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Chameleon Creatures
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Jackson's Chameleon Care Sheet and Chameleon Information
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All About the Jackson's Chameleon
I made this site in honor of my first Jackson's Chameleon, the late great Mr. Hoover.
First a note on pet stores advice on most lizards: Most pet stores often do not give correct advice on keeping chameleons or for that matter any other lizard. Most pet stores consider reptiles a side item and rarely take the sale or care of them seriously. Often the care they suggest involves you buying crap from their store. If ever told to buy a hotrock at a pet store just walk away. Hot Rocks do not work for any reptile. They usually lead to heat burns and can cook your reptile. Additionally pet stores sell and house chameleons often in glass aquariums. If they tell you to house a chameleon in glass tell them to kiss my @$$. Chameleons need screen cages, with screen on at least two sides of the cage. I admit some pet stores especially those who specialize in reptiles may have correct advice and may have competent employees but do not take chances, get a second and third opinion. Chameleons require a sizable initial investment, and if you cannot afford all that is required you should wait to purchase a chameleon until you can get everything that is required. Otherwise you will briefly own a chameleon.
Mr. Hoover is a male three horned Jackson's Chameleon. Jackson's Chameleons originate in eastern Africa in tropical forest. They are usually found in trees and bushes. They prefer rather high humidity between 50 to 90 % humidity and for captive care require diligent maintentence. For captive enclosures they require full spectrum lighting from special flourescent lighting like reptisun uvb 5.0, (plant uvb lights do not work). If improper lighting is given the chameleon will suffer from metobolic bone disease and eventually lead to a painfull death. They additionally require a basking light, a 60 to 100 watt bulb will usually work if it provides correct temperature. Lighting should be on 12 to 14 hours a day. Use a timer for the lighting or else the lack of consistent light timing will disturb the chameleon and lead to hunger strikes and high stress and that will kill a chameleon. I cannot stress the importance of limiting stress on the chameleon. Stress in chameleons just like in humans works to weaken the immune system and that will lead to sickness. Best daytime indoor temperature is from 73 degrees to 83 degrees with one side of cage in the 80's and other in the 70's so chameleon can adjust its temperature as needed by moving around. This can be done by putting the basking light on one end of the cage. Nightime temperature is around 66 to 70 degrees and it is important for a drop in temperature at night. For captive care they require a cage no smaller than 2'x2'x2 1/2' with at least two sides and the top made of screen. Jackson's like all other chameleons should not be housed with any other animal in its enclosure and only a breeding pair should ever be housed together. Also a Jacksons should not be within eye sight of other reptiles or of any mirrors or anything else that gives a reflection. Jacksons like other chameleons are heavily stressed by their reflection because they see it as a tresspassing competitor that never goes away. Jacksons are enormously territorial. Also having other reptiles or pets within eye sight of a chameleon can be very, very stressfull because they may see the other reptiles or pets as predators which some may be. You need to think what would that be like for you being stuck in a room with an animal you fear may eat you. That is stressfull. IMPORTANT NOTE: This is not a species children should own. Chameleons may become stressed by handling and this could eventually lead to hunger strikes and eventual death. Jacksons Chameleons do not like to be handled. Handling is very stressfull and as previously stated stress leads to sickness and death in chameleons.
Notes on breeding: Jackson's Chameleons do not lay eggs they give live birth to between 5 and 30+ babies. Raising freshly newborns can be a daunting task.
WATERING: Jackson's will not drink from a bowl they will only drink water from leaves
of plants. To provide water place a dripper on top of cage with water in it to slowly drip
down into cage onto leaves of plants. Once every week or two use pedailyte in the
dripper to provide electrolytes. Additionally spray cage with a mister or spray bottle to
get water droplets all over the plants and the chameleon once or twice a day.
FEEDING: Jackson's should be fed food no larger than the width of its mouth. Food should be dusted with vitimin mineral supplement every other feeding or so. The supplement must contain on top of regular vit/min must have calcium and vitimin d or metobolic bone disease will kill the chameleon. the importance of a varied diet cannot be ignored. Chameleons need to eat a variety of insects. Good feeder insects are crickets, silkworms, butterworms. Additionally good feeders to offer to vary the diet would be mealworms, waxworms, and superworms. It is important to note that waxworms may be difficult to digest and are not very nutritous, but they are a good treat to occasionally feed to a chameleon in small amounts.
MEALWORMS: A good feeder insect, try gut loading mealworms with carrot, lime, and some chick starter mash, or some oatmeal and flucker farm cricket food. BUTTERWORMS: This is the highest calcium insect to feed to a lizard and is readily available through the internet. SILKWORMS: these worms are an excellent food source because they are soft and easy to eat. They tend to not try to climb out of cages like crickets do and they cannot bite or injure a chameleon in any way that I know of and silkworms come in a variety of sizes from 1/8 inch to 3 and a half inches. One imortant thing about silkworms is that they only eat mullberry leaves so you need to get fresh mullberrry leaves or buy premaid silkworm food from the site you buy the silkworms from. CRICKETS: Sometimes crickets can drive you insane due to their chirping, but this can be fixed be removing their large jumping legs from both sides of their body. Additionally crickets have been known to bite on chameleons while they are sleeping and therefore only enough crickets as your chameleon will eat that day should be put in a cage. I advise gutloading crickets with quality fish flakes, slices of lime, carrot, broccoli, fluker farms cricket food, and most importantly bee pollen. Now the trick is to vary the food week to week you gutload with so as to maximize diet variety. So use limes, fish flakes, and bee pollen one week, then carrot, cricket diet, and bee pollen the next week. Bee pollen is very nutritous and is a great gut loading food. It is available in drug stores.
FEEDER CUP: put the feeder insects in a smooth sided cup and place in the cage in an area the chameleon can get above the cup and shoot down into it to grab prey, you can even attach cup to side of cage below a branch or vine. using a cup is optional but it helps you know how much the chameleon is eating plus keeps the feeders from crawling all over your chameleon and bothering him/her.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Jackson's Chameleons require air flow so an all glass aquarium will not work. Screen on at least the top and two sides is needed.
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