"Normal" coloring for female Jackson

[prdmommyof3]

Hi! We recently (saturday, so 4 days ago) bought a female Jackson for my son's birthday. We did a of of research on care and environment needs, and planned on buying either a veiled or Jackson. When we were finally ready to buy, there was a female jackson available, so we bought her.

So far, she's had a super appetite, and is relatively active. She sits under the rain and drinks, eats a lot of crickets, and seems content. However, when we bought her, she was completely green. Since we've had her, she is anywhere between green with brown stripes (photo) to nearly all brown with some reddish tones. Is this considered "normal" as they get used to their new surroundings??



Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - Female Jackson, 4 days
Handling - Never, only once to put her in her cage
Feeding - 8-10 store bought crickets/day fed with orange cricket cubes
Supplements - Repti-Calcium, only once so far. Read it should only be done 1-2 times/week
Watering - rain drip system on 5 mins 4 times a day. Yes, she loves the rain and drinks under it.
Fecal Description - dark brown, slimy with a little white dropplets. Never been tested for parasites, in my care
History - pet store bought

Cage Info:

Cage Type - Screen, 24 x 24 x 48"
Lighting - Both night & day heat lamps, at appropriate times, and a UV bulb lamp (looks like a fish tank light) all day time.
Temperature - Temp is ~ 77-78 at the top and 74 under plants, 2 thermometers. lower at night since night heat lamp has controllable power
Humidity - Humidity is between 40-50, measured by humidity gauge. Cool air humidifier, live plants and damp coconut ground grassy stuff.
Plants - Yes, don't know names, but non-poisonous house plants
Placement - In son's bedroom corner, not traffic. Not below any vents or fans. About 3 feet from ceiling. Not too close to a window.
Location - We live in Phoenix, AZ


Current Problem - just wondering if there is anything else we should be doing that we're not. We want her to be happy!!

 

[mirrinias]

Hi! To me it looks like you're off to a fair start, except for a few things:

Get rid of the night lamp. Any light at all at night will disturb their sleep patterns. You only need nighttime heat if your house gets below 65 degrees at night.

Second, she may be a bit warm. There should be a gradient from 70 degrees near the bottom to 77-80 at the top. 74 degrees ambient temperature in the whole cage would be a bit too warm.

There should be no substrate (no coconut husk) at all. Remove that right away as it can cause dangerous impactions if your chameleon were to swallow it. We have a lot of tragic stories on these boards where that very thing happened.

Lastly, the orange cubes are insufficient for gutloading your crickets. You need to give them a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, and dry gutload. Remember, what they eat, your chameleon eats. Sandrachameleon's blog at https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/ is what I would say is the most excellent source for gutloading for your chameleons.

I am unfamiliar with the supplementation needs of Jackson's, so hopefully another forum member will chime in here.

 

[mirrinias]

Oh and could you post what brand/strength your uv bulb is? I ask because it's so essential to your girl's health.

 

[SpartyTessy]

Hi! We recently (saturday, so 4 days ago) bought a female Jackson for my son's birthday. We did a of of research on care and environment needs, and planned on buying either a veiled or Jackson. When we were finally ready to buy, there was a female jackson available, so we bought her.

So far, she's had a super appetite, and is relatively active. She sits under the rain and drinks, eats a lot of crickets, and seems content. However, when we bought her, she was completely green. Since we've had her, she is anywhere between green with brown stripes (photo) to nearly all brown with some reddish tones. Is this considered "normal" as they get used to their new surroundings??



Chameleon Info:

Your Chameleon - Female Jackson, 4 days. How old is she?
Handling - Never, only once to put her in her cage
Feeding - 8-10 store bought crickets/day fed with orange cricket cubes. Depending on how old she is depends on how much she should eat. If 4 months or less she should be eating as much as she wants and a varied diet. Superworms, mealworms, Phoenix worms, silk and hornworms, roaches, etc of appropriate size and Properly gut loaded, of course. Roaches and Crickets can be used as a staple feeder but no one staple should be more than 40% of their diet. Read Sandrachameleon's blog on gutloading as it is especially important for Jacksons.
Supplements - Repti-Calcium, only once so far. Read it should only be done 1-2 times/week. Is it with or without D3? Should be with D3 once every 4-6 weeks, then Calcium with no D3(Phos Free) about every to every other feeding. You will also want a multivitamin about once every 4-6 weeks.
Watering - rain drip system on 5 mins 4 times a day. Yes, she loves the rain and drinks under it. What do you mean by rain drip system? The cage should be misted about 4-5 times a day and at least 5 minutes each time. The area that is misted should be drenched but allowed time to dry between mistings. There ALSO should be a dripper providing constant drip water throughout the entire day. It is best to let the water drip on something like a leaf so they can drink from that as they please.
Fecal Description - dark brown, slimy with a little white dropplets. Never been tested for parasites, in my care
History - pet store bought

Cage Info:

Cage Type - Screen, 24 x 24 x 48"
Lighting - Both night & day heat lamps, at appropriate times, and a UV bulb lamp (looks like a fish tank light) all day time. You do not need a day/night heat lamp and no light should be on at night. They need a good temperature drop at night(about 10-15 degrees is good not dropping below 60. In addition to the UVB lamp and minus the heat lamp you need a regular house bulb with the watts depending on the temperature(25-40 watts is pretty common). For the basking area you want it about 80-82 degrees dropping to mid to low 70's throughout the rest of the cage.
Temperature - Temp is ~ 77-78 at the top and 74 under plants, 2 thermometers. lower at night since night heat lamp has controllable power. 77-78 is ok but you should shoot between 80-82. Start with a small house bulb(maybe 25 watts) and angle it as to not cover the entire top but an area at top. The idea is to make a basking area that is between 80-82 and the rest mid to low 70's. 10-15 temp drop at night is preferred. You should not need a heat lamp.
Humidity - Humidity is between 40-50, measured by humidity gauge. Cool air humidifier, live plants and damp coconut ground grassy stuff. They require between 70-90 humidity. If you are having a hard time reaching high humidity levels then its ok to cover one or two sides with something to keep the moisture in. You also may need more mistings. But like stated before you want to make sure the cage has time to dry between mistings. Lots and lots of live plants will also help with humidity as its extremely important they keep a high level of humidity.
Plants - Yes, don't know names, but non-poisonous house plants
Placement - In son's bedroom corner, not traffic. Not below any vents or fans. About 3 feet from ceiling. Not too close to a window.
Location - We live in Phoenix, AZ


Current Problem - just wondering if there is anything else we should be doing that we're not. We want her to be happy!!

Jackson Chameleons are very different from Vields and Panthers. They require less suplementation but cooler temps. It is very important for their feeders to be properly gutloaded. Here is a good thread and also click on Sandrachameleons blog link in the thread. https://www.chameleonforums.com/what-did-you-gutload-week-88271-new/ Also check out Hoj's blog on the proper care of Montane species. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/hoj/634-montane-chameleon-care-info.html

To answer your original question she is most likely stressed due to any number or reasons. Dehydrated, too hot, or even the low humidity level, etc

 

[prdmommyof3]

Thanks, but still unsure...

This is confusing...

There are so many conflicting suggestions. I read that Jacksons like it wet and cold(er) than other popular types, thus her basking spot is where the higher temps are, and she travels there usually a few hours after she's eaten. I've also read that JC vs. other kinds don't like D3 supplementing as often. Her Cal dust is without D3.

* She likes to sit near the cool air humidifier (see photo). I keep 1/2 the cage wet & humid, and the other dry(er) and with her heat source.

* My son sprays her cage about 3-4 times a day, a good soaking. She drinks from the drips (referred to as "rain") that we've created from a bottle with tiny holes that we fill and let drip. She seems to really like that.

* We have never seen her travel to the bottom of the cage, so at this time, I'm not concerned about the floor covering.


* I purchase her crickets from flukerfarms. For 2 days before I got them, she was eating pet store crickets. The flukerfarm crickets came with a few other kinds of bugs...no clue what they are other than some fly and others are worm-like. I'll look at the mentioned blog to make sure we gut load them properly; thank you. Oh, She also eats superworms occasionally.

* I have taken the night lamp away, thanks for that suggestion.

* She has a Reptisun 15W 5 bulb, which is what I read we should buy for the JC.

* I have no idea how old she is...how can I tell that?

Thank you for all of your comments & suggestions!

I hope that her coloring is just because she is new to us and she's getting used to her new surroundings.

 

[lysinlight87]

I guess one of the key things, as already mentioned, is to remove the coconut husk, it's pretty risky. A lot people also cover the soil of the live plants with pebbles to reduce the risk of the chameleon accidently eating it. Hope that's a helpful suggestion

 

[mirrinias]

I guess one of the key things, as already mentioned, is to remove the coconut husk, it's pretty risky. A lot people also cover the soil of the live plants with pebbles to reduce the risk of the chameleon accidently eating it. Hope that's a helpful suggestion

Yes as lysinlight said, it really does need to go. As you said, she is very active, and you never know when she might choose to go to the bottom of the cage. My guy is active too and he likes to explore his cage. All it takes is her shooting at one loose cricket on the floor of the cage for her to get some husk, and for a tragedy to occur.

Also, your cage looks neat!

 

[lysinlight87]

oh, also, I line the cage bottom with kitchen paper- makes cleaning really easy!

 

[chameleonkev]

Let me explain about the temp, with jacksons you want a cooler temp somewhere around 74-77, a basking spot isn't a matter of life or death like it is with panthers, it's worth having one because it helps a lot with digestion but you don't really want it higher than 84, supplementing is kept to a minimal I do it once a week but gut loading is essential and it is very important to have that night time drop to 60-65. I find there is a lot more to learn with jacksons and they seem to be a lot more tempemental that panthers or velids but keep getting the good advise of people and you will be fine

 

[SpartyTessy]

The reason that Jackson's like cooler temps is because their "typical habitat is that of an area at elevation typically above 2000feet and as high as 8000ft, and such are exposed to a different climate with a temperature range of 66 to 80 deg and Relative Humidity rarely falling below 75% even in the dry season." Quoted from Hoj's blog Also they get a lot less direct sunlight then say a Vield or Panther in the wild. For that reason is why they do not need near as much D3 supplementation as they do not get as much D3 from sunlight in the wild. They are usually found under the cover of the thick rain forest. The absolute most D3 supps you want to give them is once a month, but many like myself just give it to them once every 6 weeks.

Here is a great video made by J Dogg on the care of Jackson Chameleons and he goes into and even shows how they like more wet and cooler, and shows how a cage should be setup for a Jackson. For sure take the time to watch it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lKTbUaOQ0aA

Again the wattage of the basking bulb depends on the temperature. I am talking about the basking bulb and not the UVB bulb. You are good with the reptisun 5.0 as that is the UVB light of choice by many including myself. For the basking bulb you want the watts depending on the temperature. If say you are a few degrees low then up the watts and then do another temp check. Again the basking area temp should be between 80 to 82.

You do have a nice cage setup but one suggestion is to put more vertical branches in there giving him more walkways throughout different levels of the cage. It is very good that you have live plants in there which greatly helps with the humidity levels that you need. Again make sure that the RH level is between 70-90.

 

[prdmommyof3]

Thank you for all of your comments!

I'll take the coconut flooring out.

Also, how do you get the humidity levels up that high? We mist, have "rain, plants and a humidifier, and I cannot get that gauge to budge over 50%. Maybe it's in the wrong spot...see photo...

Funny you mention the J Dogg video, because I actually emailed him with a question about her coloring after watching his video. See melanie531? Yep, that's me.

 

[SpartyTessy]

I cannot see where the gauge is in the photo. But one thing you can do that many do is cover one or two sides with plastic which will greatly help with the humidity levels. Also you want to make sure that your gauge is reading correctly. Here is a blog by Wykd on how to check it. https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/wykd/683-calibrating-your-thermometer.html

 

[prdmommyof3]

Yep, I plan on going out in search of some vertical branches...pickins are slim here in the desert!

 

[Elizadolots]

Maybe your gauge is broken? Look at it before you mist, then mist so heavily that the whole cage is dripping, then look at the gauge again...if you don't see it move, your gauge is the problem.

 

[KirbyTheCham]

Hi congratulations on your new chameleon. I have a female Jackson's as well, I've had her close to a month. She is often the same color as your girl, she doesn't seem stressed, she drinks, she eats, seems happy yet she's typically that color (look at my avatar). She turns lighter when she's sleeping but that's about it. I don't know if I'm doing anything wrong either :/....maybe it's a female Jackson's thing?

 

[prdmommyof3]

She has changed!

Thank you to everyone for your insight and care concerning our Chameleon. I looked at her this morning before I left for work and she looks great! A beautiful shade of green, and a little red (kind of almost look like veins) throughout.

Does anyone know how to gauge how old she is? Is there a way to tell??

 

[Elizadolots]

If you could take a picture of her that has something easily identifiable for size in it, some people here could probably hazard a guess. If the best you can do is a picture on a hand, also include a picture of the hand stretched out on a ruler. My daughter's hands are half the size of my husband's so I never assume I know how large someone's hand is.