Jacksons Chameleon not eating much all of a sudden...

[Clyness]

Hello, I have a Jacksons chameleon who I believe is around 6-8 months old. I've had him for about 2 months now and he WAS eating 5-15 medium crickets a day up until about 10-12 days ago when he suddenly stopped eating almost completely.

I have also supplemented his diet with wax worms, super worms, and the occasional house fly (I read house flys can carry parasites so I stopped that). Up until his hunger strike he always seemed very interested in his surroundings and was very active for most of the day. He is still exploring his cage everyday but not for as quite as extended amounts of time. I considered that he was a little depressed, or even worse, had been infected by some type of parasite. I spoke with a friend who's been breeding several species of chameleons successfully for 20 years and he told me that I wasn't doing anything horribly wrong, besides the house flys. (All in all, he probably ate 15-20 house flies in total before I was made aware of the danger).

I have three tropical "reptile lights" which were recommended by my friend when I first bought this little guy and I leave all three on from about 8-6 then I turn off the two basking lights and leave the tube light on until about 9:30 or so. He has two basking areas. One is about 79-82 and the other is roughly 85.

I also use a cool mist humidifier all the time which is focused in the back left portion of his cage. I use a dripper which drips down his Sheffelera plant most of the day. The hibiscus plant died (guessing not enough sunlight).

I allow his crickets to free range in the cage but only put about 10 in at a time as to not overwhelm him. And yes, I dust with calcium with D3 4 times a week and with calcium without D3 and reptivite multi vitamin 3 times a week (staggered). For the last two days I did not offer him any food. Today I offered him a medium sized super worm - wouldn't touch it. Then I tried a few wax worms - wouldn't touch them. Then I offered him some crickets - he hit one with his tongue but it didn't "stick" and he seemed discouraged and gave up all together. Then I offered him a small Dubai roach for the first time. He instantly locked onto it and followed it intensely before smacking it with much more force and swallowing it down. Yes! He then ate 5 more in a row ignoring all the crickets which were mingling with the roaches.

Lastly, I moved him in front of a window today (trying to get more light on the hibiscus and give him something to look at). He's been staring out the window and climbing all over the window side of his cage ever since. Was this a good idea?

I guess it's safe to say he is hungry.. He's just becoming picky??? Is this common? What should I do if he stops eating roaches? Do you think he has parasites? If so, how should I treat him. Does it sound like I am doing everything correct? Here are some pics. Thank you all.

 

[Clyness]

More pics

Here's some more pics

 

[Clyness]

Pics2

Here's some more pics

 

[mnlwfan]

Hello, I have a Jacksons chameleon who I believe is around 6-8 months old. I've had him for about 2 months now and he WAS eating 5-15 medium crickets a day up until about 10-12 days ago when he suddenly stopped eating almost completely.

I have also supplemented his diet with wax worms, super worms, and the occasional house fly (I read house flys can carry parasites so I stopped that). Up until his hunger strike he always seemed very interested in his surroundings and was very active for most of the day. He is still exploring his cage everyday but not for as quite as extended amounts of time. I considered that he was a little depressed, or even worse, had been infected by some type of parasite. I spoke with a friend who's been breeding several species of chameleons successfully for 20 years and he told me that I wasn't doing anything horribly wrong, besides the house flys. (All in all, he probably ate 15-20 house flies in total before I was made aware of the danger).

I have three tropical "reptile lights" which were recommended by my friend when I first bought this little guy and I leave all three on from about 8-6 then I turn off the two basking lights and leave the tube light on until about 9:30 or so. He has two basking areas. One is about 79-82 and the other is roughly 85.

I also use a cool mist humidifier all the time which is focused in the back left portion of his cage. I use a dripper which drips down his Sheffelera plant most of the day. The hibiscus plant died (guessing not enough sunlight).

I allow his crickets to free range in the cage but only put about 10 in at a time as to not overwhelm him. And yes, I dust with calcium with D3 4 times a week and with calcium without D3 and reptivite multi vitamin 3 times a week (staggered). For the last two days I did not offer him any food. Today I offered him a medium sized super worm - wouldn't touch it. Then I tried a few wax worms - wouldn't touch them. Then I offered him some crickets - he hit one with his tongue but it didn't "stick" and he seemed discouraged and gave up all together. Then I offered him a small Dubai roach for the first time. He instantly locked onto it and followed it intensely before smacking it with much more force and swallowing it down. Yes! He then ate 5 more in a row ignoring all the crickets which were mingling with the roaches.

Lastly, I moved him in front of a window today (trying to get more light on the hibiscus and give him something to look at). He's been staring out the window and climbing all over the window side of his cage ever since. Was this a good idea?

I guess it's safe to say he is hungry.. He's just becoming picky??? Is this common? What should I do if he stops eating roaches? Do you think he has parasites? If so, how should I treat him. Does it sound like I am doing everything correct? Here are some pics. Thank you all.

I have a seven month old female jackson and from the research I've done it sounds like you might be over supplementing.

With the montane species you want to dust every other feeding or twice a week with calcium without D3. Dust with calcium with D3 twice per month and dust with a multivitamin twice per month.

This is one of the posts I found on this: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/hoj/634-montane-chameleon-care-info.html

On the lighting, I have just one basking area and I keep it at just 81 degrees. Anything higher and my girl starts gaping from too much heat.

I don't think having him near a window is a bad thing, as long as there isn't direct sunlight streaming in that could cause a burn or overheating. My girl loves looking out the window. Keep in mind the sunlight only counts as UV for them if it's not coming in through the glass. Glass and plastic block UV rays.

 

[Clyness]

Pics3

More pics

 

[Clyness]

Pics4

And another pic

 

[mnlwfan]

Another possible supplementing schedule I came across in my research.

This supplement schedule has been often used successfully with Jackson's:
plain calcium without D3 at every other feeding
calcium with D3 1x a month and
a multivitamin 1x a month

 

[mnlwfan]

For that small of an enclosure, you might want to get rid of one of those basking lights.

This video is super helpful for caring for jacksons:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lKTbUaOQ0aA

 

[Clyness]

I have a seven month old female jackson and from the research I've done it sounds like you might be over supplementing.

With the montane species you want to dust every other feeding or twice a week with calcium without D3. Dust with calcium with D3 twice per month and dust with a multivitamin twice per month.

This is one of the posts I found on this: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/hoj/634-montane-chameleon-care-info.html

On the lighting, I have just one basking area and I keep it at just 81 degrees. Anything higher and my girl starts gaping from too much heat.

I don't think having him near a window is a bad thing, as long as there isn't direct sunlight streaming in that could cause a burn or overheating. My girl loves looking out the window. Keep in mind the sunlight only counts as UV for them if it's not coming in through the glass. Glass and plastic block UV rays.

I've also read a lot about the dusting schedules and there seems to be a lot of differing opinions. I spoke with a few breeders that have all had good success with this schedule and I spoke to some who don't dust at all and said their chams won't even eat dusted crickets so they can't dust and yet their animals live long health lives.. One thing I don't do is "coat" the crickets. I just very lightly dust them so it is barely visible on them.

I have two basking spots because the lights are both low watt bulbs and I don't see what other choice I have. Plus, I do like to keep the house cool in the summer. 65-68F. I have never seen him open his mouth (gape) except to let out a yawn in the morning

 

[Clyness]

I have a seven month old female jackson and from the research I've done it sounds like you might be over supplementing.

With the montane species you want to dust every other feeding or twice a week with calcium without D3. Dust with calcium with D3 twice per month and dust with a multivitamin twice per month.

This is one of the posts I found on this: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/hoj/634-montane-chameleon-care-info.html

On the lighting, I have just one basking area and I keep it at just 81 degrees. Anything higher and my girl starts gaping from too much heat.

I don't think having him near a window is a bad thing, as long as there isn't direct sunlight streaming in that could cause a burn or overheating. My girl loves looking out the window. Keep in mind the sunlight only counts as UV for them if it's not coming in through the glass. Glass and plastic block UV rays.

For that small of an enclosure, you might want to get rid of one of those basking lights.

This video is super helpful for caring for jacksons:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lKTbUaOQ0aA

It's been a while since I took temp reading and I sort of re-did the foliage and vines a few weeks ago. Just took temp reading under both lights. The bluer light on the left is barely raising the temp to 75F the yellow light on the right is sittn at 79. These fluctuate a bit I'm guessing with the temperature fluctuations of my house. We just got another window AC unit and are keepin it much cooler. Just wondering, are you suggesting that the dusting schedule and the fact that I have two lights would cause him to slow his eating so suddenly? Nothing's changed except that the hous temp hase dropped 5-8 degrees since the new AC unit arrived but that was after he started refusing crickets n worms....

 

[jrath]

I allow his crickets to free range in the cage but only put about 10 in at a time as to not overwhelm him. And yes, I dust with calcium with D3 4 times a week and with calcium without D3 and reptivite multi vitamin 3 times a week (staggered).

This is way too much D3, Jacksons should only get D3 once a month and at most twice a month if using a low dose D3. Calcium without D3 twice a week. Multivitamin once a month
The tongue issues are usually one of the first signs of over supplementation.

He appears healthy though, and other than the supplementation the only other recommendations I would suggest is to get rid of the second basking light. They only need a spot in the upper 70's lower 80's and possible have him checked for parasites, could be the cause for the sudden hunger strike.

 

[Clyness]

Another pic

One more pic

 

[mnlwfan]

It's been a while since I took temp reading and I sort of re-did the foliage and vines a few weeks ago. Just took temp reading under both lights. The bluer light on the left is barely raising the temp to 75F the yellow light on the right is sittn at 79. These fluctuate a bit I'm guessing with the temperature fluctuations of my house. We just got another window AC unit and are keepin it much cooler. Just wondering, are you suggesting that the dusting schedule and the fact that I have two lights would cause him to slow his eating so suddenly? Nothing's changed except that the hous temp hase dropped 5-8 degrees since the new AC unit arrived but that was after he started refusing crickets n worms....

The lighting and how it helps him to regulate his temperature could play a role in his disinterest in eating. Allowing him access to higher temps can help with digestion, so if the temps in his basking area and his enclosure are relatively cooler than suggested temps (maybe because of the new AC) he may not eat as much because his digestion is slower.

I'm sure there are many possible reasons for his sudden disinterest in eating. Another possibility could be associated with shedding. Some chams will go on a feeding strike just before or during a shed.

 

[Clyness]

This is way too much D3, Jacksons should only get D3 once a month and at most twice a month if using a low dose D3. Calcium without D3 twice a week. Multivitamin once a month
The tongue issues are usually one of the first signs of over supplementation.

He appears healthy though, and other than the supplementation the only other recommendations I would suggest is to get rid of the second basking light. They only need a spot in the upper 70's lower 80's and possible have him checked for parasites, could be the cause for the sudden hunger strike.

I just realized I wrote that backwards. He gets the calcium without D3 4 times weekly and with D3 3 times a week. I was given these instructions by a gentleman who's been breeding chameleons for 20 years (he owns a reptile store here in my hometown). He's got several very nice healthy looking breeders in his store that he's had for many years... As the saying goes "the proof is in the pudding" I am skeptical of advice to drastically alter his instructions... But I could understand only dusting a couple times a month if you are "dunking" the crickets and completely coating them so they are all white... I just barely dust them... Here are the products I'm using. I'm not sure if they are "low dose" supplements...

 

[mnlwfan]

I just realized I wrote that backwards. He gets the calcium without D3 4 times weekly and with D3 3 times a week. I was given these instructions by a gentleman who's been breeding chameleons for 20 years (he owns a reptile store here in my hometown). He's got several very nice healthy looking breeders in his store that he's had for many years... As the saying goes "the proof is in the pudding" I am skeptical of advice to drastically alter his instructions... But I could understand only dusting a couple times a month if you are "dunking" the crickets and completely coating them so they are all white... I just barely dust them... Here are the products I'm using. I'm not sure if they are "low dose" supplements...

Are you feeding him every day?

 

[Clyness]

The lighting and how it helps him to regulate his temperature could play a role in his disinterest in eating. Allowing him access to higher temps can help with digestion, so if the temps in his basking area and his enclosure are relatively cooler than suggested temps (maybe because of the new AC) he may not eat as much because his digestion is slower.

I'm sure there are many possible reasons for his sudden disinterest in eating. Another possibility could be associated with shedding. Some chams will go on a feeding strike just before or during a shed.

Ok, thank you for your advice.

 

[Clyness]

Are you feeding him every day?

I was feeding him every day up until these last two days. I quit putting crickets in there because they were just dying and he hadn't eaten any in several days (any that I noticed). He's continued (every day) hunting around the cage, sometimes hanging upside down near the bottom of the cage looking around on the bottom for a few hours. But he'll see a cricket and almost turn his nose up at it and go the other direction. Today when he saw the dubia roaches though he went into a frenzy and started going after them quite veraciously...

 

[jrath]

I just realized I wrote that backwards. He gets the calcium without D3 4 times weekly and with D3 3 times a week. I was given these instructions by a gentleman who's been breeding chameleons for 20 years (he owns a reptile store here in my hometown). He's got several very nice healthy looking breeders in his store that he's had for many years... As the saying goes "the proof is in the pudding" I am skeptical of advice to drastically alter his instructions... But I could understand only dusting a couple times a month if you are "dunking" the crickets and completely coating them so they are all white... I just barely dust them... Here are the products I'm using. I'm not sure if they are "low dose" supplements...

Still to much D3, Every type of chameleon is different, What type of chameleons does this person that gave you this information breed. For a montane cham like a Jacksons that is too much. I am not very experienced with other types of chams but I think most people would agree that would be too much for even a panther.

 

[Clyness]

Still to much D3, Every type of chameleon is different, What type of chameleons does this person that gave you this information breed. For a montane cham like a Jacksons that is too much. I am not very experienced with other types of chams but I think most people would agree that would be too much for even a panther.

He breeds jacksons panthers and some others I dunno the names of. Thanks for your advice.

 

[kinyonga]

And drop in temperature would slow he metabolism.
What are the lights specifically?

I don't understand why people would decrease the calcium dusting for a montage species...aren't the ratios of calcium to phosphorous still/always unbalanced in the insects? IMHO its the fat soluble vitamins that need to be watched...just my opinion.