Chameleon knows to spit out nonfood??

jamest0o0 said:
I've witnessed this one or two times in the past, but this most recent time has me almost convinced that chameleons know what to swallow what not... My boy went for a superworm in his feeder dish yesterday that happened to fall under a dead ficus alii leaf(which dry and are somewhat hard for a dead leaf). He grabbed both of them. I watched as he carefully chewed the superworm all while keeping the leaf/stem at the roof of his mouth. It was definitely no accident how he maneuvered the superworm down without the leaf. Once he swallowed the superworm, he used his tongue to push the leaf back to the front of his mouth and then wiped his mouth on a tree to get the leaf out. It was very impressive! Now, this leaf he could have chewed up and passed without problems, but it made me think... Maybe they are aware of potential choking or impaction risks from things that aren't really edible to a chameleon. He knew it wasn't food and was able to keep it in his mouth and then remove it once he finished without an problem. I didn't even think chameleons could spit out food that easily(I've seen it on a handful of occasions with my panther that would protest eating roaches). Even though I don't worry a whole lot about impaction, I still try to be aware of anything they could choke on and still plan to be, but this definitely eased my mind.

Little side thought, I've seen my cham eat fresh leaves when grabbing an insects off a tree. I bet this happens often in the wild. I wonder if this plays a part in their everyday nutrition... Could explain why veileds seem unharmed by eating pothos, they have adapted to live on and eat many toxic plants.
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My bearded dragons know how to eat honey bees without being stung.
 
AnamCara said:
Mine has. I was thought she could handle a big horn worm and I was mistaken. It seemed to bit her but she still tried and she eventually dropped it.
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I meant something that isn't food. Like has anyone seen a veiled go and eat a rock? I'm sure it's happened, but don't know of any direct cases. I know chams will eat dirt at times, but there may be something to that nutritionally speaking.

Panthers will often bite at large rocks, branches, etc. But I don't know if they are trying to eat or just gnawing at it for whatever reason. I'm guessing the latter.
 
I know this is an older post but my veileds love biting rocks lol more so than any other species ive had I believe it is a source of mineral for them like a salt lick or cuddle bone for a bird. You cover the dirt with rocks so they don't eat the dirt and they try to eat the rocks smh. I've never put any smaller rocks in with any of my chams because I think they would try to swallow them. I know there are certain species that did or still do swallow stones to help with digestion(dinosaurs/birds) so it makes me wonder if they do it in nature and if we are missing out on a benefit. Has anyone ever offered a cuddle bone to there chams? I only found 1 short thread on it saying to grind it down to a powder but has anyone of you ever hung a full cuddle bone in the enclosure?
 
Kismet, my baby veiled (3 mo), will go to the bottom of her (bioactive) enclosure and actively hunt isopods. She rarely misses, but I've seen her spit out bits of leaf and twigs if the critter was holding onto something. I've been giving her some extra feeders if I catch her at it, to hopefully save my poor innocent CuC haha!
 
GoodKarma19 said:
Kismet, my baby veiled (3 mo), will go to the bottom of her (bioactive) enclosure and actively hunt isopods. She rarely misses, but I've seen her spit out bits of leaf and twigs if the critter was holding onto something. I've been giving her some extra feeders if I catch her at it, to hopefully save my poor innocent CuC haha!
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Don't count on it! Charlie and Clarice both learned to flip over leaves when looking for them. They cleared out my giant canyons in like 2 days! LOL I added powder orange to Clarice's cage (she's an adult now), as they are pretty vigorous breeders, and eaters... so they eat her unfertilized eggs after laying, and she can't eat them to extinction!
 
snitz427 said:
Don't count on it! Charlie and Clarice both learned to flip over leaves when looking for them. They cleared out my giant canyons in like 2 days! LOL I added powder orange to Clarice's cage (she's an adult now), as they are pretty vigorous breeders, and eaters... so they eat her unfertilized eggs after laying, and she can't eat them to extinction!
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I thought I saw Kismet scratching at the leaves to expose isopods, but I figured I was seeing things! I had no idea that was a natural thing for them to do - fascinating!

I'll have to start some back up cultures to keep up! :LOL:
 
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jamest0o0 said:
I've witnessed this one or two times in the past, but this most recent time has me almost convinced that chameleons know what to swallow what not... My boy went for a superworm in his feeder dish yesterday that happened to fall under a dead ficus alii leaf(which dry and are somewhat hard for a dead leaf). He grabbed both of them. I watched as he carefully chewed the superworm all while keeping the leaf/stem at the roof of his mouth. It was definitely no accident how he maneuvered the superworm down without the leaf. Once he swallowed the superworm, he used his tongue to push the leaf back to the front of his mouth and then wiped his mouth on a tree to get the leaf out. It was very impressive! Now, this leaf he could have chewed up and passed without problems, but it made me think... Maybe they are aware of potential choking or impaction risks from things that aren't really edible to a chameleon. He knew it wasn't food and was able to keep it in his mouth and then remove it once he finished without an problem. I didn't even think chameleons could spit out food that easily(I've seen it on a handful of occasions with my panther that would protest eating roaches). Even though I don't worry a whole lot about impaction, I still try to be aware of anything they could choke on and still plan to be, but this definitely eased my mind.

Little side thought, I've seen my cham eat fresh leaves when grabbing an insects off a tree. I bet this happens often in the wild. I wonder if this plays a part in their everyday nutrition... Could explain why veileds seem unharmed by eating pothos, they have adapted to live on and eat many toxic plants.
Click to expand...
Hello James hope all is well . My clelia did this back in the summer . It was not at all so delicate however . It was a silk worm it fell into her Hibiscus there was some
Leaf matter under the matter was just a bit of water . It had to have been there a bit to long . She acted as it was poison . Flinging her tongue Spitting out the worm it was alarming looking . It had to have tasted really bad . She spit it out looking Addely insulted ( Human emotion ) . Being a silk that’s staple for her never had she had that reaction .
 
My girls will lick up isopods and get some debris in there mouths but my boys seem to be going after the dirt lol they'll just shovel it in like it's chocolate cake. So I learned to put (smooth)river rock down in fear of compaction or choking to death and for the longest they still go down to the bottom usually later in the day and will bite at the rocks. All the rocks are slightly bigger than thier heads so there's no way they will fit one in their mouth and choke but they'll scrape their teeth on the rocks it's like nails on a chalk board makes me cringe like when my son used to grind his teeth in his sleep. So I mineral dust some dubias and offer to get them to stop. Maybe I've trained them that they get dubias when they make me cringe lol .. Maybe they've trained me.
 
What would happen if a cham bit or ripped off a piece of plastic plant, thinking it was edible?
I see that many.....or most keepers have at least some artificial plants.
 
JackRipper said:
My girls will lick up isopods and get some debris in there mouths but my boys seem to be going after the dirt lol they'll just shovel it in like it's chocolate cake. So I learned to put (smooth)river rock down in fear of compaction or choking to death and for the longest they still go down to the bottom usually later in the day and will bite at the rocks. All the rocks are slightly bigger than thier heads so there's no way they will fit one in their mouth and choke but they'll scrape their teeth on the rocks it's like nails on a chalk board makes me cringe like when my son used to grind his teeth in his sleep. So I mineral dust some dubias and offer to get them to stop. Maybe I've trained them that they get dubias when they make me cringe lol .. Maybe they've trained me.
Click to expand...
It's just the Dubias that make me cringe
 
I try not to but I do have a few silkplants in the tops of a few enclosures waiting for the ficuses and umbrellas to fill in. I would thing that if they were to swallow a silk leaf that it may lead to compaction but a plastic leaf could be more harmful just do to plastic being plastic.
 
ZEROPILOT said:
What would happen if a cham bit or ripped off a piece of plastic plant, thinking it was edible?
I see that many.....or most keepers have at least some artificial plants.
Click to expand...

That could very well result in a foreign body if swallowed (silk and plastic plants both). Veiled chameleons are more likely to go after plant matter, which is why many keepers suggest only live plants, just in case. :)
 
I will not put fake plants in with my Veiled Chameleons (that I don't own yet)
I'm just doing my home work first.
I saw many Veiled on YOUTUBE eating Pothos, etc. and there are also plastic plants around.
I wondered if the chams could tell this difference.
 
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