I recently aquired a male jackson. In the three weeks I have had him I have never seen him drink. every now and then he just sits under his dripper soaking in the water. He also is seen sitting on his perch with his mouth open after misting the cage. when I try to spray water into his mouth he quickly closes his mouth. It is not to hot in his cage (approx 73-77deg) so i think he is trying to gather moisture out of the air. I am wondering if this is a normal behavior for jacksons? My two panthers both drink daily.
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Jackson cham behavior
smalizards
Oct 07, 2004 01:32 PM
Replies (4)
kurpak
Oct 07, 2004 08:30 PM
How long does he keep his mouth open after you mist him?
If he was drinking the mist he would be opening and closing
his mouth repeatedly, and sticking his tongue out a bit
every time his mouth opened. The way you explained it, it sounds like he's leaving his mouth open. If he's gaping he's either too hot, which it doesn't sound like with your temps, displaying a threat, or having trouble getting air/respiratory infection.
gw
smalizards
Oct 08, 2004 07:47 AM
He is not opening and closing his mouth. he will leave it open for about 5 to 10 min and then he is fine. He also is doing this around the same time every evening. He is not weezing when he breaths like from a uri. Thanks for your input and I hope this helps.
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Scott & Mary Ann
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2 panther chams
1 jackson cham
1 leapord gecko
1 cat
1 dog
gutloader
Oct 08, 2004 08:37 AM
check your temps...he's opening his mouth to regulate his body temp...the basking spot should be in the mid 80's...usually a 40 watt bulb is fine...
Jackson's need rather high humidity...70 percent range...they also drink alot...you need to soak him down twice a day...not just a quick misting either...gently bump the spray trigger so larger drops with little pressure comes out...you should be able to hold it quite close to him without him getting upset (he may have to get used to this)...he may begin drink immediatly or he may just chill out and it may take him up to five minutes before he's ready to start gulping down water...
he may only drink once a day, but he should drink just about everyday...keep the dripper going all day also
p.s. they don't take moisture from the air..your cham will dehydrate if your counting on that
Carlton
Oct 08, 2004 01:07 PM
Another tip. I don't know how much foliage you have in his cage, but if he's not drinking while you watch it will be critical that he has enough foliage to lick later. If the cage is densely planted he can roam and lick for hours after you are done spraying. I've had chams who would NOT drink or eat in front of me. They prefered to stay hidden during the shower and were stimulated to drink only after I left. When you have been spraying for a while watch to see if he starts swallowing motions in his throat. Not necessarily with mouth open, but it is sort of an automatic response to "rain". It tells you he's thinking about getting a drink shortly.
