Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all.

I finally went out and took the plunge and brough a Jackson home. I have always been aprehensive to take care of one of these guys as I understand they are very sensitive and somewhat frail. However after years of breeding geckos and Pythons I decided to do my best. So I set up his habitat to the best of my ability and brought a 7mo old male and he seems happy!

Cage size:
I have in a reptivarium (i think that is the name brand). it looks to be about 24" high, 24" long and 12" deep...

Id like to move him to a bigger cage. Is there a size that is TOO big? I look at the 48" tall x24 x24 and really think that would make a great system. Have multiple hot zones and cool zones and plenty of room the regulate himself. areas where there is more humidity and areas with less...Id hate to see him have to go to the same spot every day to get what he needs - I assume they like variety...

FEEDING:
When is the best time to feed these guys? morning - afternoon??
I do coat them with powder - the one formulated for chams...

I was curious - I know crickets are a great staple food, but what else makes a good meal? I read wax worms, silk, cockroaches, etc are great...but how much? like in a week - 50% crickets, 20% silk worms, 10% roaches, etc...I want to give him a varied diet, but one his system will be most happy with. I dont mind spending the extra money to make him happy.

How much do you feed your cham as well? all he will eat? Or do you ration him to avoid any problems.

WATER:
Currently I have three plants in his home. All are considered "safe" plants. All of the soil has been replaced and the plants have been cleaned to avoid any germs etc...

I run a dripper two times a day and mist the plants (not the cham) twice a day as well. I mist about 1 hour after the lights (one 60 frosted bulb and one halo UVB bulb). I watched him drink yesterday as well. very interesting.

Anyhow - when his lights come on - timer - my humidifier kicks on for 1 hour. It increases the temp in the room as well as overall humidity levels. Once that is done I generally mist the plants and the humidity goes up to about 80% at that time. I then hop in the shower - get ready for work - and then set a dripper.

Would a fogger be as good as a humidifier? Do chams like the fogger affect? They seem cheap - and I can give my wife her humidifier back.

Would a mist sytem be a good investment? What brand would you suggest?

Is that enough? Or should I be doing more?

I want him to not only live, but be happy as well. Once I get the system down with him I plan to bring in another set up (cage lights and all) for a female.

Any help you can give would be great and I really appreciate anything you can assist me with.

Thanks all.

-adam

What size food to feed the cham. Right now I know Im feeding him smaller crickets, but when I go get him some worms today I was curious if size really mattered for these guys..or do they chew their food?

Cricket size as well?

Dont want to hurt the guy with digestive problems...

Thanks again

-adam

Hi Adam,

Some good info on Jacksons, is available here:
http://www.adcham.com/html/taxonomy/species/chjacksonixanth.html

The cage size for a 7 month old should be 36" high and 24" on a side - and can be much larger as he matures. You can use a walk-in size for outdoors (weather permitting).

Take care about the supplementation of jacksons - they are susceptible to problems related to over supplementing.

Feed crickets that are no longer than the width of your jackson's head. Soft worms can be a bit longer than that (silkworms, etc.). Yes, they chew their food - they have teeth. Feeding is good in the mornings - and a snack in the afternoon. Just don't feed too late - as they need time to digest.

Our jacksons love crickets (60%), superworms (10%), silkworms(20%), moths, and the occasional wax worm. We feed until they refuse the bugs. No need to eat every day - if he skips a day, don't panic.

Sounds good on the dripper and mistings. You might get another ultrasonic humidifier...
Foggers can be a pain (IMO). Mist systems are a must if you cannot water him everyday - otherwise just use a dripping device.

There are some great "jackson chameleon" care sheets out there too - you can do a search on Google. One book with a lot of info on this species is: "Care and Breeding of Chameleons" by Philippe de Vosjoli and Gary Ferguson.

Enjoy your new friend...
Morgana - Reptayls, Ltd.

before i got my jackson's i searched all over the web for good websites and i found this to be the best one by far http://www.geocities.com/chamjacksonii/.

Yup.... good site to get lots of specific "jackson" info.
Thanks for posting it for Adam......

Morgana

http://www.geocities.com/chamjacksonii/

Thanks so much for the reply!

Taking care of the suppliments..should I do it every third time or something? I have my crickets gutloading on dog food and random fruits and veggies.

If I purchased the 4ft tall cage and spent a month or so getting it "just right" and he is well established in his home - would he be ok to move? He seems to already have explored his entire cage and I'd love to give him enough room and foliage that he cant see to the other side.

I just bought a bunch of crickets and he went after them right away. I put them in a dixie cup and he went and snagged two in the same bite! A few got out - so he ignored the cup and went after the rouges. Was fun to watch! After those I left him alone though..did not want to be too intruding.

anyhow - Ill be ordering some silkworms if they are available and some superworks as well. Id love to get a colony started so Im off to research that right now.

thanks again

-adam