NEWBIE: Need info on neonate Jackson's Chameleon care

[amswanton]

Hi Everyone! I just got a poor little 2 week old Jackson's Chameleon from an irresponsible breeder selling them too young at a Repticon event and I have done endless amounts of research but still have questions regarding the care. I absolutely love this little guy and I want to do EVERYTHING EXACTLY right to give him the best chance of survival (knowing that their survival rate is extremely low as it is).

He is currently in a little 3"x3"x2"H plastic container with a hole on each side (which he came in from Repticon) that I modified with cheesecloth over the top and sides to give him more ventilation and prevent the fruit flies from escaping. I am well aware that this enclosure is not appropriate so I am trying to figure out what I SHOULD put him in because I was told that putting him in anything bigger will overwhelm and stress him out (him being so small). I have no idea if this is true or what, so my first question is: What should I house him in being only 2" long?

I have been feeding him fruit flies and they are available to him 24/7 except at night. My next question is: When I don't dust them with supplements, what can I use to lower the fruit flies activity level? I can barely even get them in the container because they are all over the place so does anyone know of something I can put on them to slow them down that won't harm the chameleon besides powder supplements?

What are the best gut loading fruits/veggies for chameleon prey?

Can I feed him silkworms and/or horn worms that are really small? Do they even start off small enough to feed to a neonate chameleon?

When I get him a proper enclosure I want to do a homemade drip system so my next question is: What can I put in the enclosure to catch the water that my chameleon won't be able to get into and drown?

I also want to put live plants in his enclosure but I am not sure which kind to use. Question: From those with experience, which plants are the easiest to clean and care for in a chameleon enclosure?

I have read that neonate chameleons have a higher survival rate being raised outside. Question: Does anyone have any input on this statement? I live in Louisiana and there is definitely high humidity but my concern (if this statement is even true) about putting him outside is the high heat (between 85-95 F +) in this area. Does anyone have experience with keeping different groups of neonate chameleons inside AND outside to compare the survival rate? And with the conditions in my area would it even be feasible to try to raise him outside?

CARE DETAILS:

Enclosure: 3"x3"x2" Plastic Container w/ cheesecloth on sides and top and a stick/leaves to climb on/drink off of

Lighting: 5.0 Linear Fluorescent UVB / 25W Basking Spotlight / 12hr on/off

Water: Misting 5+ times a day

Food: All Day Access to Fruit Flies

Supplements: Reptivite* / Calcium Powder w/ D3* / Mist Water Conditioner w/ Calcium

* Just read last night that he is only supposed to get these supplements 1 x per month each and I have been dusting his fruit flies with Reptivite for almost every meal with the exception of the few times I did the Calcium D3 so I am not going to do this anymore and I hope I didn't do anything to harm him by giving him too much of these for the past week!

Recap of Questions:

1) What do I house a 2" Chameleon in that will not stress/overwhelm him? How big should the enclosure be?

2) When I don't dust the fruit flies with supplements, what can I use to lower the their activity level (slow/distract them) that won't affect the chameleon?

3) What are the best gut loading fruits/veggies for chameleon prey?

4) Can I feed him silkworms and/or horn worms that are really small? Do they even start off small enough to feed to a neonate chameleon?

5) For a homemade drip system, what can I put in the enclosure to catch the water but that my chameleon won't be able to get into and drown?

6) From those with experience, which plants are the easiest to clean and care for in a chameleon enclosure?

7) Does anyone have experience with keeping different groups of neonate chameleons inside AND outside to compare the survival rate? And with the conditions in my area (high humidity/85-95 F +) would it even be feasible to try to raise him outside?

Sorry for so many questions but if anyone can help please, please, please give me your input. Thank you so much!!!

 

[Dgood]

I have a jacksons that I got a little bit ago defiantly not as youg as yours though. I would say since he is so young and little to put him in a screen enclosure 18x18x24 or somethin around that size it could even be an exxoterra tank to help with humidity better. He will stay in that size of a cage until it starts getting bigger 5-7 inches. I have mine in a 2x2x4 screen enclosure and mine is only 7-8 months old at the most. Jacksons need higher humidity because they are from the mountains of Kenya, and they are more sensitive to supplementation, I would do plain calcium 3-4 times a week since he is. A baby, and the multi vitamin with d3 1 time a month. As for slowing the fruit flys down you could just mist them and hopefully that should slow them down a little. Also I would try pin head cricket so he has a variety, for the dripper you can put a small cup/Tupperware container with some screen mesh on the top. Be sure to give your Cham some space so he/she can get used to it's new environment, keep handling to a minimum, keep variety in their diet so they don't go on strike. If you have any other questions you can pm me or just post them on here. Hope I can help!

Hi Everyone! I just got a poor little 2 week old Jackson's Chameleon from an irresponsible breeder selling them too young at a Repticon event and I have done endless amounts of research but still have questions regarding the care. I absolutely love this little guy and I want to do EVERYTHING EXACTLY right to give him the best chance of survival (knowing that their survival rate is extremely low as it is).

He is currently in a little 3"x3"x2"H plastic container with a hole on each side (which he came in from Repticon) that I modified with cheesecloth over the top and sides to give him more ventilation and prevent the fruit flies from escaping. I am well aware that this enclosure is not appropriate so I am trying to figure out what I SHOULD put him in because I was told that putting him in anything bigger will overwhelm and stress him out (him being so small). I have no idea if this is true or what, so my first question is: What should I house him in being only 2" long?

I have been feeding him fruit flies and they are available to him 24/7 except at night. My next question is: When I don't dust them with supplements, what can I use to lower the fruit flies activity level? I can barely even get them in the container because they are all over the place so does anyone know of something I can put on them to slow them down that won't harm the chameleon besides powder supplements?

What are the best gut loading fruits/veggies for chameleon prey?

Can I feed him silkworms and/or horn worms that are really small? Do they even start off small enough to feed to a neonate chameleon?

When I get him a proper enclosure I want to do a homemade drip system so my next question is: What can I put in the enclosure to catch the water that my chameleon won't be able to get into and drown?

I also want to put live plants in his enclosure but I am not sure which kind to use. Question: From those with experience, which plants are the easiest to clean and care for in a chameleon enclosure?

I have read that neonate chameleons have a higher survival rate being raised outside. Question: Does anyone have any input on this statement? I live in Louisiana and there is definitely high humidity but my concern (if this statement is even true) about putting him outside is the high heat (between 85-95 F +) in this area. Does anyone have experience with keeping different groups of neonate chameleons inside AND outside to compare the survival rate? And with the conditions in my area would it even be feasible to try to raise him outside?

CARE DETAILS:

Enclosure: 3"x3"x2" Plastic Container w/ cheesecloth on sides and top and a stick/leaves to climb on/drink off of

Lighting: 5.0 Linear Fluorescent UVB / 25W Basking Spotlight / 12hr on/off

Water: Misting 5+ times a day

Food: All Day Access to Fruit Flies

Supplements: Reptivite* / Calcium Powder w/ D3* / Mist Water Conditioner w/ Calcium

* Just read last night that he is only supposed to get these supplements 1 x per month each and I have been dusting his fruit flies with Reptivite for almost every meal with the exception of the few times I did the Calcium D3 so I am not going to do this anymore and I hope I didn't do anything to harm him by giving him too much of these for the past week!

Recap of Questions:

1) What do I house a 2" Chameleon in that will not stress/overwhelm him? How big should the enclosure be?

2) When I don't dust the fruit flies with supplements, what can I use to lower the their activity level (slow/distract them) that won't affect the chameleon?

3) What are the best gut loading fruits/veggies for chameleon prey?

4) Can I feed him silkworms and/or horn worms that are really small? Do they even start off small enough to feed to a neonate chameleon?

5) For a homemade drip system, what can I put in the enclosure to catch the water but that my chameleon won't be able to get into and drown?

6) From those with experience, which plants are the easiest to clean and care for in a chameleon enclosure?

7) Does anyone have experience with keeping different groups of neonate chameleons inside AND outside to compare the survival rate? And with the conditions in my area (high humidity/85-95 F +) would it even be feasible to try to raise him outside?

Sorry for so many questions but if anyone can help please, please, please give me your input. Thank you so much!!!

View attachment 83234

 

[Dgood]

Hopefully someone with more experience with jax can help you out but just follow the care sheets on here and he will be fine

 

[kplatvoet]

Watch this it was done by an experienced member -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKTbUaOQ0aA

 

[kplatvoet]

If you put a piece of fruit in the cage (i stick it to a branch) the fruit flies will go to it and are easy for the baby to find

 

[laurie]

I have to go to a meeting but*I will explain it all when I get home. Leave him in the container he is in for now. Talk to you soon and do watch the video. Hopefully it is a scruffy guy with long hair. Justin is wonderful with jacksons.

 

[Lovereps]

Louisiana has the right humidity BUT it's too hot and the sun too strong.
Babies are very susceptiple to dehydrating, so very important are hydration and temperature--keep the baby at no more than 80 degrees.
Your setup will be way too hot and the UV bulb will be too strong if either is very near him.
Line the enclosure with paper towels, so daily poop cleanup is easy.
For relatively small chams, Jackson's do better in larger enclosures than you'd think they'd need.
An 18x18x36" tall Exo Terra terrarium has been home to one of my Jackson's babies for the past couple of months since the day he was born.
Buttterfly cages have also worked for some people and screened cages for others.
I washed a nice Pothos and an Umbrella plant (Schefflera arbicola) with dishsoap and water and rinsed very well to ensure there were no fertilizer or pesticide residues on the plant.
The soil should be regular potting soil--nothing with vermiculite or other things that he could accidentally eat when aiming for a bug.
Flightless fruit flies (both Hydei and Melanogaster are fine) and extra small Phoenixworms are good foods.
Newly hatched silkworms are definitely small enough for him.
Hornworms are too big---and never feed ones from outdoors because the toxins in them from dining on tomato or tobacco plants will kill your cham.
True pinhead crickets are also an OK size but are not often available in stores.
Crickets tend to chew on chams while they sleep, so you want to be sure they have food in case any are hidden in the cage.
I have been told that babies should not have their feeders dusted for about the first 6 months but instead, the feeders should be fed a very nutritious diet--which will make them extra nutritious for your cham.
I have however, lightly dusted the feeders with calcium without D3 twice a week.
I do not use a multivitamin and don't use commercial cricket "food" "water" or "gutload"cubes.
More feeder details and what to feed them are here:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/food/
You don't need to slow flightless fruit flies down. Your cham can catch them just fine--especially if you have a piece of fruit for them to feast on in the enclosure.
Regular fruit flies could be slowed down by spending a few minutes in the fridge.

Baby Jackson's are known to be more delicate than other types of chams, but you've found a good place here on Chameleonforums.

 

[laurie]

Louisiana has the right humidity BUT it's too hot and the sun too strong.
Babies are very susceptiple to dehydrating, so very important are hydration and temperature--keep the baby at no more than 80 degrees.
Your setup will be way too hot and the UV bulb will be too strong if either is very near him.
Line the enclosure with paper towels, so daily poop cleanup is easy.
For relatively small chams, Jackson's do better in larger enclosures than you'd think they'd need.
An 18x18x36" tall Exo Terra terrarium has been home to one of my Jackson's babies for the past couple of months since the day he was born.
Buttterfly cages have also worked for some people and screened cages for others.
I washed a nice Pothos and an Umbrella plant (Schefflera arbicola) with dishsoap and water and rinsed very well to ensure there were no fertilizer or pesticide residues on the plant.
The soil should be regular potting soil--nothing with vermiculite or other things that he could accidentally eat when aiming for a bug.
Flightless fruit flies (both Hydei and Melanogaster are fine) and extra small Phoenixworms are good foods.
Newly hatched silkworms are definitely small enough for him.
Hornworms are too big---and never feed ones from outdoors because the toxins in them from dining on tomato or tobacco plants will kill your cham.
True pinhead crickets are also an OK size but are not often available in stores.
Crickets tend to chew on chams while they sleep, so you want to be sure they have food in case any are hidden in the cage.
I have been told that babies should not have their feeders dusted for about the first 6 months but instead, the feeders should be fed a very nutritious diet--which will make them extra nutritious for your cham.
I have however, lightly dusted the feeders with calcium without D3 twice a week.
I do not use a multivitamin and don't use commercial cricket "food" "water" or "gutload"cubes.
More feeder details and what to feed them are here:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/food/
You don't need to slow flightless fruit flies down. Your cham can catch them just fine--especially if you have a piece of fruit for them to feast on in the enclosure.
Regular fruit flies could be slowed down by spending a few minutes in the fridge.

Baby Jackson's are known to be more delicate than other types of chams, but you've found a good place here on Chameleonforums.

Looks like you have it covered, thanks Lovereps.

 

[Lovereps]

Looks like you have it covered, thanks Lovereps.

Laurie, I was actually hoping you'd add to my comments.
The more knowledge shared, the better

 

[Saldarya]

Clearly LoveReps covered the appropriate info, but seeing as I live in Louisiana , depending where you live, I am certainly willing to help you face to face or via phone in any way I can.

As mentioned, our current humidity is great but heat can be an issue. That being said, if you can get them out at sunrise until around 10:30 with the morning sun you will be fine. I do this with my Meru Jacksons and they certainly enjoy it.

Again, PM me if I can help in any way.

Bobby

 

[Lovereps]

As mentioned, our current humidity is great but heat can be an issue. That being said, if you can get them out at sunrise until around 10:30 with the morning sun you will be fine. I do this with my Meru Jacksons and they certainly enjoy it.

Bobby

Hi Bobby, did you see that this is a 2 week old baby?
I don't think that it would be wise for a 2 week old baby.
I've been warned against doing so, even in the much more northerly latitude of NY.

 

[amswanton]

Watch this it was done by an experienced member -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKTbUaOQ0aA

Fantastic video! Thanks Kplatvoet! And thanks for the fruit in the cage for flies recommendation, works like a charm!

 

[amswanton]

Louisiana has the right humidity BUT it's too hot and the sun too strong.
Babies are very susceptiple to dehydrating, so very important are hydration and temperature--keep the baby at no more than 80 degrees.
Your setup will be way too hot and the UV bulb will be too strong if either is very near him.
Line the enclosure with paper towels, so daily poop cleanup is easy.
For relatively small chams, Jackson's do better in larger enclosures than you'd think they'd need.
An 18x18x36" tall Exo Terra terrarium has been home to one of my Jackson's babies for the past couple of months since the day he was born.
Buttterfly cages have also worked for some people and screened cages for others.
I washed a nice Pothos and an Umbrella plant (Schefflera arbicola) with dishsoap and water and rinsed very well to ensure there were no fertilizer or pesticide residues on the plant.
The soil should be regular potting soil--nothing with vermiculite or other things that he could accidentally eat when aiming for a bug.
Flightless fruit flies (both Hydei and Melanogaster are fine) and extra small Phoenixworms are good foods.
Newly hatched silkworms are definitely small enough for him.
Hornworms are too big---and never feed ones from outdoors because the toxins in them from dining on tomato or tobacco plants will kill your cham.
True pinhead crickets are also an OK size but are not often available in stores.
Crickets tend to chew on chams while they sleep, so you want to be sure they have food in case any are hidden in the cage.
I have been told that babies should not have their feeders dusted for about the first 6 months but instead, the feeders should be fed a very nutritious diet--which will make them extra nutritious for your cham.
I have however, lightly dusted the feeders with calcium without D3 twice a week.
I do not use a multivitamin and don't use commercial cricket "food" "water" or "gutload"cubes.
More feeder details and what to feed them are here:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/food/
You don't need to slow flightless fruit flies down. Your cham can catch them just fine--especially if you have a piece of fruit for them to feast on in the enclosure.
Regular fruit flies could be slowed down by spending a few minutes in the fridge.

Baby Jackson's are known to be more delicate than other types of chams, but you've found a good place here on Chameleonforums.

Thank you SOOOOO much for all of the info Lovereps! Just bought him a screen enclosure on Amazon. I'm a little concerned about doing anything too big because I might not be able to find him in it! lol I just got a 16x16x20 until he gets a little bigger cause he doesn't really climb much either... Is that a bad sign? He just stay on the bottom of the enclosure and sleeps ALOT. I'm assuming baby chams sleep alot just like any other baby animal right? He is eating and drinking good and does everything else normal but just doesn't seem to be interested in climbing too much. What do you think about that?

And the flies in the fridge to slow them down... WORKS AMAZING! Between doing that and putting the fruit in the cage to attract them to one spot... totally does the trick! Thats just what I needed! I asked because I was having a hard time trying to handle them while they are running and jumping around like crazy and then after I get them in the enclosure they run up the sides and escape! But, thank goodness, that problem is solved!

Where did you hear about not giving them supplements til 6 months old? Im curious because I have been on so many different sites I can't even tell you how many and I have not seen ANY statement like that before. Let me know where this info came from, if you don't mind.

Where is a good place to get phoenix worms? I have never heard of these before but I would definitely like to get some to vary his diet. Are they easy to breed at home to have a constant supply?

I can't thank you enough for all of the advice... Look forward to getting your reply. Thanks!

 

[Saldarya]

Hi Bobby, did you see that this is a 2 week old baby?
I don't think that it would be wise for a 2 week old baby.
I've been warned against doing so, even in the much more northerly latitude of NY.

I think under supervision it would be ok. Again, even an hour of sunshine with the ambient temperature of 72-74 degrees (is what it would be here at 8-9am) would do wonders for a baby at that age.

 

[Yak]

hi
you can get phoenix worms from phoenix worms, just make sure you order small
(young)

 

[Lovereps]

You're very welcome
I'm glad that you're trying to learn about all that your cham needs to thrive.
It is good that he is eating and drinking but he shouldn't be sleeping at all during the daytime and he should be pretty active.

Being housed in a 3" container isn't good for him and it may very well be the stress of such a small space and nowhere to hide combined with other factors such as high temps, low humidity, etc. that are making him this way.

His instinct is to conceal himself, so as to not become someone's dinner and the lack of the opportunity to do that can be very stressful.
ToysRUs sells butterfly kits which have a butterfly cage inside the box called Insect Lore Butterfly Garden and it would be a very good idea to get one tonight if possible and put a live plant washed and rinsed in there too, (like a Pothos or Schefflera arboricola aka umbrella plant) until his screen cage arrives.
One of the 2 Metairie stores and also the one in Slidell have them in stock.
Temperature and humidity are very important with Jackson's babies in particular.

Dehydration can also cause lethargy and sleepiness.
His poop should consist of two parts: the dark is actually the feces and the other part is the urate which should be nice and white.
A urate other than white color such as pink, orange, yellow indicates dehydration.
Dehydration can be from too high temps, too dry air, drinking too little or too infrequently or even from internal problems.
In his very small enclosure, he may be roasting and dry.

Keeping temps below 80 in the warmest part of the cage is best, with the room temperature in the 70s.
At night a temperature drop is good, if possible.

A number of people who have successfully bred Jackson's have said to not supplement directly for the first 6 months.
Jackson's are especially sensitive to developing some serious health problems when oversupplemented.

I'll add more later but I really hope you'll move him to a better enclosure, as suggested, this evening.

 

[Lovereps]

I think under supervision it would be ok. Again, even an hour of sunshine with the ambient temperature of 72-74 degrees (is what it would be here at 8-9am) would do wonders for a baby at that age.

Saldarya, I know that your intentions are good and that you must be a very kind and helpful person to have offered to help in person if possible.
Personally, I do not believe that a 2 week old baby Jackson's should be sunning in Louisiana during the summer months and it's far too easy to overheat a cham, particularly when someone is new to keeping chams and will not recognize signs of distress.

In Lafayette, by 9 AM tomorrow it should be 80 or higher.
Too hot for a baby Jax already and the sun is just too strong for a neonate, IMHO.

I would hate for someone to lose a cham while trying to do what's best for him.
A person new to chams would probably not realize that even a hardier adult cham would overheat very quickly outside in a glass or plastic container and that even for an adult in a screened enclosure, access to shade is a must.

My adult chams sun outdoors whenever the temperatures permit but the cham babies are so much more delicate that I don't take chances.
Others with more experience than I have advised me not to sun neonate Jackson's until Fall, so I heed that advice.
If anyone on the forum has experience with sunning neonate Jackson's in the summer sun--I'm eager to hear about it. Post it, send a PM or email me.

This forum is a great place to learn from others' experiences--both good and bad--and I am always open to learning from others' experiences.
Much less heartbreaking than having to learn solely from my own mistakes.


Amswanton, it is very easy to get confused by the conflicting and often inaccurate info out there on the internet, as well as the poor advice all too often given by sellers.
Anyone can write or say whatever they like and there's really no way to know if anything is accurate unless it's in a forum where others will add their thoughts to agree or disagree.
Not everything is "set in stone" so to speak and sometimes different approaches to things will work.
Having said that, there are many things that are known to be beneficial or harmful to chams and different types of chams require somewhat different care.

Phoenixworms are the larvae (aka maggots) of the black soldier fly.
There are different brand names--another one is called Calciworms.
In my area Petco and some other petshops usually have them.
Ordering worms online really should wait until temps are cooler unless you want to spend a small fortune on cold packs and overnight shipping.
I always make sure there is some food for the feeders in the cham enclosure, just to be safe.

The Enclosures section of the forum has many posts with drainage ideas.
Here is one such thread:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/drainage-systems-cages-get-creative-102038/

This is a good guide for Jackson's care, written by the forum moderators:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/jacksons/

 

[amswanton]

You're very welcome
I'm glad that you're trying to learn about all that your cham needs to thrive.
It is good that he is eating and drinking but he shouldn't be sleeping at all during the daytime and he should be pretty active.

Being housed in a 3" container isn't good for him and it may very well be the stress of such a small space and nowhere to hide combined with other factors such as high temps, low humidity, etc. that are making him this way.

His instinct is to conceal himself, so as to not become someone's dinner and the lack of the opportunity to do that can be very stressful.
ToysRUs sells butterfly kits which have a butterfly cage inside the box called Insect Lore Butterfly Garden and it would be a very good idea to get one tonight if possible and put a live plant washed and rinsed in there too, (like a Pothos or Schefflera arboricola aka umbrella plant) until his screen cage arrives.
One of the 2 Metairie stores and also the one in Slidell have them in stock.
Temperature and humidity are very important with Jackson's babies in particular.

Dehydration can also cause lethargy and sleepiness.
His poop should consist of two parts: the dark is actually the feces and the other part is the urate which should be nice and white.
A urate other than white color such as pink, orange, yellow indicates dehydration.
Dehydration can be from too high temps, too dry air, drinking too little or too infrequently or even from internal problems.
In his very small enclosure, he may be roasting and dry.

Keeping temps below 80 in the warmest part of the cage is best, with the room temperature in the 70s.
At night a temperature drop is good, if possible.

A number of people who have successfully bred Jackson's have said to not supplement directly for the first 6 months.
Jackson's are especially sensitive to developing some serious health problems when oversupplemented.

I'll add more later but I really hope you'll move him to a better enclosure, as suggested, this evening.

Based on this information, I think I definitely have a problem. His new cage should arrive tomorrow (2 day shipping) and I moved him the day before yesterday into a 20 gal glass terrarium (which I know isn't good but I figured it's better than a 3x3 plastic container with no room to move or regulate temp) being very careful about positioning of lights (with the basking light only on a tiny corner of the enclosure so it doesn't affect ambient temp side) and keeping the enclosure moist and humid. I have been able to successfully keep the humidity between 50-60% for the past day and the daytime ambient temp between 72-75 with a nighttime temp of 68-70. Problem is I haven't seen any changes in his behavior with the temperature change. I'm very concerned because he hasn't moved more than 3 inches away from the spot I put him in in the cage initially, over a day ago. I put him right next to where I put the flies to make sure that he ATLEAST eats, which he is doing that VERY well. But his basking spot is on the opposite end of the enclosure and since he doesn't really move much less climb, he hasn't been in the basking spot AT ALL. I'll have to wait to check his poop/urate next time he goes... In the past it has sometimes has a little orangeish color to it but he was in that plastic container so i'll see what it starts to look like now that he isn't in that anymore. I put a fake plant/vine looking thing in the enclosure but he doesn't show any interest in it and the rest of it is open with no plants... I'm going to go buy a plant today and I will be putting it in the enclosure as soon as possible though. I'm just REALLY, REALLY worried now that you said it's not normal for them to sleep alot during the day and not move around much.

One other thing i'm concerned about... Ever since I got him, he seems to keep one of his eyes closed alot of the time. I read that this could be a sign of an eye infection but there are no other signs, like discharge or puffiness or swollen or anything like that. What do you think I should do about that? It's just really strange because he LOOKS fine but there are other signs of problems. Let me know what you think. Thanks!

 

[amswanton]

Amswanton, it is very easy to get confused by the conflicting and often inaccurate info out there on the internet, as well as the poor advice all too often given by sellers.
Anyone can write or say whatever they like and there's really no way to know if anything is accurate unless it's in a forum where others will add their thoughts to agree or disagree.
Not everything is "set in stone" so to speak and sometimes different approaches to things will work.
Having said that, there are many things that are known to be beneficial or harmful to chams and different types of chams require somewhat different care.

Phoenixworms are the larvae (aka maggots) of the black soldier fly.
There are different brand names--another one is called Calciworms.
In my area Petco and some other petshops usually have them.
Ordering worms online really should wait until temps are cooler unless you want to spend a small fortune on cold packs and overnight shipping.
I always make sure there is some food for the feeders in the cham enclosure, just to be safe.

The Enclosures section of the forum has many posts with drainage ideas.
Here is one such thread:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/drainage-systems-cages-get-creative-102038/

This is a good guide for Jackson's care, written by the forum moderators:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/jacksons/

I know exactly what you mean about misinformation... It makes me so upset that these poor babies end up suffering because of all of this inaccurate information floating around. For the first week I had my little guy, I did so much research I felt like my head was going to explode (and I still do, with extra worry on top of it now that I keep reading about how they don't usually survive) and I kept reading about how important it is to give them supplements (vitamin/calcium/D3) so I bought all the supplements and gave them to him for that week... now i'm finding out that I probably poisoned him! It's just a shame that even when you try SO hard to do right, it often ends up being wrong anyway.

I read the Jackson's care sheet first thing when I joined the site.... And like you said, it is very good informaton and I learned alot from it.

I will be reading the one on drainage soon and see what ideas I can get from that... Thanks for posting the link

I going to check with my local pet shops and see if they have these Phoenix Worms. I really cant afford to spend the ridiculous amounts of money on shipping to have them sent to me but I was hoping I could get them locally and possibly just breed them myself. Have you ever done this?

 

[amswanton]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to give me your advice. I really, really appreciate it I'm soaking up all of the info and trying to do the best I can for my little guy. I just wanted to make sure everyone knows their time and thoughts are much appreciated!