swartzyA7X
New Member
Hey everyone!
I have worked with and studied reptiles for almost a decade now. I've mostly dealt with pythons, but I have always been fascinated with chameleons! After doing research on them and reading several "general husbandry" sheets, I finally found a young Jackson's Chameleon at a local pet store. I need as much advice as I can get to make sure my little guy is healthy and happy, so I thought, "what better place than a chameleon forum?" I have a few questions, so please bare with me as this is my first experience with a chameleon.
He is about 5-6 inches (with the tail included) so I know he is fairly young. I have only really seen him exhibit dark brown and sometimes green colorations since I got him 2 days ago, even after basking under his light. I bought a specially screened cage made for chameleons and have a basking light that is a 50 watt ZooMed basking bulb (that is said to help with UVB). I have several artificial vines, plants, and a tall structure for him to climb on. I am using the reptile carpet from Zilla to line the bottom. I'm very paranoid with my animals and I want to know if his behaviors are normal. He mostly has just sat under his light. His colors remain a dark brown/green. I put 3-4 appropriately sized crickets in his cage but I have not witnessed him make an attempt at them or eat any of them. I'm misting his cage twice a day for roughly a minute and I also have a dropper system in place. When I bought him he was shedding so still has some left over skin still on his tail, head, and a small bit on his legs.
That's basically where I'm at. Is this normal behavior? Is there any red flags I should note? What will his eating habits be like? I'd really appreciate any and all advice from seasoned chameleon keepers! I need the piece of mind!!
THANK YOU!!!
I have worked with and studied reptiles for almost a decade now. I've mostly dealt with pythons, but I have always been fascinated with chameleons! After doing research on them and reading several "general husbandry" sheets, I finally found a young Jackson's Chameleon at a local pet store. I need as much advice as I can get to make sure my little guy is healthy and happy, so I thought, "what better place than a chameleon forum?" I have a few questions, so please bare with me as this is my first experience with a chameleon.
He is about 5-6 inches (with the tail included) so I know he is fairly young. I have only really seen him exhibit dark brown and sometimes green colorations since I got him 2 days ago, even after basking under his light. I bought a specially screened cage made for chameleons and have a basking light that is a 50 watt ZooMed basking bulb (that is said to help with UVB). I have several artificial vines, plants, and a tall structure for him to climb on. I am using the reptile carpet from Zilla to line the bottom. I'm very paranoid with my animals and I want to know if his behaviors are normal. He mostly has just sat under his light. His colors remain a dark brown/green. I put 3-4 appropriately sized crickets in his cage but I have not witnessed him make an attempt at them or eat any of them. I'm misting his cage twice a day for roughly a minute and I also have a dropper system in place. When I bought him he was shedding so still has some left over skin still on his tail, head, and a small bit on his legs.
That's basically where I'm at. Is this normal behavior? Is there any red flags I should note? What will his eating habits be like? I'd really appreciate any and all advice from seasoned chameleon keepers! I need the piece of mind!!
THANK YOU!!!
