Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey, anyone who could answer my question i would really appreciate it. My jackson seems to be doing fine.. except he always pops out a muscle and rubs it over his eye. At first i thought it was dehydration. But he does this constantly all day. Does anyone know why he's doing this?

-thanks

This is normal behavior, but not if he does it all day.

Healthy Jackson's will usually do this when they are sprayed, or while they drink. They will also often rub the eye on a branch when doing this (in my experience). I theorize that it is some kind of cleansing or "resetting" or stretching of the eye muscle, but I'm not an epxert.

However, if yours is doing it "all day" like you said, he may have a problem. Check to see if there is a collection of "funk" around the eye or any abnormal swelling or abrasion. He may have something in his eye. If the behavior continues, you may want to flush the eye with a saline (contact lens) solution.

thankyou for your reply. Oh, and sorry about the whole "petco thing". that was my roommate who decided to backlash at you. personally, i agree with u, but my roommate is an honest guy who cares about his pets.

one more thing... My jackson is always gaping.(mouth open) . I have his basking spot set for around 80-85 degrees. I mist the cage often keeping the humidity at about 70 percent. He has cool spots to go to if he get's too hot, but he still gapes sometimes. I figured it was dehydration but i've been making sure he gets a lot of water. Do u know what the problem could be?

No worries. I can't blame the guy for being a little defensive.

Sounds like you Jackson's may still be a little too hot. You need to try to maintain an ambient temperature of 73-77 degrees for Jackson's. The basking spot can be in the low 80s, and even up to 85, but make sure the area of higher heat is focused, and not creating to big hot area. You should be using a spot bulb for the basking site.

What color is he while he's gaping, light green or dark green?

Oh wait, haha, I just went back and read your roomates last post to the "Petco debate".

I don't have the time or energy to go round and round with that guy.

Petco is notorious for treating reptiles like crap. If his store is the exception, then woohoo. I commend him and the manager.

I'd be glad to help you with your Jackson's however I can. I've had several Jackson's over the course of about ten years, and while I will frequently admit to being no expert, I can attest that mine is in exceptional health. I have learned a lot from trial and error, the first hand experience I've had and the tons of reading I've done.

My jackson is usually lighter green when his mouth is open.. In my opinion, he's turning light to block the light from overheating him then panting to cool off. He has cool darker places to go to with temps at about 70-75 degrees.