Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hello everyone, i saw in the classifieds that lll reptiles is selling 2.5 to 3 month old jacksons. i am considering buying one but i do have some concerns. i live in jersey and that would mean shipping. i never got a cham in the mail. wouldn,t that stress him out a young cham like that? i also have a cage 3x2x2 is that to big? all the chams i have ever had have been 6 months to a year and i got them at a show. anyway thanks any help would be appreciated.ps any food suggestions for the little guy would help. thanks matt

A 3 month old jax will not have as hard a time as the commonly sold babies of just a few weeks. They will dehydrate less and have more body reserves. LLL has a pretty good reputation and should be able to get him to you OK, but check their info on how they box and what shipper they use. Find out where the shipper depot is in your area (its often quicker/safer to go pick it up directly...no long truck drive), call the receiving office and make sure they are expecting your cham. I find if I act worried (but not rude) and cautious they are more likely to care that my live animal gets to me. Make sure they can contact you in case there is a delay or a problem. Also, LLL should refuse to ship if the weather in any connecting hub cities looks bad. Find out where the box will need to transfer just in case. Chams in boxes tend to sleep regardless of their age. Usually the cham can be packed in a plastic deli cup with an anchored twig to grasp and damp paper towel in the cup for humidity. The box should have a heat pack taped to the side or top, not loose. Insulation in the box such as a styrofoam liner. Marked on the outside with "Live Harmless (or Nonvenomous) Reptile" and the temp range for the package. Actually, shipping an adult can be harder as they are much larger and have more "experience" about life. As for feeders, check with LLL to see what he's used to. Small crix, houseflies, and fruitflies (the larger species hydei) should work. Good luck!

is a screen cage 3x2x2 to big for him that is what i use for my adults thanks again matt

Oh sorry, meant to get to that! The main issue is confining the food so he can find it. If you find him using a feeding bin (rather than a cup you can use a larger plastic shoebox and place a perch right at the rim so he can shoot the insects directly) right off it probably won't matter how large the cage is. If you use houseflies they will tend to stay at the cage top near the lights. Fruitflies can be coaxed to stay in the cage by putting ripe fruit near where the cham can reach them. If your cage is full of foliage he will probably use it all. Put the UV light next to the basking light so he gets both while warming up. If he seems intimidated by the big cage you can turn the cage on its side and divide it, or if you don't have room that way divide it and use the top half as a temporary cage. You could use a piece of heavy plastic as the divider and "stitch" it to the sides with cord or light wire. It is temporary. Or, order a smaller Reptarium from LLL along with the cham and use it as a temp setup. You can use it as a transport or outdoor basking cage later.

>>hello everyone, i saw in the classifieds that lll reptiles is selling 2.5 to 3 month old jacksons. i am considering buying one but i do have some concerns. i live in jersey and that would mean shipping. i never got a cham in the mail. wouldn,t that stress him out a young cham like that? i also have a cage 3x2x2 is that to big? all the chams i have ever had have been 6 months to a year and i got them at a show. anyway thanks any help would be appreciated.ps any food suggestions for the little guy would help. thanks matt

I love LLL and have had nothing but good success with them BUT these paricualr jacksons they have in are quite overpriced. You can get long term captive PAIRS for less money. E amil these people and see what they have to say. Tell them I(Giantsfan24) sent you and see what they have to say about that(I was going to buy a pair from them, but him telling me it was ok to put a male and female in the same cage kindof soured me on him.....Awesome looking chams though) OR try the people I am buying a panther from on Moday and that is Chameleon Corral which has a Jackson add on the classifieds area of kingsnake RIGHT NOW.
Matt

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A truly wise man will always be humbled.