coconut substrate?

hi i am very new to chameleon ownership and was wondering about the use of coconut substrate in my setup. I asked the guy at the petstore and he suggested it, i have had a few hermit crabs now for three yrs so i had some around and have put a very light layer on the bottom of my setup mostly for astetics and the crickets as my cham rarely ventures to the bottom of his home.

i only want the best for my little guy so any suggestions would be great

thanks again

Drop the coconut substrate.. this can be harmful if your cham ingests it. Paper towels or no substrate is best. For further reference do not always trust what the pet store tells you or suggests. Almost all of the time, they do not know what they are talking about (especially about chameleons). If you have any questions experienced keepers would be glad to give you the correct info on here.

Don't forget that reptile shops are just that....shops, their job is to make money. Most will sell you anything and say it's ok as long as they get a sale.

That is a good question and maybe something we should discuss again. Almost any kind of substrate is very bad for chameleons. They have a way of getting into everything, and tasting almost everything. That is why you need to wash all plants prior to use, use either organic soil with nothing in it or do as a lot of us do and cover the top of the pots with rocks of a size the chameleon could never eat. Hope this helps.

Oh yea and get like a cup or those tubbaware containers poke a hole in them and run a rope through them and your cage or hang them from a plant or branch somewhere were your chameleon can see and eat from that's where you can put your crickets if your cham doesn't go to the ground. Chameleons like it up top

thanks alot u guys are really helpfull i got a few good tips and ideas there. what about a piece of artifcial grass cut to size just for astetics and easy cleaning. just curious

thx as always
hoj

I read that most grass ends up getting yellow when they are into an enclosure.

And unlike most people here, i do use coconut substrate in my enclosures, and have been doing it for over a year and a half. The key is to find a good coconut fiber that isn't too big, to let your chameleon be able to defecate it without getting constipated. This is something i have read about a lot, and is more common in Europe than in United States. I like it because it looks better than just nothing on the ground, and it highers humidity.

I have seen my sambava eat a little of it, and there was no problem with it. Of course, if your chameleon constantly eats some, then you should consider removing it. But a very small dose shouldn't be a problem, unless your chameleon is 2 months old! It means that i don't believe baby chameleons should have access to any coconut fiber, but any sub-adult or adult chameleon in good health shouldn't have too much trouble with it!


EDIT: Then again, what works for me may not work for you, and vice versa! You always have to keep an eye on your chameleon and his habits, to make the appropriate changes if needed!

You're best not to have anything on the bottom of the cage except paper towels. Anything on the bottom will be difficult to clean and can harbor harmful bacteria esp if you cham poops on it.

I have to admit, we use to use the coconut substrate because it helped keep humidity levels up here in NJ during the winter when the air is really dry. We never had issues with the chams eating it. However, it can become very costly and time consuming. We changed ours every week, as well as spot cleaning when needed. We've switched to using no substrate, and it is much less of a headache.

I also bought same coco husk prepared it and thought i am not in the mood for this messy stuff, and besides atm my veiled sun baths when he gets to hot in the tiny pool of water that builds up while misting, with a cage stuffed with the substrate he wont have the luxury he currently has.

Note that my cham gets in at least 2 hours sunlight minimum everyday, but if your cham is stuffed in a cage indoors all day i guess might need the substrate sometimes to keep in the humidity.