Sleepy Chameleon..

[FreshWaterFish]

Hi everyone! So, my boyfriend just bought a little baby jackson chameleon boy a few days go (only a few months old!). He was sleeping when we got him, and we didn't think much of it. I noticed that his eyes were a little sunken in and he was probably dehydrated so we took him home and set up a nice little corner for him in my boyfriends room and misted him a little.
Now, a few days have gone by, and he still sleeps like, all day. When we take him outside he wakes up and becomes very active and colorful, but when he is inside, he gets really tired and sleeps all the time, even when the lights on.
He doesn't really eat. We tried feeding him from a cup, and he has attempted to eat a few times, but gives up and goes back to sleep. And I've never seen him drink. Also, he will be in the middle of walking or doing something and he will just fall asleep.. I think he may be narcoleptic.


* Cage Type - Pretty much the whole house. He lives in a corner of my boyfriends room when hes at school with a small box with twigs and plants set up, but its not exactly IN the box and the setup is pretty big.
* Lighting - No idea.
* Temperature - Whatever the house temperature is.
* Humidity - We live in Hawaii, so whatever that humidity is (its rather humid here..)
* Plants - He has 2 set up. I don't know what they are called, but they are cham safe. and a bunch of large sticks.

Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - Baby Jackson chameleon, about 2 month old.
* Handling - Usually taken out but left alone.
* Feeding - Crickets
* Supplements - Repti Calcium powder.
* Watering - Misted about 2-4 times a day.
* Fecal Description - No idea yet..

 

[kinyonga]

I can't really tell you why its sleeping, but it isn't likely a good sign.

Also...you need to be more specific about things like the temperature.

He should be able to sit in a warm area (in the low 80'sF) to warm up and then the rest of the day time he should be fine in temperatures in the high 70'sF.

However, I can tell you that it needs UVB either from the sunlight or from a UVB light (like the long linear tube Repti-sun 5.0). The UVB from the sun or the bulb shouldn't pass through glass or plastic and the bulb needs to be an appropriate distance from the chameleon.

He lives in a box when your boyfriend is at school??? He should be in a screen cage or a part glass part screen if there is air conditioning in your house.

At that age, he should be eating quite a few small crickets a day...all of which should be dusted with a phos.-free calcium powder.

If making these things right doesn't correct his sleeping during the day, then you should take him to a vet.

 

[Jonas]

Have you tried feeding it outsida once it is awake?

I hate to sound lika a one trick pony, but lighting could be the key. What kind of light do you have indoors?

 

[graydon]

you need to get that thing out doors asap or its gonna die. Build or buy a cage and keep him outside. If you live in hawaii and you have a jackson there is no reason you should be keeping him inside. Plus if you keep him outside you wont have to buy lights.

Give him a really good mist and try to get him to eat

 

[panthercrazy]

Can you post pictures of him and his set up?
It sounds light related but we can not be certain without seeing his setup.

 

[jake01]

Are you using UVB? May not need basking, but definetly need uvb if he's going to be inside. Not sure about the temps outside in hawaii, may be too hot for a baby jackson.

Also make sure the room itself is pretty well lit so that the cham knows it's daytime.

 

[Pure]

To say you have to keep him outdoors is a bit extreme. All he needs is proper lighting. Also not all locations in Hawaii are suitable for Jacksons. They like the higher cooler mountainous regions. Most coastal locations are too hot to keep them out doors 24/7.

 

[jake01]

I re-read the original post and nowhere does it say they're using UVB. I think that is the first thing to address imo...

 

[Pure]

Indeed, but a couple of hours out in the morning sun is sufficient. No need to keep him outside permanently or is it advisable if this person is in a warmer location than this species can tolerate. That's all I'm saying.