i wouldnt say there is any thing particularly hard about xanths (i cant speak about the other two jax) but they do require different conditions than panthers or veileds, and as long as somebody is aware of that, they are probably ok. i think a large part of the problem (reputation) comes when people get them without doing their home work and try to care for them as though they were veiled or panthers, they are also less tolerent of being kept in conditions outside of their preferrences, they just arent as hardy. you can keep a veiled in conditions that arent quite what they should be and get away with it for quite awhile, but if you do that with a xanth they will just get difficult and go down hill quickly, they get dehydradated more easily than some of the hardier species. as far as the sometimes free range, somtimes cage thing, i do that with my jax, but it was a difficult thing for them to accept , but i think they are past that stage now, when i first started doing it they were real unaccepting of going back in their cage, they would pout, or try and do the panic escape thing , but they finally realized that it was either occasional free range, or non at all. but it does seem as though they have a higher sense of awareness of captivity or (even the concept of it) than does a veiled. if you have successfully kept a pair of veileds fo over a year, then i would say you have sufficient exp to move to jax (as long as you do your homework and pay heed to it) but i certainly wouldnt start with anything less than an almost adult cb animal. i think that is where part of the bad reputation comes from , i think a lot of the jax that are claimed to be cb are actually wild caught, and people that are trying to make the move are thinking they are getting a well established cb animal when infact they are getting an animal that is not that well established and could very well have a high parasite load to start out with. but as long as you are aware of their issues and dedicated to the cause (you do need to keep a closer eye on them), i see no reason not to make the move and get the cham you want. one final note; i will say this, if you do get a jax i would certainly get a fecal done , regardless of who you get it from, and what its origins are claimed to be. probably a good idea with any cham, but i think it is even a better idea where jax are concerned
