My jackson doesnt look to good

superspino

New Member
My little guy has been doing fine but this morning it's like he took a huge dive. I out his lights on uvb light as well as his basking light and then gave him an hour to adjust. When I went back to his cage he had his mouth open and the temperature in his cage rose to 80 degrees I turned off his light keeping on the uvb and misted his cage to bring down the temperature but he was hanging by one foot. I was afraid he would fall so I gently moved him to a more secure area and now I'm not sure what to do.
 

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Hey there. I am sorry to say but it looks like this boy is dying... Depending on the issue if it is husbandry related or illness you might be able to save him... A reptile vet may be able to help if it is illness like a respiratory infection. But he looks really bad at this point.
 
I'm not sure what it is either I have a 24x24x48 wire cage. I use a repti 5.0 cylinder shape bulb that runs diagonally across the enclosure. I have a ficus as well as pathos live plants in there with him. I maintain 70-74 degree temp for him I keep the cage 30 to 50 percent humidity during the day and 70 percent plus at night with a 10 degree temp drop. I use crickets for staple feeders and sprinkled them with calcium plus vitamin d3 once then just calcium without d3 other feeding times. I've only had this guy for 14 days. I'll try saving him but any other suggestions for future reference?
 
I'm not sure what it is either I have a 24x24x48 wire cage. I use a repti 5.0 cylinder shape bulb that runs diagonally across the enclosure. I have a ficus as well as pathos live plants in there with him. I maintain 70-74 degree temp for him I keep the cage 30 to 50 percent humidity during the day and 70 percent plus at night with a 10 degree temp drop. I use crickets for staple feeders and sprinkled them with calcium plus vitamin d3 once then just calcium without d3 other feeding times. I've only had this guy for 14 days. I'll try saving him but any other suggestions for future reference?
Where did you get him from? Jacksons are a bit harder to keep. Everything has to be very spot on for them. You could post pics of the entire enclosure and I can tag some jacksons keepers for you.
Here are some helpful links.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jacksons-chameleon-articles-and-studies.2407/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/my-jacksons-supplement-schedule.2463/

https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/

https://chameleonacademy.com/caresheets/
 
Where did you get him from? Jacksons are a bit harder to keep. Everything has to be very spot on for them. You could post pics of the entire enclosure and I can tag some jacksons keepers for you.
Here are some helpful links.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jacksons-chameleon-articles-and-studies.2407/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/my-jacksons-supplement-schedule.2463/

https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-husbandry-program-getting-started-with-chameleons/

https://chameleonacademy.com/caresheets/
I can post some pictures in a bit but I got him from a place called backwater reptiles they overnight shipped him to me.
 
Omg I wish I would have known earlier 😫 Where can I get one that's safe to buy from?
I would be surprised if yours makes it. Concern would also be what it is dying from. Parasite load, if it is wild caught etc.

You would want to do a total cleaning of that cage and everything in it if he passes. Go here and look at the 4 part series of cleaning. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/blog/jacksjills-blog.40624/


There are a few good breeders when and if he passes I can tag someone to help point you in the right direction.
 
I can post some pictures in a bit but I got him from a place called backwater reptiles they overnight shipped him to me.
I agree with @Beman backwater is known for sending out sick and dying chameleon. Sadly he appears in bad shape. Is he even drinking and are you fogging at night ? They can go a couple of weeks without eating but drinking is a little different.
 
I agree with @Beman backwater is known for sending out sick and dying chameleon. Sadly he appears in bad shape. Is he even drinking and are you fogging at night ? They can go a couple of weeks without eating but drinking is a little different.
Yes he was drinking just fine and even eating but this morning he looked like this all the sudden idk where I went wrong 😞 also I was fogging at night to maintain that high humidity level for him
 
If you are afraid of him falling, you can make a hospital bin for him. Preferably a medium sized bin (like a Rubbermaid type) with a wrinkled up towel and a couple of branches and/or a small plant with vines…something for him to hold onto.
 
Yes he was drinking just fine and even eating but this morning he looked like this all the sudden idk where I went wrong 😞 also I was fogging at night to maintain that high humidity level for him
If it's not too close to lights out time I would give his enclosure a good misting yet tonight and maybe add a dripper tomorrow and/or a misting after lights on. Chameleons are masters at hiding illnesses until sometimes it's almost to late to save them. All your temp and humidity numbers you mentioned sounds good so more than likely you received him in rough shape. IF and when needed I might know a couple of people that might have young ones.
 
If it's not too close to lights out time I would give his enclosure a good misting yet tonight and maybe add a dripper tomorrow and/or a misting after lights on. Chameleons are masters at hiding illnesses until sometimes it's almost to late to save them. All your temp and humidity numbers you mentioned sounds good so more than likely you received him in rough shape. IF and when needed I might know a couple of people that might have young ones.
I'm not 100% sure but I think he has passed 😞
 
I appreciate your condolences. How did it happen so fast though? I only had the boy for 2 weeks? 🤔
So sorry that you had to have this bad experience…and loss. There are many things that lead to this.
When you buy your next one, ask us about where to get one and make Sure you have your husbandry right and the experience should be better.
So sorry.
 
So sorry to see he passed... At 2 weeks, it's highly unlikely that you did anything to him to cause that nosedive. It's in their instincts to hide any and every weakness they have otherwise they'll be targeted in the wild. So by the time he was showing that bad, he was likely on his way out. Your husbandry sounds pretty solid so it's almost certainly something that he came home with that caused this. My heart goes out to you and your little cham. I hope you'll be able to have a better experience with your next one.

The folks here are excellent with their knowledge and advice - they'll send you to a good breeder. :)
 
So sorry to see he passed... At 2 weeks, it's highly unlikely that you did anything to him to cause that nosedive. It's in their instincts to hide any and every weakness they have otherwise they'll be targeted in the wild. So by the time he was showing that bad, he was likely on his way out. Your husbandry sounds pretty solid so it's almost certainly something that he came home with that caused this. My heart goes out to you and your little cham. I hope you'll be able to have a better experience with your next one.

The folks here are excellent with their knowledge and advice - they'll send you to a good breeder. :)
Thank you! I have a few things to work on before I take on another one. I want to complete the academy trainings and triple check my habitat along with a deep deep cleaning
 
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