Cham eating mud ?

[Callum1168]

hello every one

I have recently put a plant in my chams viv and i have noticed him a few times trying to eat the soil, should i allow him to or try to prevent this ?

 

[okiroo]

My cham used to try to eat dust. dont let him do this its not good and can cause impaction. Soil isnt used in cham enclosers beacuse 1) can cause impaction and 2) can make soup with so much watering



i have a fr and theres soil in my plants but my chams dont eat it. are you supplamenting? mabey its trying to get something (like eating rocks in other things) this is just a guess.

 

[kuskye25]

haha no you dont want it eating soil, personally i put screen over the pots and dirt when i put a live plant in my enclosure...

 

[Callum1168]

Yes im giving him calcium dust on a daily basis and calcium with d3 every 2 weeks.
thanks for the replys !
What could i use to cover the soil ?

 

[kuskye25]

like i said i use nylon screen,

 

[Creaturelover123]

You could use large rocks to cover the soil, make sure they are large enough he can't fit them in his mouth. (River rocks would be a good choice)

 

[sterling archer]

I went to a garden center an grabbed some growing moss... i put it over all the soil and kept it moist for a while and eventually it stared to root and grow. it didnt bother my plant at all either and my lil guy never went on that planter again. just worked for me hope this helps

 

[Callum1168]

I see, thank you's all so much

 

[jurjenfromholland]

mine veiled does it to .. but
it isnt y bad if its realy fine dirt...
they can do it because of the digestion.. but
when my soil is realy wett so he getss some water from it to..

 

[AlecWade]

Yes im giving him calcium dust on a daily basis and calcium with d3 every 2 weeks.
thanks for the replys !
What could i use to cover the soil ?

Are you using a multivitamin as well. Chams need to be supplemented with a multivitamin such as reptivite a couple times a month as well in addition to the calcium and the d3!

 

[ataraxia]

Eating dirt is fairly common with veileds. I have never seen mine doing it however. It makes me believe that they are doing this for a reason.

A lack of nutrients/minerals in there diet. It is my thought that some animals will do what they can with resources available. The results are typically in examples like if the animal is in need of hydration it will eat leaves and my opinion if an animal lacking nutrient/minerals will eat dirt. Im not saying veileds are like humans in anyway but read a little bit on how kids will eat dirt when they are low on iron. There is actually many other similar stories where there is a deficiency and we hunt for sources unknowingly.

To solve this, a more rounded gut load and starting a multivitamin in the diet should help/.