Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey all, I finally got a pair of my most favorite type of jackson: mt meru! They are doing VERY well. I've had them for 4 days now and I've showered them everyday to get them hydrated and they ate the moment they saw their frist cricket. A couple things I have noticed is that they stay rather dark when in my house (its not the temps: ambient = 78 and basking = 85). When I take their cages out they brighten up and seem happier. I wouldn't mind keeping them both outside except southern Florida temps can reach 90 in the sun which is a bit too high for them I hear. Another issue is that my male went through a shed before I got him and there is still skin that seems to be caked on top of his head. I don't want to peel it of cuase thats a big No No but I of the 4 showers only a little has come off.

Do I leave the skin alone?
Do I leave them outside?

P.S. Anyone who has taken care of mt meru's if they could provide any extra information from the adcham care guide it would be much appreciated.

THANKS ALL!

I'd double check the temps - 78 is kinda warm for jacksonii, and I thought meru's liked it cooler. I may be wrong, but check info online. They are probably hest stressed.

Very cool! I wanted to get a pair but know they are very difficult to keep and breed even with the most experienced keepers....good luck! And where are the pics??

I believe basking should be low 80s, ambient low to mid 70s and very high humidity and 10 degree drop at night.
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Thanks, any tips on keeping the temps up? When I leave for work I keep the air conditioning off because the electric bill is slowly killing me lol. I go to work from 8-5 and it can get pretty hot. Is there cheap alternative to turning on the AC to run all day?

Any ideas on the skin shedding?

Just an idea....
Does your apartment, or the room where you keep your chams, have a lot of windows (able to see the natural sunlight)? If not, then you can try to reverse cycle them (during the day, keep the lights off, and then have the lights come on at night). This may keep the ambient temps lower. This won't work if they can see the light conditions outside though.

That is interesting never thought of that. But that brings other issues, at "night" temps are suppose to be even lower, that means it will be really warm during his "night". Plus I like interacting with him in the weekend ;P.

I wouldn't do that - nighttime temp drops are pretty important. Keep it too warm at night, and they don't get the metabolic "break" they are supposed to have. The result will be a shorter life span.

Ideally, you want the night temp in the 60's, day in the 70's. Try to get close if you can. But the drop is important.

Try getting a small cheap water cooler from home depot. Hook its power up to a reptile on/off thermostat set on 80 degrees. Shut the door to the room they are in, so you aren't cooling the whole house. When temps run above 80, the water cooler will kick on, but it will use much less power than an A/C. It is critical that the water reservoir is kept filled.
I haven't tried this personally, but it seems that it should work for you. Anyone have any adjustments?

Hi,
I breed and import MT Meru jacksons.DO not keep them outside.They dont like temps over 74.I keep mine at about 72.If the skin not coming off try to peel the skin off it will hurt the animals if it doesent come off.Email me with any further questions @ pepperquill1@aol.com
Thanks,
Holland Incitti
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