Jackson Neonates

[FaunaBgirl]

Lali-Jack and Mr. Triggs are Jackson neonates I've had for a couple of weeks now. . They just turned a month old. Touch and go with Lali, (she has a deformed front right foot), and Triggs is a trooper. They eat about 2 to 3 crickets and about 5 fruit flies in front of me. Yesterday, Triggs got his first wax worm treat. Lali wasn't interested. I do not know if they are catching and eating the crickets I leave in their enclosures. What's the maximum amount should I personally see that they eat, before I go to work in the afternoon? I start feeding them at 8am. How many an hour can baby Jacksons eat?

 

[Kent67]

No replies?? Where to start....ok, first my curiosity. 1 month old jackson's eating waxworms? Are these really small waxworms? If so, where do you get them?

As for how much to feed, I believe the consensus is to let jacksonii eat as much as they want. They're not like veileds in that too much feeding can lead to health problems. You'll want to just strive for a balance of getting them to eat as much as they want, without leaving any bugs in the cage overnight. I also highly recommend letting them live outside as much as possible and give lots of water.

 

[FaunaBgirl]

I have them by a window that I keep open. They get the night air. The waxworm was small, but a mouthful for 1 month old Triggs. (Mulberry Farms) I have broken down bee hives given me from a keeper. The worms in there are SO small... But I won't feed them to my babies because i am afraid of bacteria and too much fat. However, I am trying to get moths to lay eggs and then I will raise the hatchlings. I have small phoenix worms coming. That should be fun. Thanks for the heads up on the water. What's the lowest temperature the Jacksonii can take? It gets in the 30's here at most. Usually the 40's in the winter here. Why do you think the Jacksonii should be outside?
My veiled prefers nothing below 68.
Thank you for your input.

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy Pj,

As Hairfarm said of Jackson's, especially at this age, it is ok to put in a quantity of feeders and let them eat all they want. My only method of insuring that they are eating is to make sure that they are pooping. For temps, Necas' chameleon book talks about nighttime temps in their natural habitat going down to the 40'sF but I think he's referring to the Kenyan-born ones. Yours probably have bloodlines tied to Hawaii more than Kenya. I'd be more tempted to go with 60F rather than 40F for minimum nighttime temps. If you can keep it in that range without adding special heaters then that would seem ok. On that same note, plenty of keepers have them outside all year round so they probably get into the 40's at night anyway! One of the important temperature factors is insuring that they get back up to their normal daytime temps through basking. Like temps, make sure that they can get their daily UVB exposure too.

 

[Kent67]

I haven't had a whole lot of live-bearing chameleons but in my experience and anecdotally from what I've heard over the years, the baby jacksons that do the best seem to be those that are left outside 24/7. Definitely the natural sun is the best source of UV and I just think there's something about having a breeze going through the cage that makes a difference. I have some young jacksonii jacksonii that I had a really high mortality rate with, between 2-3 months of age. I was keeping them both inside and outside in small seperate cages. I moved them into a large screen cage and started leaving them outside constantly. Since then, I haven't lost a single one. It could very well just be coinicidence because the ones that I lost all went through a week of slowly losing their equilibrium (the spins) before they died, which seems likely to be more predetermined than caused by environmental factors, but hey. All I know is, the next time I have babies, they won't be brought inside.

As for night-time temps, I'm sure any subspecies of jacksons can comfortably take night drops into the low 40s or high 30s even. The xantholophus have adapted well to the Hawai'ian climate, so perhaps the extreme temperature drops at night are not necessary. Since they've only been there for 30 years, I wouldn't think they've physiologically changed too much (except for the horns being less likely to grow straight. Too much cousin-love going on? ) The jacksonii jacksonii come from around Nairobi which is 5500 feet in elevation. The temperatures in the city average from the low 50s at night to the high 70s during the day, all throughout the year. The xanthos come from even higher on Mt. Kenya, so I assume slightly cooler temps at night too. I've heard reports (maybe even seen a picture, I can't remember) of c. hoehnelii out walking around on snow-covered branches. Since the two species are sympatric I'm sure the jackson's can take temps down to almost freezing if they're allowed to warm up properly the next day.

Sorry I seem to write a book everytime I answer something

 

[FaunaBgirl]

Hi Kent,
I'm like you... always writing short novels. lol I found yours extremely fascinating. And
You wrote:
c. hoehnelii out walking around on snow-covered branches. Since the two species are sympatric I'm sure the jackson's can take temps down to almost freezing if they're allowed to warm up properly the next day.

In my life's experience with lizards, no matter the species, the daily basking is key to proper health and ability to thrive.
It is my passion to be able to perform at best to enable this process for Triggs and Lali-Jack. All information is absorbed and applied. My gut has already supplied a lot of what has been shared here. Affirmations, however, are always appreciated. I too believe in giving to most of what's natural, and have been careful to supply this as best I can. I figure I could do more however, so any coaching/information is welcome. Thank you, Kent.

So, Dave.... do you think the parents could have been brother/sisiter since these neos were conceived at a pet store?
If so, maybe I will invent horn braces. lol
That or, I have a tiny banjo.... <G>

 

[Kent67]

Haha...about the crooked horn thing, I was referring to how the Hawai'ian population was originally established by a relatively small group of animals, thus practically ensuring a limited gene pool for the generations to come.

I thought of a couple more things I meant to post before. I've always heard that bees keep a very clean hive. Hopefully I'm not wrong, but I would feel safe that the waxies don't have any unsafe bacteria. Especially with how sensitive they are, they'd probably be dead if they were contaminated in any way.

Thirdly, would it be possible to post a pic of Lali-Jack's foot? I'm curious if it's similar to something one of my old panthers hatched with.

 

[Dave Weldon]

...So, Dave.... do you think the parents could have been brother/sisiter since these neos were conceived at a pet store?
If so, maybe I will invent horn braces. lol
That or, I have a tiny banjo.... <G>

Howdy,
It's concievable .
Sorry, there isn't any info on the parents .

While that batch of Jackson's was with me, I kept them next to an open window 24hrs/day. I doubt that they got very cold with the nice beach weather this summer.

 

[FaunaBgirl]

Actually, now it's the heat I'm worried about. I mist a bit more. Lali sleeps in the daytime.:{
Her brother Mr. Triggs is nearly twice her size now.

I would love to post a picture... I will in my gallery since I've not mastered the way to do it on here. Notice her back leg. She's been hanging it lately too. btw... very crappy camera :{

Interesting thought on the bee hive remains that I have here. But, I dare not. I have small phoenix worms coming.

Kent, If you PM me your real email, I can send you a few of them.. Er, your panther? Did it live ok?

 

[FaunaBgirl]

hey Kent? I started to put Lali's deformity on the gallery and it broke my heart. I just can't do that to her... If you want to see her, I will do it privately for you and a few others that might be seriously concerned about her as I am. She's really got my heart. Hope you understand.

 

[Kent67]

No problem, I'll send you a pm.

For the record, the panther I mentioned was a hold back because of one of his back feet. The flesh and scales ended just below the ankle, but protruding out maybe a cm or so was (i guess) exposed bone. The foot was absolutely useless. He lived a very normal life for a panther, although I heard him fall in his cage occasionally. He was well past 5 years old when an unfortunate accident caused a condition that led to me losing him.

 

[FaunaBgirl]

Thanks for the info