new jackson owner i need advice

[jackson310]

wassup everybody im really happy to be joining this forum and i just got my first jackson a week ago, i have him in a custom cage that i built , i posted some pics of murph my chameleon and his cage so check them out ...i got one question when i turn on the heat lamp he doesnt really like it, he stays hidden for about the whole day.. i was wondering if i could just leave the uvb repti sun 5.0 tht i have and just leave the heat lamp off thats when his more active when its off, my room tempeture is always at 80 so let me know thanks

 

[jamncristian]

read this it sould help
http://chameleonnews.com/10JulManchen.html

 

[jdog1027]

If your room temperature is 80F, you don't need a heat lamp. 80F is about the upper limit for Jacksons. I use 60w neodymium bulbs for heat lamps with my Veileds, but I just use a standard 34w incandesent positioned on the top extreme back corner of the Jacksons cage. I occasionally see him under it, but rarely. Keep in mind my room temperature is usually about 75F. You should go to a local pharmacy and get you an ultrasonic cool mist humidifier.

 

[JaxyGirl]

Triton isn't a huge basker either. I live in Maine so he tends to bask more in the winter then he does in the summer. Being a Montane species, Jackson's just don't have the same basking requirements as other chams. But I would still set up a basking area with a 40wat bulb so he can bask if he wants to.

 

[Lovereps]

You don't say what the temperature is in the basking area.
If he's hiding and inactive when the heat lamp is on, he seems to be telling you it's too hot for him. Maybe you just need to use a lower wattage bulb.
80 degrees room temp is rather warm and a basking area should only be in the low 80s.
A drop in temperature at night is best and keeping the humidity up is essential.
Jackson's can be rather difficult to keep well hydrated.
Usually, you won't see them drink.
I think I saw mine drink ONCE in a year's time, if at all.
The best way to know that he is getting enough to drink is to monitor his urates (the white part of his poop). It should be nice and pearly white, definitely not orange. Orange indicates he's dehydrated.
A misting system is a great help with them and they should have a dripper going all day, as well.
My dripper is a one gallon milk jug with a piece of aquarium air tubing attached with an air valve to regulate the drip speed.
Awesome cage you made for him!
You can search through past posts for lots of Jackson's info, but there are some excellent links posted by Xanthoman in post #12 of this thread:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/jacksons-overview-40283/index2.html
Xanthoman has taken his forum name from the Jackson subspecies Xantholophus--which offers a hint that he knows proper Jackson's care.
I almost forgot to add that "montane" species, such as Jackson's are susceptible to oversupplementation with vitamins and calcium. Too much is as harmful as too little.
Xanthoman has recommended:
"calcium without D3 2x a week, calcium with d3 once a month, and multivites (with proformed vitamin A) once every 6-8 weeks (all in sparing amounts) should be plenty, maybe even too much for a xanth that gets regular outside sun. herptivite (proformed vitamin A) is probably safer than reptivite (preformed vitamin A)."

 

[xanthoman]

basking

what kind of bulb is it? what are your basking temps ? how are they measured ? for most setups and newer keepers imo, i would recomend an incandescent household bulb of 15-40 watts max for basking. with a max adult basking temp of 84* as measured by a digital thermometer with the probe right in the sweet spot of the beam, as focused on the basking spot. usually at a distance of about 12" depending on the reflector. imo an incandescent household bulb, is a better choice than an infra red or a ceramic heat emitter. imo, you want the uva that a household bulb provides, an ir bulb provides no uva. imo, i would set up for basking regardless of temps, even if the ambient temp exceeds 84*. a previous poster has quoted a supplemental regimin previously posted by me. what this doesnt point out, is that any supplemental recomendation i make, is based upon my best assement of the known facts at the time, and may vary according to several factors, and may not neccessarily be the same in all situations. jmo