New to chameleon care, am I doing everything right?

[Pinetato]

Hello! I've had my baby for just over a month now, and while I've read a lot on chameleon care I want to make sure I'm doing everything right? If there is anything I need to change or fix or is what I'm doing sufficent? I want to make sure he gets the best care I can give him.

Chameleon Info:
* Your Chameleon - He's a male Jackson Chameleon, he's about 6 months old and I've had him so for a little over a month.
* Handling - I haven't wanted to stress him out to his new environment, so I've slowly been trying to warm him up to me. Hand feeding him the first cricket before putting them in his cage, held my hand in front of him for a minute once a week, the other day was the first time I held him since I got him to clean his enclosure. He hung on my arm for about 15 minutes before I put him on a cham safe plant the last 10, since he seemed to be getting stressed out. Then I took him out for just a few minutes today to see if all his shed from yesterday came off.
* Feeding - I'm feeding him crickets, I have been gut loading with Repashy brand feeder (I don't have the exact name) but switched to Flukers Orange Cube the other day. He gets ten crickets in the morning, he seems to be eating them all and only occasionally may two or three be left that night. I tried to feed him meal worms one day, but he wasn't interested.
* Supplements - RepCal Calcium with no phosphorous and w/o D3 twice a week, Flukers Reptile Vitamins once a month, and Flukers Reptile Calcium without phosphorous and w/ D3 twice a month.
* Watering - I mist 2-3 times a day, for maybe 2-4 minutes soaking his tree. He does drink, when I see him drinking from my misting I will get the dripper and let it go to allow him more until he is done. I offer him water before feeding time too, and most afternoons. I see him drink most days, though I suspect he drinks when I am not looking as well (I have caught him drinking after I left the room after I first got him, I think he didn't want to drink in front of me)
* Fecal Description - His poops are dark brown and white. They are pretty firm. He has not been tested for anything while in my care, the man I bought him from didn't say anything about it.
* History - He shed yesterday for the first time, it mostly came off except for a chunk on the top of his head and a small piece on one back toe. I upped the humidity in his enclosure and I'm gonna keep an eye on it to make sure they come off.

Cage Info:
* Cage Type - Screen cage, I often keep a towel draped on one side to help with humidity however. His cage is about 18x18x30.
* Lighting - Zoo Med heating lamp with (I'm pretty sure) 100w bulb. The UVB light is All Living Things fixture and tropical bulb. 12 hours with both on, 12 with both off.
* Temperature - I use a Zilla temp and humidity reader, basking spot is about 75-80 degrees, cage floor is about 70. Overnight temp is around 65-70 I believe.
* Humidity - I use the same tool for humidity, Zilla temp and humidity reader. I used a humidifier to help with the humidity for a while, but when the filter got bad they stopped making that brand (go figure) so I got the ReptiFogger by ZooMed. I try to keep the humidity around 60-70, though I'm having trouble keeping it consistently up. Trying to find a good balance with the fogger now that doesn't constantly soak his enclosure and form a puddle at the bottom. So it tends to be 50 at the top, 65 at the bottom.
* Plants - I have bought some live plants, but I need to repot them and make sure they are safe before I put them in the enclosure. The leaves have been cleaned, but the soil is not up to par yet. He has a fake tree branch that spans from one corner to the opposite, long a curvy with plenty of spots to hide on.
* Placement - The cage is in my bedroom, which only really sees traffic when me or my girlfriend are changing or going to sleep. The enclosure is on the floor, so low in the room.
* Location - Southeast Michigan

 

[Nursemaia]

Low on the floor is no good, stressful for them as they are tree dwelling. They prefer to be higher than us.
More branches and coverage needed
Why is the 1st pic kinda red? Do you have a red bulb on him? If so ditch it.
I'd mist him for longer. Jacksons are montane species and love water. If you're seeing him readily drink when you mist him then it means he's not getting enough to drink

 

[Pinetato]

Thank you for the reply! I'll move his enclosure up more tomorrow, look into buying a table if I have to.
Yes, like I said I have some plants I'll be putting inonce I repot them. I can post another picture once I do.
Yeah, his heat lamp is red. I had no idea, I'll definitely do more reading on that and get something more appropriate.
He doesn't drink every time I mist, only about once a day and doesn't always drink when I offer him water. I will mist for longer though, and be more attentive to making sure he drinks enough that's not a problem. Are there any other signs to look out for that they aren't drinking enough/have enough humidity?

 

[Nursemaia]

Heat lamp can be a regular incandescent household bulb. I see you're using a fogger, is his cage constantly wet? Humidity doesn't have to stay up all day long. Foggers are good if you live in a really dry area. My preference is an automatic mister that can go off a few times a day. @Remkon has a Jacksons he can give you some pointers

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum and the world of chameleons!

Regarding orange cubes...I don't recommend using them. For feeding/gutloading the crickets I use a wide assortment of greens and veggies such as dandelion greens, kale, escarole, endive, collards, carrots, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, squash, zucchini, etc and a bit if fruit such as pear, Apple, melon, berries, etc.

It's also recommended that you dust the insects at most feedings with a phosphorous-free calcium powder and lightly twice a month with a phosphorous-free calcium/D3 podwr and twice a month with a vitamin powder with a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A. It's uncertain whether any chameleons can convert beta carotene to a prEformed form of vitamin A so some people give a bit every onc e in a while. Not everyone agrees with using vitamins and D3 twice a month to Jacksons chameleons either. I'm sure those who don't will chime in.

The basking temp can be in the low 80's F.

Hope this helps!

 

[Pinetato]

Heat lamp can be a regular incandescent household bulb. I see you're using a fogger, is his cage constantly wet? Humidity doesn't have to stay up all day long. Foggers are good if you live in a really dry area. My preference is an automatic mister that can go off a few times a day. @Remkon has a Jacksons he can give you some pointers

No, I turn the fogger off and on to try and keep humidity up as needed. But sometimes I struggle to keep it above 50, so it ends up running longer at times. The floor of his cage has been constantly wet/damp since I got the fogger about a week ago, I try to keep it dry though by soaking up excess water with paper towel. When I mist, I wait to let his tree dry from the last one before I mist more.
What should the humidity fluctuate throughout the day, the low and high? I've found conflicting information and not sure what's best.

Welcome to the forum and the world of chameleons!

Regarding orange cubes...I don't recommend using them. For feeding/gutloading the crickets I use a wide assortment of greens and veggies such as dandelion greens, kale, escarole, endive, collards, carrots, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, squash, zucchini, etc and a bit if fruit such as pear, Apple, melon, berries, etc.

It's also recommended that you dust the insects at most feedings with a phosphorous-free calcium powder and lightly twice a month with a phosphorous-free calcium/D3 podwr and twice a month with a vitamin powder with a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A. It's uncertain whether any chameleons can convert beta carotene to a prEformed form of vitamin A so some people give a bit every onc e in a while. Not everyone agrees with using vitamins and D3 twice a month to Jacksons chameleons either. I'm sure those who don't will chime in.

The basking temp can be in the low 80's F.

Hope this helps!

Thank you! I'll look into getting better feed for my crickets.
Yes, when I was doing my research I read that it's a good idea to dust with calcium only 2-3 times a week, but I've been having a hard time finding solid 100% answers on certain things it seems like a lot of stuff is just slightly different depending on the source. Or maybe I just don't know where to look.
When I get the new bulb, I'll see what I can do to make the basking spot just a bit warmer to keep it a little above 80.

 

[Nursemaia]

There's a good caresheet on here for Jacksons

 

[Pinetato]

There's a good caresheet on here for Jacksons

Ahh thank you, I looked it up and that helped quite a bit with the numbers. Looks like for the most part I've been getting stuff correct, just have to make those few adjustments after work today.
Thank you for all the input guys I greatly appreciate it!

 

[ScrantonStrangler]

No, I turn the fogger off and on to try and keep humidity up as needed. But sometimes I struggle to keep it above 50, so it ends up running longer at times. The floor of his cage has been constantly wet/damp since I got the fogger about a week ago, I try to keep it dry though by soaking up excess water with paper towel. When I mist, I wait to let his tree dry from the last one before I mist more.

Hey man I'm new to chameleon-ing too! lol..I've got a male jackson a little bit younger than yours..the only thing I wanted to add is..drainage! It took me a couple weeks to get this down, but having a proper drainage setup is a must..especially since our jacksons like higher humidity than most..that's a for sure..my opinion on something else is, the fogger..if you're in a good financial spot right now..just save yourself all the headaches I had and get yourself a mistking..an automatic mister is more beneficial to our jacksons than a fogger..someone correct me if I'm wrong..I've still got my training wheels on

 

[Nursemaia]

Humidity doesn't have to stay constantly up. It can drop but it should have several spikes throughout the day. There's several members who are good with montane species. Maybe they can chime in and offer some advice @Remkon @jpowell86 @Extensionofgreen I agree a mister is better than a fogger. I use a washing machine pan under my setup for drainage and @WAMBO has some good pictures he's posted on here before as an example.

 

[Pinetato]

Hey man I'm new to chameleon-ing too! lol..I've got a male jackson a little bit younger than yours..the only thing I wanted to add is..drainage! It took me a couple weeks to get this down, but having a proper drainage setup is a must..especially since our jacksons like higher humidity than most..that's a for sure..my opinion on something else is, the fogger..if you're in a good financial spot right now..just save yourself all the headaches I had and get yourself a mistking..an automatic mister is more beneficial to our jacksons than a fogger..someone correct me if I'm wrong..I've still got my training wheels on

Haha, I knew this would be a lot to maintain but with humidity it seems like one problem after another! Thank you for the tip, I'll definitely read into drainage systems that's a really good idea.

Humidity doesn't have to stay constantly up. It can drop but it should have several spikes throughout the day. There's several members who are good with montane species. Maybe they can chime in and offer some advice @Remkon @jpowell86 @Extensionofgreen I agree a mister is better than a fogger. I use a washing machine pan under my setup for drainage and @WAMBO has some good pictures he's posted on here before as an example.

The problem with my humidity is it easily falls below 50, I have to keep the fogger going for over half the day and 3-5 daily mistings to keep it above 60. If a mister can keep up I'd be happy to get one though I'm a little worried to spend a lot of money on something else if it won't do a better job of keeping up humidity. If you think it will though, I'm willing to try. I have a few friends who keep snakes that I'm sure would be willing to buy a new fogger from me haha.
And thank you for the tip on drainage! I'll go try to find the pictures.

 

[Nursemaia]

You can try wrapping 1 or 2 sides with a shower curtain to help keep the humidity up. Lots of people will recommend the Mistking, I have a Climist. Same exact mister, only it's made by a different manufacturer. It's a little bit cheaper than a Mistking and I can find extra parts for it on Ebay and Amazon.
With a mister the setup has a chance to dry out in between misting sessions. If it stays constantly wet mold and mildew can grow and it sets up the cham for developing a URI.

 

[Nursemaia]

Here's my drainage for my baby melleri. My other 3 have enough live plants that I don't have to work about excess water too much. The plants soak it up. The setup sits in the washing machine pan and it drains into the bucket and I empty the bucket every other day

 

[Pinetato]

You can try wrapping 1 or 2 sides with a shower curtain to help keep the humidity up. Lots of people will recommend the Mistking, I have a Climist. Same exact mister, only it's made by a different manufacturer. It's a little bit cheaper than a Mistking and I can find extra parts for it on Ebay and Amazon.
With a mister the setup has a chance to dry out in between misting sessions. If it stays constantly wet mold and mildew can grow and it sets up the cham for developing a URI.

Okay, I'll give it a shot. Thank you so much for the help! I want my little guy to be as happy and healthy as possible, I was reading stories on here about how improper care can really hurt them and I don't want accidental inappropriate care to cause any problems for him.

 

[Nursemaia]

Okay, I'll give it a shot. Thank you so much for the help! I want my little guy to be as happy and healthy as possible, I was reading stories on here about how improper care can really hurt them and I don't want accidental inappropriate care to cause any problems for him.

I'm glad you're doing so much research. There's a lot of information out there but I'd stick to what the caresheet on the forum recommends. Jacksons are a great cham. More laid back than some other species but a little harder to care for, especially if it's your 1st cham. I think you're going to be fine seeing you came here for help and support.

 

[Pinetato]

I'm glad you're doing so much research. There's a lot of information out there but I'd stick to what the caresheet on the forum recommends. Jacksons are a great cham. More laid back than some other species but a little harder to care for, especially if it's your 1st cham. I think you're going to be fine seeing you came here for help and support.

Yes, I already knew a bit about reptile care thanks to friends with snakes but chameleons are harder to care for than ball pythons haha. I'm really glad these forums exist, it is a really great resource and I'm so relieved to get some feedback on all this.

 

[Nursemaia]

My snake is so easy compared to the chams. 1 pinky a week. Clean sand as needed. Refill water

 

[jpowell86]

Humidity is such a crucial part of keeping montane species. So I am glad you are really trying to get this right.

Humidity during the day is very important, but where most keepers mess up in my opinion is not raising the humidity at night. That is the time period when you should really try to raise the humidity. LIVE PLANTS are a must. That is one of the easiest ways to maintain humidity. Running the misters during the day and keeping the cage around 50% is completely fine. Just try running the fogger intermittently at night to keep the humidity higher then. You will see health benefits in your animal.

 

[Pinetato]

Humidity is such a crucial part of keeping montane species. So I am glad you are really trying to get this right.

Humidity during the day is very important, but where most keepers mess up in my opinion is not raising the humidity at night. That is the time period when you should really try to raise the humidity. LIVE PLANTS are a must. That is one of the easiest ways to maintain humidity. Running the misters during the day and keeping the cage around 50% is completely fine. Just try running the fogger intermittently at night to keep the humidity higher then. You will see health benefits in your animal.

Okay, I'll look into that too! Thank you so much for the advice. I will be putting live plants in, already have them and everything just have to repot them and make them safe.

 

[Pinetato]

I got the rack today so he is now about eye level, with the highest point in his cage about 6 inches taller than me. I also got the new incandesent bulb to replace the red heat light I had. I'm looking into getting the mister though I may have to wait until my next paycheck.
Tomorrow I'm going to get the materials to repot the plants to put them in, and get some materials for gutloading the crickets properly.