I have a 1 yr old male Jacksons chameleon. he has been in my care for about 1 month. We dont handle him very often maybe once a week to clean his cage. we feed him "medium" crickets from a local pet store and dust them with Chameleon dust by T-Rex. We also gut load the crickets with apples and lettuce. I also mist his cage about 3-4 times a day with a spuirt bottle for about 2 minutes each. When we first got him he was very plump and these past two days he always has his eyes closed and looks very thin. he rarely moves anymore. his day time temp. is about 74 F and his night time is about69 F. and his humidity is 75-80 all day. what do I need to do to get him better. he has a doctor appt on monday but idk if he will last that long. =/
Sick Jacksons Chameleon! need help
- Thread starter angelf
- Start date
laurie
Retired Moderator
How much are you feeding him and what are your lights? jacksons don't do well with a lot os supplements. I use very light dusting of plain calcium once a week. They can go downhill really fast so for now mist, mist , & mist. That a offer food is all you can do at this minute. If you complete the how to ask for help form we can better help you.
Elizadolots
New Member
It's a stickied thread near the top of this forum. Just copy the "questions", paste it into the reply box, then add your responses.
You've got some serious heating going on there but list fairly cool temps. I'm wondering if your thermometer might be off?
You've got some serious heating going on there but list fairly cool temps. I'm wondering if your thermometer might be off?
Chameleon Info:
Jacksons Chameleon- about 1 yr.old had in my care for about 1 month.
Handling - Handle him about 1-3 a day.
Feeding - He is fed about 6 crickets every other day. I gut load them with apples and lettuce.
Supplements -Chameleon dust by T-Rex. I use on crickts everytime i feed.
Watering -We spray his cage three to four times a day. He drinks the water, but recently I have not seen him do so.
Fecal Description -It is often white, but in other cases it is a liquidy yellow color. When we first got him they were little round brown balls.
Cage Info:
Cage Type -It is a 18x18x24 glass turarium with a screen located on the top.
Lighting - I use a 13w repti glow 10.0 UVB light with a 50 heat glow infrared. UVB apx. 12 hours during the day while the heat lamp is used only from about 8p.m.- 9a.m. for the night.
Temperature - daytime temp is about 74 F and close to 79-80 F in basking spot. Night time temp is about 69- 72 in basking spot. These temps are mesures by a single thermometer placed at the top of cage, the whole cage is not measured in individual spots.
Humidity - about 70-80%. maintained with misitng cage and damp towels on top of cage.
Plants - no live plants
Placement - In a corner of my bedroom near a vent and a fan. We recently moved him into a non-traffic room away from the vent and fans and also next to a humidifier to see if that helps him regain his normal self.
Location - Sierra Vista Arizona
Current Problem - He is drowzy all of the day. He keeps his eyes closed as much as he can and he doesn't move as much as he used to. As if he is shutting down.
Jacksons Chameleon- about 1 yr.old had in my care for about 1 month.
Handling - Handle him about 1-3 a day.
Feeding - He is fed about 6 crickets every other day. I gut load them with apples and lettuce.
Supplements -Chameleon dust by T-Rex. I use on crickts everytime i feed.
Watering -We spray his cage three to four times a day. He drinks the water, but recently I have not seen him do so.
Fecal Description -It is often white, but in other cases it is a liquidy yellow color. When we first got him they were little round brown balls.
Cage Info:
Cage Type -It is a 18x18x24 glass turarium with a screen located on the top.
Lighting - I use a 13w repti glow 10.0 UVB light with a 50 heat glow infrared. UVB apx. 12 hours during the day while the heat lamp is used only from about 8p.m.- 9a.m. for the night.
Temperature - daytime temp is about 74 F and close to 79-80 F in basking spot. Night time temp is about 69- 72 in basking spot. These temps are mesures by a single thermometer placed at the top of cage, the whole cage is not measured in individual spots.
Humidity - about 70-80%. maintained with misitng cage and damp towels on top of cage.
Plants - no live plants
Placement - In a corner of my bedroom near a vent and a fan. We recently moved him into a non-traffic room away from the vent and fans and also next to a humidifier to see if that helps him regain his normal self.
Location - Sierra Vista Arizona
Current Problem - He is drowzy all of the day. He keeps his eyes closed as much as he can and he doesn't move as much as he used to. As if he is shutting down.
Elizadolots
New Member
I'm really thinking it's a temperature thing. Mostly glass enclosures are usually reserved for places where it gets really cold.
I just googled your location and your daytime temps are approaching 90, night time temps are high 60s, low 70s.
You aren't in an area where glass is recommended. That doesn't mean you can't make it work, but it does make it different.
As the googled temps are higher than you report, I'm going to take it that your house is air conditioned.
If it were me, I'd ditch the heat lamp and get a lower wattage UVB tube. I'd put the cage in an area that didn't get direct "blow" from the air conditioner. I might provide a very low wattage "basking light"...like 25w...but nothing more.
Don't provide any heat at all at night. Chameleons need that drop in temperatures.
I just googled your location and your daytime temps are approaching 90, night time temps are high 60s, low 70s.
You aren't in an area where glass is recommended. That doesn't mean you can't make it work, but it does make it different.
As the googled temps are higher than you report, I'm going to take it that your house is air conditioned.
If it were me, I'd ditch the heat lamp and get a lower wattage UVB tube. I'd put the cage in an area that didn't get direct "blow" from the air conditioner. I might provide a very low wattage "basking light"...like 25w...but nothing more.
Don't provide any heat at all at night. Chameleons need that drop in temperatures.
Elizadolots
New Member
I think he's over heated. He might be dehydrated...so, reduce the temperature and keep him wet during the day. That's all I can suggest. I hope it helps.
laurie
Retired Moderator
I have jacksons and they never get over 75. And that is in the basking spot. cage temp is about 68. I use a 40watt household bulb for a basking light. I do love my terrariums but would not use one in the summer in AZ. The chances of him overheating, not having enough humidity,combined with over handleing him add up to major problems. If you can I would put him in a all screen cage with lots of live plants, a tube ubv light ( terra repti sun 5.0 is what I use for mine. Add a small daytime basking light, 40 watt max, no external heat at night, mist the cage as many times a day as you can, like 5 or 6 for a while, and put a dripper on that will slowly drip all day to supply drinking water. Only use plain calcium and a week for a supplement. See if those changes help. That is what I do but may differ from what others do. My jacksons are all doing great.
Good luck and ask any and all questions you have, we will try to help.
Good luck and ask any and all questions you have, we will try to help.
xanthoman
Avid Member
for starters,
hi there, i think the biggest issue is over supplementation. jacksons are a little more sensitive to over supplementation than some of the other species. i would reduce the t-rex icb to once every month, (sparingly), until he looks better, then after that, (sparingly) once every 2-3 weeks should be plenty. t-rex icb is considered an "all in one supplementation, containing both preformed vitaminA (vitaminA acetate @480,00 iu/kg,) and proformed vitaminA (in the form of beta carotene@1000 mg/kg) calcium plus icb is actually a fairly complete and well balanced product, its (imo), just too concentrated for daily use on jacksons and most chameleons. dont be fooled into thinking it is formulated specifically for chameleons, yes i know there is a picture of a chameleon on the label and i know they call it chameleon calcium plus icb, but thats just for marketing purposes the exact same product is also marketed as Bearded Dragon ICB, Tree Frog ICB) i think it is still a viable product when used in moderation where chameleons (especially jacksons) are concerned. since it is an all in one multivite, if it is to be your product of choice, then no other vitamin/supplementation should be given with it, EXCEPT, it might be good to (sparingly) give plain calcium 1x a week as well. as far as caging, jacksons can do well in appropriate glass caging, but glass caging presents several issues, which i think are better addressed by more experienced keepers. as well , most reasonably priced, commercially available glass cages ( like exo-terras ) are imo, too small for an adult jackson, he should have at least an 18"x24"x36" cage at minimum, and preferably a 24"x24"x48". if you can afford to make the switch i think he would do much better in a regular screened cham cage of those dimensions. temps cannot be acurrately monitored from a single location. temps should be measured in at least 2 locations throughout the cage, at least until your cage is dialed in. it wouldnt hurt to monitor your humidity also. you can get a digital thermometer/hygrometer (also measures humidity ) zilla makes a decent one for under $20, you can get just digital therms for less than $10. as far as lighting, imo a 10.0 cfl is considered a desert bulb and not well suited to jacksons, it should be replaced with a 5.0 preferably a linear, (not cfl). probably a good idea to get rid of the infra red and replace it with a regular incandescent house bulb of 15-40watts. jacksons, dont need or desire any heat at night, in fact a 12-15* drop in nightime temps is desireable. jacksons do best in cages that are well planted with live lush plants. as far as diet, like most chams, a jacksons will not do well long term on just a never ending stream of petstore crickets, regardless of how they are dusted. the subject of both dieting and supplementation are far too extensive to address in a single post but for many reasons, a jacksons will need a wide variety of feeders, other than crickets, and if you are not prepared to start raising bugs, you can get a fairly good variety of non cricket feeders online (blue bottle flies, silkworms, hornworms etc) vids on how to raise most common feeders are available on you tube. heres a short recap; discontinue the icb at least until there is some improvement. replace the 10.0 cfl with a 5.0 preferably linear, replace the 50 watt infra red with an incandescent of 40 watts max. get him some feeders other than crickets (blue bottle flies are good for breaking hunger strikes) and begin studying supplementation issues and husbandry issues in general. until you get a better understanding of supplemental issues, you may want to use a commercially available gutload or there are some members here on the forum that make and sell theirs. a good gut load has at least a couple dozen ingredients. jacksons do best when their basking spot is above eye level, and i would be careful about putting an all glass cage where it is exposed to sunlight. he should also have a dripper and water available during all daylight hrs. jmo
hi there, i think the biggest issue is over supplementation. jacksons are a little more sensitive to over supplementation than some of the other species. i would reduce the t-rex icb to once every month, (sparingly), until he looks better, then after that, (sparingly) once every 2-3 weeks should be plenty. t-rex icb is considered an "all in one supplementation, containing both preformed vitaminA (vitaminA acetate @480,00 iu/kg,) and proformed vitaminA (in the form of beta carotene@1000 mg/kg) calcium plus icb is actually a fairly complete and well balanced product, its (imo), just too concentrated for daily use on jacksons and most chameleons. dont be fooled into thinking it is formulated specifically for chameleons, yes i know there is a picture of a chameleon on the label and i know they call it chameleon calcium plus icb, but thats just for marketing purposes the exact same product is also marketed as Bearded Dragon ICB, Tree Frog ICB) i think it is still a viable product when used in moderation where chameleons (especially jacksons) are concerned. since it is an all in one multivite, if it is to be your product of choice, then no other vitamin/supplementation should be given with it, EXCEPT, it might be good to (sparingly) give plain calcium 1x a week as well. as far as caging, jacksons can do well in appropriate glass caging, but glass caging presents several issues, which i think are better addressed by more experienced keepers. as well , most reasonably priced, commercially available glass cages ( like exo-terras ) are imo, too small for an adult jackson, he should have at least an 18"x24"x36" cage at minimum, and preferably a 24"x24"x48". if you can afford to make the switch i think he would do much better in a regular screened cham cage of those dimensions. temps cannot be acurrately monitored from a single location. temps should be measured in at least 2 locations throughout the cage, at least until your cage is dialed in. it wouldnt hurt to monitor your humidity also. you can get a digital thermometer/hygrometer (also measures humidity ) zilla makes a decent one for under $20, you can get just digital therms for less than $10. as far as lighting, imo a 10.0 cfl is considered a desert bulb and not well suited to jacksons, it should be replaced with a 5.0 preferably a linear, (not cfl). probably a good idea to get rid of the infra red and replace it with a regular incandescent house bulb of 15-40watts. jacksons, dont need or desire any heat at night, in fact a 12-15* drop in nightime temps is desireable. jacksons do best in cages that are well planted with live lush plants. as far as diet, like most chams, a jacksons will not do well long term on just a never ending stream of petstore crickets, regardless of how they are dusted. the subject of both dieting and supplementation are far too extensive to address in a single post but for many reasons, a jacksons will need a wide variety of feeders, other than crickets, and if you are not prepared to start raising bugs, you can get a fairly good variety of non cricket feeders online (blue bottle flies, silkworms, hornworms etc) vids on how to raise most common feeders are available on you tube. heres a short recap; discontinue the icb at least until there is some improvement. replace the 10.0 cfl with a 5.0 preferably linear, replace the 50 watt infra red with an incandescent of 40 watts max. get him some feeders other than crickets (blue bottle flies are good for breaking hunger strikes) and begin studying supplementation issues and husbandry issues in general. until you get a better understanding of supplemental issues, you may want to use a commercially available gutload or there are some members here on the forum that make and sell theirs. a good gut load has at least a couple dozen ingredients. jacksons do best when their basking spot is above eye level, and i would be careful about putting an all glass cage where it is exposed to sunlight. he should also have a dripper and water available during all daylight hrs. jmo
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Are you leaving any light/heat on the cage at night?? Jackson's don't need it unless your house drops below 60F.
Your gutloading needs improvement. I use a wide assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.) for crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms.
You said..."I use a 13w repti glow 10.0 UVB light with a 50 heat glow infrared"...I use a repti-sun 5.0 long linear fluorescent tube light in a double fluorescent tube hood. The second space in the hood has a regular fluorescent household bulb.
You said you use T-rex...I don't know what's in that in the way of calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A....I use rep-cal calcium every feeding, rep-cal/D3 twice a month lightly and herptivite twice a month lightly.
As for what might be wrong with him....I can't remember if the Repti-glo 10's cause problems or not...but it might be worth removing it for a few days and taking him out in the sun to get some UVB for a few days and see if that makes a difference. You said the feces was little round brown balls....but isn't always now....perhaps he has parasites? If all he is producing is urates, then he might be impacted. Do you have a substrate in the cage?
You need to make sure he's drinking too....have you tried dripping water on the end of his nose?
I think its time to visit a vet.
Your gutloading needs improvement. I use a wide assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.) for crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms.
You said..."I use a 13w repti glow 10.0 UVB light with a 50 heat glow infrared"...I use a repti-sun 5.0 long linear fluorescent tube light in a double fluorescent tube hood. The second space in the hood has a regular fluorescent household bulb.
You said you use T-rex...I don't know what's in that in the way of calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A....I use rep-cal calcium every feeding, rep-cal/D3 twice a month lightly and herptivite twice a month lightly.
As for what might be wrong with him....I can't remember if the Repti-glo 10's cause problems or not...but it might be worth removing it for a few days and taking him out in the sun to get some UVB for a few days and see if that makes a difference. You said the feces was little round brown balls....but isn't always now....perhaps he has parasites? If all he is producing is urates, then he might be impacted. Do you have a substrate in the cage?
You need to make sure he's drinking too....have you tried dripping water on the end of his nose?
I think its time to visit a vet.
Elizadolots
New Member
Forgive me Xanthoman, but your post was too important to be left in that difficult to read format...so, I'm taking the liberty of breaking it up into paragraphs and providing some emphasis.
