Jacksonii jacksonii not eating?

[Tetsuo]

Okay so I haven't seen my male jackson eat since last Sunday. And when I did see him eat he only ate two meal worms and prior to that I haven't seen him eat. I've had him for about 3 1/2 weeks and he sometimes closes his eyes during the day but other than that he acts fine. After cleaning his cage yesterday I found a very small green clump which I'm guessing was his poop? Could the color be from him eating my scheflarra? I'm just worried about him and wondering what I should do.

 

[Cainschams]

Okay so I haven't seen my male jackson eat since last Sunday. And when I did see him eat he only ate two meal worms and prior to that I haven't seen him eat. I've had him for about 3 1/2 weeks and he sometimes closes his eyes during the day but other than that he acts fine. After cleaning his cage yesterday I found a very small green clump which I'm guessing was his poop? Could the color be from him eating my scheflarra? I'm just worried about him and wondering what I should do.

Need more info. Please fill out the "how to ask for help" form. Pics of the setup and the animal itself too.

 

[Lovereps]

Okay so I haven't seen my male jackson eat since last Sunday. And when I did see him eat he only ate two meal worms and prior to that I haven't seen him eat. I've had him for about 3 1/2 weeks and he sometimes closes his eyes during the day but other than that he acts fine. After cleaning his cage yesterday I found a very small green clump which I'm guessing was his poop? Could the color be from him eating my scheflarra? I'm just worried about him and wondering what I should do.

Healthy chams don't close their eyes during the day and though sometimes their appetite can be temporarily diminished just before a shed--when you have the two symptoms, it sounds like a health and/or care issue.
They generally won't stop eating for a week and a half before a shed.

If you cut and paste the help questions and supply your answers, as Cainschams suggested, maybe someone will see something(s) that needs to be changed.
The more complete your answers are, the more likely it will be that people can offer genuinely helpful ideas/solutions.
Clear pictures help, too.

Otherwise, the only useful alternative is a trip to a qualified reptile knowledgeable vet.

 

[Tetsuo]

Yesterday when I got home he was hanging upside down then when I left to get a phone to call a vet he fell off the branch and his face turned a deep black. My girlfriend was holding him while I was talking to a vet but we knew we were losing him. I held him under a UVB light for about an hour and a half and he started getting his color back and started to open his eyes a little bit, but he was still very weak and limp. After that hour and a half he was able to grip better so I placed him in his repti-Breeze and he held onto the branch fairly well and then I went to pet world to try and find some Flukers Insect emergency aid but I couldn't find it, but before I left I refilled his dripper and he walked towards it but didn't drink. I got back and we never found it there so I turned off his lights (It was time for him to go to bed) and I went to sleep. Then this morning before school my girlfriend went and looked inside his cage and found him in the bottom of his scheflarra. I really do appreciate the help. I think he may have had a parasite or the people I got him from lied and said he was CB when he was WC. But I know my husbandry was spot on since my female is thriving. But like I said I appreciate the help but sadly Akamu didn't make it.

 

[Lovereps]

So very sorry to hear that.
I know that you did a lot of research before they arrived.
It always is so sad to lose a pet, even if they have been with you for a short time.
Sadly, when chams show symptoms of illness, there is not a lot of time to spare.
It could be that your cham already had something going on healthwise before you got him but the only way to know what happened to him is a necropsy by a reptile knowledgeable vet.
A new environment is stressful and if the cham already has a problem, like parasites or an undetected infection, it can overwhelm them much more easily.
Some wild caught chams seem to be unable to adapt to captivity and perish without a recognizable cause.
When an illness or death occurs, it's always a good idea to take a careful look at the setup and care to be sure everything is spot on, to protect the health of your other cham.
Sometimes things as innocent-seeming as stagnant water that has been accumulating beneath something can lead to respiratory infection.
A fecal exam for the female would be very wise.
If you don't already know of a qualified vet with lots of reptile knowledge, you can have a look at this ARAV page http://www.arav.org/find-a-vet/
this post https://www.chameleonforums.com/veterinarian-resources-67/
search the past forum posts or ask for help.

 

[Tetsuo]

So very sorry to hear that.
I know that you did a lot of research before they arrived.
It always is so sad to lose a pet, even if they have been with you for a short time.
Sadly, when chams show symptoms of illness, there is not a lot of time to spare.
It could be that your cham already had something going on healthwise before you got him but the only way to know what happened to him is a necropsy by a reptile knowledgeable vet.
A new environment is stressful and if the cham already has a problem, like parasites or an undetected infection, it can overwhelm them much more easily.
Some wild caught chams seem to be unable to adapt to captivity and perish without a recognizable cause.
When an illness or death occurs, it's always a good idea to take a careful look at the setup and care to be sure everything is spot on, to protect the health of your other cham.
Sometimes things as innocent-seeming as stagnant water that has been accumulating beneath something can lead to respiratory infection.
A fecal exam for the female would be very wise.
If you don't already know of a qualified vet with lots of reptile knowledge, you can have a look at this ARAV page http://www.arav.org/find-a-vet/
this post https://www.chameleonforums.com/veterinarian-resources-67/
search the past forum posts or ask for help.

The set-up was fine. The basking 84, the middle 74, and lower I thinnk it was low 70's. The humidity stayed between 60-80%. I'd feed every other day and dust every other feeding. The branches had the correct diameter. I used a UVB light and everything. Maybe like you said he couldn't coup with the change. I'd like to have a necropsy done on him but I don't know where I'd get it done nor do I know how as some people on the forum do.

 

[Montium]

They are big stress hounds and may who keep them successfully do not recommend dusting them very often or at all. It's far better to get a good gut load in their food. There seem to be quite a few wild caught ones showing up lately. Sorry for your loss, it's never easy.

 

[Tetsuo]

Really? I thought I was supposed to dust? Should I stop with my female then? Or how often should I dust?

 

[Lovereps]

They are big stress hounds and may who keep them successfully do not recommend dusting them very often or at all. It's far better to get a good gut load in their food. There seem to be quite a few wild caught ones showing up lately. Sorry for your loss, it's never easy.

Montium, you're referring to multivitamin and D3 dustings, rather than plain calcium, aren't you?

I can't see how the incorrect calcium : phosphorus ratio of most feeders could be compensated for in any way other than dusting with plain calcium.

I can believe that very good gutloading could negate the need for a monthly multivitamin dusting and if a cham has access to regular outdoor UVB he wouldn't need any supplemental D3--but I can't see how calcium supplementation could ever be avoided when using the commonly available feeder insects.

 

[Lovereps]

Tetsuo, a necropsy would usually be done by a vet who knows reptiles.
It is emotionally difficult to do a necropsy on a beloved pet yourself, for most folks.
Gaining the experience necessary to know what is and isn't normal is the even less pleasant part.

FWIW, I seriously doubt that his passing had anything to do with your care.

I would try to find a reptile knowledgeable vet to care for your chams and try to get a fecal testing done for the female, to be sure she doesn't have any parasites that could harm her.

Good places to look for one include the ARAV website:
http://www.arav.org/find-a-vet/#Kansas

and more resources are here:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/veterinarian-resources-67/

You can also search the forum archives to see if any Kansas vets are recommended in any posts.

 

[Action Jackson]

Do you dust your feeders for your Jackson's at every feeding? If so how long have you been doing it?

Montium, you're referring to multivitamin and D3 dustings, rather than plain calcium, aren't you?

I can't see how the incorrect calcium : phosphorus ratio of most feeders could be compensated for in any way other than dusting with plain calcium.

I can believe that very good gutloading could negate the need for a monthly multivitamin dusting and if a cham has access to regular outdoor UVB he wouldn't need any supplemental D3--but I can't see how calcium supplementation could ever be avoided when using the commonly available feeder insects.

 

[Lovereps]

Do you dust your feeders for your Jackson's at every feeding? If so how long have you been doing it?

No and I didn't suggest that to the OP.
My supplement schedule for my montanes is:
calcium w/o D3 every other feeding
calcium with D3 1x a month
multivitamin 1x a month

I'd appreciate it if you'd also share your supplement schedule and tell me which feeders you typically use with your montanes.

They are big stress hounds and may who keep them successfully do not recommend dusting them very often or at all. It's far better to get a good gut load in their food.

The OP then replied

Really? I thought I was supposed to dust? Should I stop with my female then? Or how often should I dust?

I asked Montium for a clarification of this.

I think it's a bit cruel to make a statement like that to a new cham owner who just lost one of his chams and then not respond to the OP with more details.
Don't you?

 

[Action Jackson]

I agree with the statement you highlighted that Montium made.

I try not to advise people on supplementation unless I receive a PM from them. I know what works for me in keeping Jackson's alive long term. But, I am also interested in what others are doing if they have had success doing it for years not months.

I was interested in what you are doing and how long you have been doing it. You give out very good advise IMO. I don't think I have seen pictures of your Jackson's and I don't know your experience with them. I'd like to though.

I supplement very lightly, maybe once a week on just a few crickets with plain calcium. I use vitamins maybe once every six weeks if that and not with all my chameleons. My chameleons see as much outdoor sunlight as possible so I don't use calcium with d3 at all.

As far as feeders go, I try to offer as much variety as possible. I feed crickets, superworms, silkworms, hornworms,bb flies, walking sticks, snails, bean beetles, butterflies, mantis, dubias and whatever else I can get ahold of. I often feed more than one type of feeder at each feeding.

As I said I know what works for me. I see a lot of advise and setups that I don't think are conducive to keeping Jackson's healthy long term. I don't often feel comfortable giving advise because I don't feel like I'm an expert, but it is very sad to see so many Jackson's and Jackson's babies dying.

 

[Lovereps]

I agree with the statement Montium made..

I agree with the "use sparingly" part with what he said, but I can't see foregoing supplements entirely, except in the most ideal of circumstances, which would fit only the tiniest fraction of US cham-keepers, if any, IMHO.

I was interested in what you are doing and how long you have been doing it. You give out very good advise IMO. I don't think I have seen pictures of your Jackson's and I don't know your experience with them. I'd like to though.

Thanks for the interest and for the compliment.
Rather than clutter the thread, I've sent you a PM.

As I said I know what works for me. I see a lot of advise and setups that I don't think are conducive to keeping Jackson's healthy long term. I don't often feel comfortable giving advise because I don't feel like I'm an expert, but it is very sad to see so many Jackson's and Jackson's babies dying.

I don't claim to be an expert and I'm sure even the experts can often learn more.
It saddens me a great deal to see many predictable and avoidable deaths, so I try to chime in where I think I may be able to say something that will help.