check levels. They drink about almost every time the cage is misted. Brand of calcium is ZooMed.

To raise humidity, you can put a shower curtain around the sides of the cage (leaving the front door open). This will help keep in the humidity when you spray down the cage. Using a fogger at night will help with nighttime humidity. Getting a misting system like mistking to mist throughout the night could make it easier to keep the nighttime humidity up. If you are still having trouble keeping up the humidity, you can put window insulator shrink film on the front of the screen while leaving the bottom maintenance door unblocked. This will still give you plenty of airflow due to the chimney effect. The chimney effect, in essence, is where fresh air enters the bottom of the cage when the air at the top is heated up by the lights and rises out the top.

Also, you need to get rid of that cloth screen thing that she is sitting on in the first picture. They just need branches and vines to climb around on. If you can, go outside and collect branches. If the branches are in a location where pesticides are probably used--then you need to clean them. There are plenty of threads on how to clean branches.

 

[leedragon]

how often is she eating+ She looks like a red phase jacksonii jacksonii female. That is quite reare. Do keep her alive. No way she is 4 months old. She looks pregnad.
! you need more plants alot more. Get a big ass benjamin ficus and shove it in the cage. lots of branches and leaves. Get calcium without D3 or vitamins. Lightly dust the feeder. Gut load the feeders. Search for sandra chameleon gutloading blogs here on the site.

Get blue botle fliess, vaxmoths and walking sticks, rotate your feeders. Jacksoniis specially wild caught get tired of the same food really quick.

You need a nght temperature drop. Temperature at night should be around 16 and at day 27 on the basking spot, 25 in general. Heavy mist like 3 times a week. like 30 minuts or so. When temperatures allow and if you have a backyard keep it outside in a cage that is predator proof. Morgning and evning natural sun then will do wonder for them. also feeders should be small. They don´t take as big ones as a Yemen of the same saize would. try feeder the size of a fly or a bit smaller.

 

[Mendez]

Yeah, if she is drinking almost every time you mist, then she is probably dehydrated. She should not be drinking every time. Usual behavior is running away from the mist when they are properly hydrated.

 

[Jackscham13]

She does run away from the mist too and instead hides under her leaves when I mist she’s been doing that for the past 2/3 days she hasn’t drank today but has been a bit active in her cage. So we have established the chameleon is a girl correct? I want to do everything right when caring for her, since this is my first cham (not my first reptile) also how do you tell age? If that is possible because I do believe she is older than what I was told