Jackson chameleon help

[felix]

I recently got a male jackson's from an expo long island. I have him in an 18x18x36 reptibreeze. The temp is around 75 and the humidity is around 60%. I got him yesterday morning and I tried a few times to get him to eat crickets. I believe I'm stressing him out though! he's only eaten one cricket and I feel panicked(me just worrying I assume). My question is:

1. How long should I wait to feed him crickets
2. How should I go about feeding him, I've been trying to transfer him to a smaller enclosure but he's just sitting there looking unhappy

Thanks a million.

 

[felix]

Sorry, but I forgot to mention that he already ate one cricket yesterday.

 

[PappaRONzi]

I got my male Jackson at a expo in Indianapolis. He will probally take a few days to settle in and start eating/drinking. Give him some time and space. I feed my guy from a feeder that I made from a water bottle. Got the idea from this forum, will try to post a photo shortly. He now eats regularly in the morning. Why would you transfer him to a smaller cage, am I missing something?

 

[Solid Snake]

Could you post pics of him and the setup?

I would just free range a few crickets in the terrarium.

 

[PappaRONzi]

Here is my feeder, it is a little ugly for my taste, I need to fine tune it, but it works. He should be feed daily, a day off ocassionally is good. but he should want to eat and have food available almost daily. How old is he? Hope this helps,

 

[Chali2naRap]

when i got mine it was about an hour drive home and he was stressed. he didnt eat for three days, but when he did he was immediately green. i noticed he really likes to hunt, sometimes hell eat a worm in front of me but now i usually just throw in a few crickets in the morning and by the end of the day they are gone. just give him a couple days, keep him comfortable with humidity levels, and make sure hes drinking water.

 

[amanda509]

moving him to another enclosure might be too much stress for him right now. technically the rule of thumb is to not bother them for a week after you get them to give them time to settle in. and alot of chams dont recognize feeders or cups as ways to get food. have you tried free ranging a cricket or two? normally when the bugs are free ranged, and the cham is hungry, instinct comes out and they eat before they lose their chance. anyhow, not sure if u said the age or not, but young jacksons need fed everyday, but adults can be fed 4 days a week. i feed between 8 and 10 crix every other day.

 

[xanthoman]

acclimation

he can easily go a couple of weeks without food, and they are susceptible to hunger strikes during times of stress, so, imo i wouldnt even bother him with food for the first couple of days. instead i think your efforts might be better directed at getting things his cage location, and temp zones dialed in. try to think of any improvements or changes you might want to make and make them all at once. then you can just take him out and let him crawl around on a houseplant or the curtains or something while you make your changes, rather than bothering him everyday for the next week.

bear in mind they are arboreal (tree dwelling) and much more comfortable when their basking spot is at or above eye level.
also good to consider cage location. kids, pets, stereos, tvs, lights that are frequently turned on and off, heat registers, excessive foot traffic in close proximity of the cage, all can be a problem.

all he really needs now is uvb, plenty of water, foliage, and for you to get out of his territory.

im sure in 2 or 3 days he'll be more than ready for food. 5 med feeders 4 or 5 days a week is plenty, its not good to feed captive xanths all they will eat and it would be good if you could get his night temps down to at least 64* without using fans, airco or being in direct proximity to an open window.

i dont know what your intentions for a supp plan are, but imo, might be a good idea to fill out the help form and bounce it off of forum members, if you dont have a supp plan, just list whatever supp brands you have on hand . imo, i wouldnt recommend any supping other than a couple of matcheads of plain cal a week. until you get a balanced plan. he can easily and probably should go several weeks without any multivites, probably a good idea to submit the help form before you give any d3 either.
imo, whether experienced or novice keeper, 85-90% of xanth health problems are caused by poor diet or oversupplementation, they need very little, so imo, if they are getting any at all they arent likely getting under supped, imo, thats an almost non existent scenario. jmo