jackson chameleon

Just bought a adult male jackson for my son. We just lost our beloved veil chameleon due to bone disease (the store didn't sell me the proper lamps/lighting for her and so she didn't get uvb lights for 2 months.)We have the Jackson in a large screened cage with a mercury vapor bulb (100 watt). I'm concerned because he doesn't go near the top of the cage. He prefers to go low- even on the ground. Is the lamp too hot for him? We just got him yesterday so i don't know if it is adjusting to his new environment or hiding from the heat. Please advise because if we lose another chameleon my 10 year old is going to be sooo upset. He cried all night when the veiled died.

Howdy Jennifer,

I prefer the ZooMed Reptisun 5.0 linear (~18" long or longer) UVB tube as a "safe bet" source for UVB for chameleons, especially a Jackson's. The MV may either be emitting too much heat for him to find a comfortable basking temp. I don't know which brand/model of MV lamp that you are using but, for example, the 100W ZooMed MV lamp does not emit extremely high levels of UVB so it probably isn't do to having way too much UVB like some are capable of producing. There are a lot of factors that can cause a chameleon to end-up low or on the bottom of an enclosure. Try to answer these questions and post photos of him and his enclosure. Inthe end, it may be just getting used to his new surrondings. Give him lots of privacy.

It sounds like you've had some experience but....

How long have you had him?
Describe his enclosure setup, especially his lighting (Make/model/wattage/age/on time/distances...)
Distance of enclosure above your house floor?
Size of enclosure? Screen? Glass?
Plants? Vines? Anything on the bottom other than a nice clean PVC floor?
Temperatures at basking spot and ambient?
Humidity?
Vitamins and minerals used for insect dusting? How often?
What insect feeders and how often are you feeding your chameleon?
How often does he poop and what does it look like? Poop smell?
How does he get his water?

way too hot, way too bright

Originally Posted by mommysolomon

Just bought a adult male jackson for my son. We just lost our beloved veil chameleon due to bone disease (the store didn't sell me the proper lamps/lighting for her and so she didn't get uvb lights for 2 months.)We have the Jackson in a large screened cage with a mercury vapor bulb (100 watt). I'm concerned because he doesn't go near the top of the cage. He prefers to go low- even on the ground. Is the lamp too hot for him? We just got him yesterday so i don't know if it is adjusting to his new environment or hiding from the heat. Please advise because if we lose another chameleon my 10 year old is going to be sooo upset. He cried all night when the veiled died.

first of all chameleons dont make good childrens pets, dont blame it on the store , it is your responsability, to earn about the animal you are trying to keep , before you get it , blaming it on the store only teaches your kid its ok to blame other people for things that are supposed to be your responsibility in the first place