New Jackson’s Dad

[Psychomunky]

He should not be falling. You are making necessary changes so that will help correct any issues. Falling, not jumping to escape, is a sign of possibility early MBD, gout or over supplementation. I would keep a close eye on him. I don’t know Jackson’s but I know they need lower doses.

Usually he will fall when attempting to climb leaves instead of the branches. I’m not sure why he’s so obsessed with climbing on the leaves themselves instead of the branches that are EVERYWHERE lol.

 

[leedragon]

Alright,

So I live on the eastern shore of Maryland.

Here are some more pictures, as requested...

Oh yes. Now it´s much clearer he is young alright. I would say 6-7 months maybe. quite young.

 

[Psychomunky]

Oh yes. Now it´s much clearer he is young alright. I would say 6-7 months maybe. quite young.

And what sub genus(?) is he? If you had to guess? So a Jackson's ____________?

 

[leedragon]

And what sub genus(?) is he? If you had to guess? So a Jackson's ____________?

it´s a xantho, male from hawaii.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

it´s a xantho, male from hawaii.

Just curious (and a little confused).... You're able to tell that for certain from the photos?

The subspecies T. j. xantholophus (native to the Mount Kenya region) was introduced to Hawaii in 1972 and has since established populations on all main islands and became invasive species there.[12][13][14][15] This subspecies has also been introduced to Florida.[5] In Hawaii, they are found mainly at altitudes of 100 to 1,000 m (330 to 3,280 ft) in wet, shady places.[5] Historically this population was the primary source of Jackson's chameleons for the exotic pet trade in the United States, but exports from Hawaii are now illegal.[5] This has been done to prevent opportunists from willfully establishing further feral animal populations to capture and sell them.[15]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson's_chameleon

Would this mean that Psychomunky's cham is descended from specimens exported from HI before the ban?

 

[leedragon]

Just curious (and a little confused).... You're able to tell that for certain from the photos?


Would this mean that Psychomunky's cham is descended from specimens exported from HI before the ban?

tre horns, dubble spines, coloration, the xanthos you have are from hawaii, there was a export some years ago from africa but as with any othe export those are gonge now. No it means that animals keep coming from hawaii regardless.

 

[Kaizen]

We'll do our best to help you with the heat and humidity issues. Hopefully they don't impact his health before you get him into a screen cage. One thing you can do is reduce your misting duration to 15 seconds or less every 6 hours and just hand mist first and last thing to up the amount or run a dripper that drips into a collection cup covered in screen so you don't have as much excess. Drippers can just be a cup with a pin hole filled with ice cubes to slowly drip as they melt. Hand mist less in the morning and more at night. It won't boos humidity as much as a mister.

In our side converstion I told you a small USB computer fan might help with the air circulation hoping you had one on hand. You might find a small toy fan at the dollar store. You don't need it to blast just move things around a bit. Walmart has some from 6-20$.

I don't use any additional heat for Jacksons under 4 months beyond what the fluorescent provide. He looks older to me but it's hard to judge without something to provide scale. Either way he has a lot of horn. @Mendez, @Kaizen and @leedragon what age do you think he is? I'd guess 4-6 months? You also won't need the basking light on all day unless your house is frigid. Mine come on an hour after the UVB and then for a couple hours and then occasionally for 30 minutes thru the afternoon. They like to bask more than they need to.

One more thing for now. Don't give him calcium with D3 more than once a month. Here are schedules you should check out. My Jackson's Supplement Schedule

6months

 

[Psychomunky]

This, this is what makes this so hard. All of these images were sourced from either thesprucepets.com, reptilesguide.com, chameleonacademy.com, chameleonschool.com, or http://jacksonschameleoncaresheet.com/, or a Youtube video from one of these sources....

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

This, this is what makes this so hard. All of these images were sourced from either thesprucepets.com, reptilesguide.com, chameleonacademy.com, chameleonschool.com, or http://jacksonschameleoncaresheet.com/, or a Youtube video from one of these sources....

Don't forget the care sheets in the Resources section here!

I think you'll also find differences of opinion among contributors here.

It's an evolving hobby. Some—if not all—of these sources report what has worked for them (or their sources) over many years and many generations of chameleons. I think they're all sincere in their recommendations and none are trying to intentionally steer us wrong.

Also, many/most animals have quite a range of conditions—geographical, climatic, and seasonal—that they can be found living & thriving in.

My own practice in such cases is to collect the data and go by a combination of consensus, weighted averages, and/or gut feeling/intuition, all subject to fine tuning/revision and ideas exchanged here & elsewhere.

Either that, or like a doctor, vet, or other professional, pick a source you feel confident in, and stick with the program.

 

[Psychomunky]

ok so here’s what I’m going to do

• Daytime Upper Temp - 76-78
• Daytime Basking Area Temp - 80-82
• Daytime Basking Light Schedule - From 7am - 9am then 30 minutes every hour and a half until lights out
• Daytime Lower Temp - 70-72
• Daytime Humidity - 50-70%
• Fan running across top for extra air circ
• Nighttime Upper Temp - 68-70
• Nighttime Lower Temp - 62-64
• Nighttime Humidity - Max
• Misting - 7am - 3 mins then Auto 15s every 6 hours and another heavy mist at 6pm
• Feeding - 8-10 small crickets every other day for now w/ calcium at every feeding and Multivitamin with D3 once a month + mix in wax worms, superworms, roaches, and wingless flies

This will be the routine, unless anyone sees any GLARING problems with it.
As mentioned, next month I will be building a custom enclosure area for him, he’ll be able to climb up almost 6 feet and it will have both outdoor access via a caged balcony with a slide door I can close on chilly or super hot days and live plants for hiding, and a piece of it extends over our staircase so he has the impression of being 20 feet up. I am putting plenty of safety on that, so if he does continue this strange leaf climbing thing and falling he won’t hurt himself, not to mention for the poop. I will probably design a wedge shape with a plexiglass bottom so he can see down through it, the. Put a hammock or something over that in case he falls. This is all open to suggestion, and maybe I should start a new thread for this one. To take in ideas for building something EPIC for him. I want these extra areas to be modular also, so I can limit access for cleaning, night time temp drop, etc…. Like I said, tomorrow I will post a new thread for brainstorming the new custom enclosure if you guys wanna help. Next month money won’t be an issue, so let’s come up with something amazing.

 

[JacksJill]

I would feed him daily for the next 3 months or until he is 9 months old and/or starts leaving feeders uneaten. Day time humidity could be lower but that will happen when you make your new cage.
The falling may have more to do with his frantic behavior and could be helped with more places to climb like sturdy branches.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Like I said, tomorrow I will post a new thread for brainstorming the new custom enclosure if you guys wanna help. Next month money won’t be an issue, so let’s come up with something amazing.

I think that's an excellent idea, and glad to help any way I can (retired designer among other things).

My only other suggestion at this point is not to rush things by committing yourself to building too soon. If it takes a little longer to get your design right, it'll only be that much better and go that much smoother.

 

[Highway61]

@JacksJill I agree, probably about 4 months or a little older.

Looks alot like my baby male xanth when he was shipped to me at 4 months. So yes, I'd say 4 to 5 months. Cute little guy, I can already see he will do well in your care!