Make Jackson Chameleon Not Eating

[babyGpapi]

I’ve had my little guy for a little over two months now and he’s given me so much trouble with eating. He doesn’t eat any kind of worm (horned worm, wax worm, nutrigirub, super worm, etc.) He got bored of crickets very easily and seems to only like dubia roaches. He’s around 6 months old but doesn’t eat more than 2 roaches or so every other day or so. He’s really got me worried as he hasn’t gained any weight since I got him and hasn’t shed. Took him to the exotic vet and they said I was doing well with husbandry but I’m getting very worried as he looks skinny a lot. He’s still a little guy, and I have tried everything to be a good chameleon dad. It’s making me anxious and he doesn’t seem to like anything else. I’ve spent so much money (~$500) on alternatives and things for the cage but he hasn’t shed yet or eaten a fraction of the amount juveniles are supposed to eat. Took him to the vet and they said he just seemed dehydrated but was fine otherwise. They took a fecal sample but no blood because he’s too small. Please help

 

[bbyoda]

Hi there, welcome to the forums. Can you share some pics of your guy and also of the entire cage including lights? And give us some more info on your husbandry. I'll share our help form so you can answer all the important question.

 

[bbyoda]

By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

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Please Note:
The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
Photos can be very helpful.

 

[babyGpapi]

He’s a male Jackson’s Chameleon around 6 months. I’ve had him for 2, and I hold him maybe every other day. I’ve always positively reinforced him by placing him on a plant and he isn’t bothered/show signs of anxiety by me handling him anymore.
I feed him dubia roaches because that’s all he’s interested in aside from a fly or two I’ve caught in my house. He doesn’t like crickets anymore and doesn’t eat the superworms or anything else I offer him and they usually die in the cage or bowl feeder. I do gut load them and try to feed at least once a day, but have reverted to every other day to try and see if that makes a difference.
I dust the insects with calcium without D3, and mix general nutrient mix in with the dusting every 2 weeks.
I used to use a humidifier to keep it moist and have water droplets form on the plant for him to drink but recently bought a water drinking fountain/dripper so he can stay hydrated. I see him drink every 2-3 days and mist the cage 2x daily.
He was tested for parasites and everything came back normal. The feces is also normal, and occurs maybe 2 times a week.
I have a mesh cage I bought in the ZooMed chameleon kit with lots of extra things in the cage. I have a dual lamp that contains a 5.0 UVB bulb and a daytime heating lamp. I also purchased a nighttime purple heating lamp as my room he stays in can get quite cold at night. He has 10 hours a day of UVB, and I turn the daytime light on around 7am and turn the nighttime bulb on around 10pm.
All of the plants are currently fake, and he drank off of those until I purchased the dripper. I keep a humid environment for him, and I have 2 thermometers to make sure his basking spot and cool spot is in accordance with his species preferences. I also have a humidity meter to make sure my misting is working.
Lastly my cage is on a nightstand about 6ft from a window and about the same from the ac vent, but all of his spots are well monitored.
He… Just… won’t… eat…
I want to make him fat and for him to grow but he’s maintained 11 grams for the past month (as I only weighed him for the first time a month after I got him)
I’m very concerned he’s not growing and eating like he should and I just need advice on how to better get him to eat or what to feed him.
I appreciate all the help and am going to attach the pic of his cage

 

[crosscutts]

From what I can tell you have some husbandry issues for sure . Your lighting is not correct ,You need a T5 5.0 or 6% UVB they don’t need heat at night in fact jackson’s like it rather cool you can get as low as 50 at night , but I’ll let someone else chime in , if by humidifier you mean one like a Vicks vapor humidifier that’s all wrong , they need cool humidity not hot . That will breed respiratory infections .. but they do require high humidity at night 90 to 100% . Fixing these two issues alone could turn things around . Just remember High humidity Low temperature High temperature Low humidity .. I would suggest you revisit your cage set up and check out this site .. https://chameleonacademy.com/

 

[babyGpapi]

From what I can tell you have some husbandry issues for sure . Your lighting is wrong . You need a T5 5.0 or 6% UVB they don’t need heat at night in fact jackson’s like it rather cool you can get as low as 50 at night , but I’ll let someone else chime in , if by humidifier you mean one like a Vicks vapor humidifier that’s all wrong , they need cool humidity not hot . That will breed respiratory infections .. but they do require high humidity at night 90 to 100% . Fixing these two issues alone could turn things around . Just remember High humidity Low temperature High temperature Low humidity .. I would suggest you revisit your cage set up and check out this site .. https://chameleonacademy.com/

I do have the T5 5.0 UVB but will not use the nighttime lamp anymore. I used the humidifier as a fogger but have not used it in 2 weeks. I am open to suggestions for the cage setup

 

[crosscutts]

I do have the T5 5.0 UVB but will not use the nighttime lamp anymore. I used the humidifier as a fogger but have not used it in 2 weeks. I am open to suggestions for the cage setup

From what I can see you have a compact bulb they have very little UV output , you need a linear (Long tube) .. foggers are great humidifiers are not they’re not the same one uses heat or steam The other uses ionic vapor Which basically is atomized water and is cool . And in my opinion I would add a lot more plants which will help keep your humidity up . www://chameleonacademy.com/ Bill Strand on Chamaeleon Academy The site I steered you towards is a big fan of Jacksons . There are also several people on this site that are more familiar with them . It’s been quite a few years since I’ve kept them . @MissSkittles @Lindasjackson

 

[Lindasjackson]

I have a Jackson’s Cham as well. They do require quite a temp drop at night down into the 60’s or even 50’s if you can manage it and very high humidity, 80-100% at night. If you use a cool mist humidifier it is possible to create fog with it. I use the pets pioneer fogger and add a piece of pvc pipe to the outlet where the fog comes out to get the fog to the top of the cage and then a shorter piece with an elbow piece to take it partway across the top of the cage and then another elbow piece to direct the fog down into the cage. I don’t glue any of the pieces together so that I can take them apart and clean them. You can do this same thing with a cool mist humidifier. This will greatly impact your chams health if you can do this. It hopefully will get his appetite back. Another thing you need is the long linear uvb light because I think you have the compact 5.0bulb that screws into the dome light right? You need a T5ho light fixture 24 inches long and a 22 inch long either reptisun 5.0 bulb or the Arcadia 6% bulb. Either one will work and you need to position the light across your cage. From what you said it sounds like you have an 18x18x36 inch cage that comes in the chameleon kit.this is too small for a Jackson’s. You need a 24x24x48 cage. That is the smallest recommended for a Jackson’s. These things are all things that impact his health and well being greatly and need to be fixed asap. Jackson’s are also very sensitive to supplements so you’ll want to lightly dust his roaches 2-3 times per week with plain calcium such as reptical without D3. Then once a month lightly dust one feeding with a multivitamin with D3 such as reptivite with D3. Lightly dust meaning they look like they are a shade lighter in color. No powdered donut look.
Its also very important to get your guy some real plants. for Jackson’s they like to hide in their Foliage to feel safe and secure so a small tree is best like a ficus Benjamina or an umbrella tree. You’ll see a huge difference in his behavior when he gets real plants.
He does not need any heat in his enclosure at night at all and no lights either. Chams need a 12 hour on and 12 hour off light cycle in order to get good restful sleep at night with the high humidity to keep him well hydrated. They have found that chams that don’t get this will get sick and die so it’s important. You can give him a water dropper during the day that consists of just a plastic cup with a pinhole in the bottom to let the water drip.
His humidity during the day should be 30-50%, I don’t think I said that yet. Please go to www.chameleonacademy.com for more great information on keeping a Jackson’s. You’ll be glad you did. And ask any other questions you want to here as well. We’re here to help!