I will answer in green
My chameleon is a juvinile, male, jackson chameleon. I'm not sure of the exact age but probably 2 ish months oldHe's been in my care for almost 2 weeks
I try to handle my chameleon as little as possible to not stress him. But also, I'd like him to get accustomed to handling, so i probably handle a couple times a day I would reduce that to weekly unless your cham is climbing on you of his own volition. These guys internalize their stress and it will eventually shut them down. Hand feed all you want but avoid picking up.
I feed him medium sized crickets dusted with calcium. I'm going to branch out and also start feeding him mealworms. I would like to feed him 3-5 a day but he refuses to eat more that 3 Depending on how large those medium are that could be enough and break your feedings into twice a day until older. Get superworms not mealworms (as above) just get the smallest size available and use them as hand feeding treats. Silkworms, blacks soldier fly larva and adult flies are all good additions to the diet.
Supplements - I dust the crickets with repti calcium. I try to feed him in the morning and a few more times during the day, just to give him time to digest Make sure your calcium doesn't have D3 in it if it does don't use more than once a month. There are two supplement schedules I recommend. Forum Caresheet-"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." or The Repashy Calcium plus loD once weekly, bee pollen and plain calcium twice weekly each only on half the feeders, that I use.
Watering - i use a misting system. I mist him around 5-7 times a day. I watch him drink and make sure he's not getting dehydrated Good just make sure the first am and last pm are longer and you are not boosting your daytime humidity too high 35-50% is fine. Night should be much higher as close to 100% as you can get. An ultrasonic cool mist humidifier directed into the cage can help you reach the 80-100% range.
Fecal Description - the color of his most recent droppings has been a light yellow. He doesnt seem constipated as he goes to the bathroom at least once a day. I've not yet taken him to be tested for parasites Checking this is a good idea some parasites can affect appetite and slow their growth.
History - i just got him 2 weeks ago, I'm not sure if he was captive bred or captured in the wild becuase the website mixed up my order. He seems captive bred because of the way he acts
Cage Info:
Cage Type - he has a screen cage, I think its 2.5 feet tall and 1.5 feet wide. But I'm not sure
Lighting - I'm not sure of the brands of light but I turn on his lights at around 10 AM and turn them off at 9 or 10 PM I would like to see his lighting setup many commonly sold kits don't have sufficient lighting for the long run. A linear light vs a coiled compact fluorescent can give them a longer healthier happier life.
Temperature - the temperature range underneath his basking is about 80 degrees and the bottom of his cage is around 70-75 degrees. My thermometer just stopped working yesterday so I ordered a new one
Humidity - I'm not 100% sure on the exact humidity. He's getting misted quite frequently. Its definitely not dry in my house, it's more humid than dru. You should get a hygrometer to monitor this as some diseases come form improper humidity, respiratory and temporal gland infections.
Plants - I'm using both live plants and fake ones. I am a plant collector and have massed a large amount of plants in my room, so I like to let him walk around on the ones I know are safe for him. He spends his time mostly on pothos plabts and money trees Chameleons are ninjas so it's easy for them to ditch you when they know you aren't looking.
Placement - he's on a 2 ish foot high dresser next to a window with natural light. Make sure he doesn't get a draft from that window when the weather turns cold later this year. Nothing disturbs him, he isnt in a high traffic area.
Location - i live in Michigan's lower peninsula. The summers are hot and the winters are cold
If you need any help fine tuning your set up forum members know many tips and tricks. Don't hesitate to ask.
I don't know exactly why he isn't eating. My guesses are stress, too much or little vitamin D3 or possibly parasites. There are a host of other possibilities. Try one or two small super worms and see if that gets him going just not too many as they are addictive. Several site sponsors offer variety packs of insects you can try.
