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CARE AND INFORMATION ABOUT THE JACKSON CHAMELEONS
Here is a summary of average care parameters from the top of this article. The enclosures, the homes, and the seasons will vary from one another. Temperatures should be measured diligently with digital equipment and adjusted accordingly.
It is important to clarify WHY these parameters are recommended, this combination of parameters. The author aims to help chameleon keepers determine the best care practices for their animals by using logic and understanding rather than mimicry.
Various caregiving methods exist - they cannot necessarily be separated and mixed. It is considered the best method of treating chameleons because it has proven effective for a long time, and provides high levels of health in healthy chameleons as well as decreasing or alleviating health issues with lesser-healthy ones.
I hope you enjoy it!
SUMMARY OF CAREER PARAMETERS.
ULTRAVIOLET LIGHTING:
Strength minimum: T5HO 5.0 (at least 24" in length). T5HO 12% maximum strength (24" or longer) The best lighting for basking is a regular incandescent lightbulb - between 40w and 100w will achieve 80 degrees.
CAGING:
The minimum size should be 24x24x48 or 18x36x36. Glass should only be used if bioactive and extra ventilation methods are used, and no tanks should be used.
SUBSTRATE:
Bioactive or not.
PLANTS:
Preferably live. A dense canopy should cover the top two-thirds of the enclosure.
BRANCHES:
The real is preferred. Multiple opportunities should be provided to the enclosure's top 2/3. A basking distance of 10" or more is recommended.
SUPPLEMENTS–CALCIUM:
Under T5HO lighting, calcium WITHOUT D3 should be taken every couple of weeks.
SUPPLEMENTS-MULTI:
Once a month as part of T5Ho lighting ONLY
SUPPLEMENTS–OTHER:
Every heaping teaspoon of calcium should be supplemented with one capsule of bee pollen.
SUPPLEMENTS–D3:
T5HO lighting is used.
HUMIDITY:
A daily misting of live plants is provided.
TEMPERATURES:
An ambient temperature of 65-70 degrees is preferred during the day. Nighttime drops. 80 basking in the sun.
MISTING:
Once a day, in the morning, for two minutes. Drink longer with the dripper. Seconds of misting may occur if the humidity falls below 50%.
Misting is not permitted during the day. It is possible to experience overnight fog in humidity levels below 40%. Fogging is not recommended during the day.
The First Days You Spent with Your Jackson:
Jackson Chameleons welcomes you to their wonderful world! Although sometimes challenging, these beautiful chameleons are always worthwhile. The Jackson chameleon is native to Kenya, but it has also been introduced to Hawaii, and now as a wild population.
Jackson chameleons are often wild-caught and sold in reptile expos, stores, and even by individuals. You should treat the chameleon as if it were wild-caught unless you have seen the parents of the chameleon.
Floats and smears should be done on wild-caught chameleons as soon as possible. You can rule out parasites that could hinder your immediate success and your chameleon's long-term health.
For the untrained (or even experienced) Jackson, females may give birth at any time without much warning.
JACKSON NEEDS: AN OVERVIEW
The Jackson chameleon has a lower metabolic rate, a cooler temperature, is more efficient with nutrition, and provides supplements. New owners are surprised to learn that they are live-bearers, being able to birth live young after a gestation period of approximately 5-6 months.
Jackson chameleons also have higher efficiency with nutrients because they have adapted to their specific wild environment. This means that you, as an owner, will take special care not to over-supply them. Let's examine their care needs.
CAGING:
Despite their often smaller size, Jackson chameleons will make the most of larger enclosures, so larger cages are recommended. They should have a cage with at least 18" of depth, 18-24" inches wide (24" or larger is preferred), and at least 36" high.
In common with all chameleon species, Jackson chameleons are arboreal, spending most of their time at the tops of foliage in taller enclosures. Think vertically first, then horizontally second.
CAGING MATERIALS:
In screened or glass enclosures of the "terrarium" type, Jacksons do well as long as the dimensions are as stated above and there is adequate ventilation. For this reason, the author prefers screen cages: reducing airflow in a screen cage is easier than adding airflow to a glass cage.
When there is no air circulation, temperatures and humidity cannot be regulated effectively. A glass enclosure also needs bioactive setups and is more expensive.
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT LIGHTING:
The lighting should always come from the top - not the sides - because their sensitive and specialized eyes have fused eyelids. At night, all lights should be turned off, with a usual cycle of 12 hours on, 12 hours off.
There is no need to use nightlights. Lights with obvious colors should not be used because they can irritate the chameleon's parietal eye. It is acceptable to use slightly colored daylight bulbs.
UVB LIGHTING:
As with all chameleons kept indoors, Jacksons depend on humans to provide a rough equivalent to the sun in the form of UVB rays so they can produce D3 in their skin.
For chameleons at the time of this article, the standard lighting consists of T5HO type lights (5/8" Tubular fluorescent) at a strength of between 5%-12%, depending on the cage size and foliage density.
Ideally, the lights should be at least 24' long to allow the middle portion of the bulb to penetrate deeper into the enclosure, allowing for stronger penetration of the invisible UVB rays.
BASKING: LIGHTING
The basking temperature of Jackson chameleons is ideally between 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat-sensitive Jackson chameleons shouldn't be exposed to more than that.
Chameleons should have access to lower ambient temperatures so they can regulate their body temperatures.
VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENTATION:
T5HO lighting is the best way to provide D3 supplementation to the chameleon. In small amounts, it can be added to a multivitamin once a month (see below).
CALCIUM SUPPLEMENT:
Jackson chameleons, like all common chameleon species, require a calcium-balancer supplement to replace the calcium they won't get from farmed insects.
Only use Calcium without D3 for this purpose a couple of times per week. Note that pet stores don't usually sell calcium without D3.
MULTIVITAMIN SUPPLEMENTATION:
Since 1996, all common chameleon species have been found to require preformed Vitamin A and are not able to produce it on their own from the "precursors" beta carotene and provitamin A that other reptiles use.
As a result, and due to their ability to absorb nutrients, they should receive a small dose of vitamin A once a month as part of their reptile-specific multivitamin.
Repashy Calcium Plus LoD (green Jackson chameleon on the label) is the only product recommended exclusively for this purpose.
While kept under T5HO lighting, this product has very low levels of A and D, providing enough of each to maintain good health while minimizing the risk of overdosing.
ADDITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS:
Jackson chameleon owners should read the labels of all products they feed to both their chameleons and their feeders. Due to sensitivity and a tendency to overdose, the author does not recommend using gut loads containing synthetic vitamins.
Jackson Chameleons can benefit from bee pollen without the risk of overdosing. Bee pollen provides great health benefits including immune support, even when it does not replace the above supplement regimen.
In the author's experience, a dosage of 1 capsule per heaping teaspoon of calcium used has been effective. According to anecdotal evidence, this product also reduces temporal gland issues in Jackson chameleons.
GUT LOADING:
In this species, synthetic vitamins enriched in gut loading products should not be used. The feeder and the Chameleon provide natural, fiber-rich, beta-carotene-rich products.
Her favorite foods are prickly pear pads, collard greens, mustard greens, hibiscus leaves, honey, spirulina (occasionally), carrots, sweet potatoes, dark-fleshed (not skinned) squash, etc.
DIET:
They are primarily insectivores, deriving their nutrition from the digestive tracts of insects that are quickly emptied. Furthermore, they consume plant matter as well as vertebrates (such as small birds).
The plant matter is mainly used by the Jacksons for cleaning their glands and they do not eat much vegetation as a whole. To achieve the best results, stick with different insects.
TEMPERATURES:
Temperatures between 65 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit are ideal during the day. It is recommended to bask at a temperature of 80 degrees. Drops at night in temperatures as low as 40 are not only acceptable, but some drops are highly recommended.
The use of lightless ceramic heaters, ambient heaters in the room, etc., can help relieve extreme cold temperatures during the night as no lights should be on.
MISTING/HYDRATION:
In the wild, Jackson Chameleons experience high humidity, so the care sheets usually emphasize how important this is. Nevertheless, they are also exposed to constant fresh air and good airflow in the wild. In the captive indoor enclosures, not-so-much. Many captive Jackson chameleons tend towards temporal gland infections.
A high risk of temporal gland infections is associated with increased humidity, excessive misting, glass enclosures with extra misting while basking lights are on, and lack of proper supplementation.
For almost eliminating temporal gland risks, you should mist only in the morning for drinking purposes, perhaps one more time at night as well if your ambient temperatures are below 50%, and fogging for an hour only if your temperatures are below 40%.
Alternatives to frequent misting are natural methods, such as naturally growing plants, covering the screen enclosure with bamboo or a solid surface, and using cages like those from Dragonstrand which have solid sides and backs but an open front.
The dripper should be used to extend the drinking period which naturally occurs in the morning as in the wild the animals mostly drink from dew and condensation left from the night's higher humidity. All-day drippers are not recommended unless the temperature rises enough to reduce the soggy cage and atmosphere.
You can tell whether your chameleon is getting enough water by the appearance of its urates (the white portion of feces), which should be mainly white and not dark yellow or orange.
You should hand water your chameleon in case of emergencies and also ensure that it is hydrated. In an emergency or while traveling, you can use the same methods of watering with a pipette or dropper once a week.
