New Jackson's not eating or moving around

[Kam808]

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Apogee Reptarium 175 Gallon
• Lighting - Reptisun 5.0 18". 2 17 Watt Plant Grow Lights. 1 50 Wattt Basking Bulb. Basking bulb and reptisun stay on for 12-13 hours. Plant lights only for 6-7.
• Temperature - Temp at the top of the cage is around 85-87 during the day. Basking spot is about 90. Lower of the cage is around 79-81 during the day. At night it all drops about 8-10 degrees. I run the Air Conditioner during the day because temps rise to above 90-95 in this room. With the AC on it keeps the temp right around 85.
• Humidity - Humidity during the day drops to around 45 in the upper cage until i mist it, then rises to about 50-55. In the lower part of the cage during the day its 50-55. At night it all rises to about 65-70 percent. (I live in hawaii) I have lots of natural plants in the cage and have been manually misting about 5 times per day.
• Plants - Plants include Pothos, Spanish Moss, Dwarf Bamboo, Schefflera arboricola.
• Location - Located in my second bedroom which is my office. Very low traffic area. I have a small AC unit running during the day to keep temps at around 85 degress. The AC is on the other side of the room. And I have one fan on the other side of the room which does not blow right into the cage.

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - Jacksons, Male, estimated 2-3 years.
• Feeding - Silkworms, medium crickets. Trying to feed at much as I can but he isnt eating. Gut loading crix with cricket feed and kale so far. Have tried to feed him at 7am, 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 5pm, 7pm.
• Supplements - Dusting with Rep Cal. Have only done it once so far.
• Watering - Right now a manual mister about 5 times per day and I heavily mist the whole reptarium. He has drinken about 3 times.
• Fecal Description - I have not noticed any fecal matter yet.
• History - Just purchased him from the pet store. They said he was captive bred and about 2-3 years old. This is my first chameleon.
• Current Problem - Hello! Got my first male jacksons on Sunday and to my knowledge he hasn't eaten a thing since we got him. Captive bred, they estimated 2-3 years old. I have tried to hand feed him silk worms, place the silk worms on near by branches, left the silk worms in a bowl near where he has been camping out. Have also put 6-7 medium size crickets in and from what I can tell he hasn't touched them. The cage setup has many plants and the crickets just kind of disappear or go to the bottom. He isn't moving around much at all, seems to stay in just one central spot. So I dont think he would even find or see the crix. Has not gone to the basking spot or the drinking spot, but did drink water when I manually mist him.
  
  Any suggestions? I know he is new and may not eat much...but going on 3 days here. Not good. Thanks for any assistance!

 

[Tygerr]

There doesn't seem to be anything glaringly wrong with your setup.

But 2-3 years old is a pretty advanced age in chameleon terms.
Older chameleons become quite territorial, and it is likely that by purchasing him and setting him up in a new environment, you have displaced him from his territory, and he is possibly a bit stressed out and unsettled.

It might take a few days for him to get used to the new environment. All chameleons go through a period of adjustment like this, but I think it's even tougher on adult chameleons. During this time you should probably interact with him as little as possible so that he can truly feel safe and comfortable in his new environment.

It is a bit odd that he is not moving around at all, and not basking at all, but being Hawaii, with the temps high, he might not feel the need for basking at this stage.
And as for the lack of eating, adult chams do eat less than baby chams (especially if he has been well fed thus far), so he might have lost his appetite during the relocation. He should get it back in a few days.

Let him settle this week: if he hasn't started eating and being a bit more active by the end of the week, it might be time to call in professional help.
For now, as long as he seems hydrated and is drinking, you're off to a good start.
Keep us posted, and feel free to upload pics if you want anyone to have a look at his general condition.

 

[kinyonga]

Did they have a substrate in the cage at the store? If so, what? Did he appear to be active at the store?

Are his eyes open or shut when he is just sitting ther?

Its possible that you have the temperatures too high for him.
See this what this article has to say about temperatures...
http://adcham.com/html/taxonomy/species/chjacksonixanth.html

 

[Kam808]

Hey guys thanks so much for the help! I took your advice and let him be for a week. Much much better now. I backed off the basking lamp too so its maxing out at around 87. At times I just turn it off when the room temp is 85 because I cant get it any cooler in here during the daytime.

He is eating normally now, about 5-8 large crix a day. I realized that its easier to lure the crix into his pathway rather than just throw them in the cage and watch them disappear. Though I wonder if this prevents him from "hunting" for them. With my setup the crix that make it to the bottom...rarely make it back up top. I have a plastic cage liner and they cant walk on that material.

He has also gotten more used to the cage environment. Though he still has his favorite spots. I have seen him move around the whole cage though..that made me happy.

Thanks again for all the great advice!!