EATING DIRT!! won't eat bugs!

CharlieRae

Member
I'm at a loss as to what to do with my 9 month old, male, panther chameleon. He won't stop eating dirt! He is now refusing ALL bugs & actively seeking out dirt. He is in a 18x18x24 bioactive enclosure. I have covered the pots mounted on the back wall with rocks, but I don't think I can cover the entire bottom with rocks without damaging my healthy ecosystem?? I have the substrate covered in a thick layer of leaf litter, but he will dig it away to get to the dirt.
I have tried every feeder I can think of. He is refusing all of them. He ate crickets great for around 3 months when I got him. Then stopped eating those & would ONLY eat superworms until about 2 weeks ago. Then he would eat a grasshopper here & there. Now he won't eat those either. I've tried all sizes of dubia, he ate 2 or 3 then refused them. I've tried all sizes of crickets. BSFL & the flies, Wax worms, silkworms & the moths. I will put bugs in his feeder & he will stare at them like hes hungry, then wander off. He ate a jumping spider off my wall last night(9/7). Thats the only thing I've seen him eat in quite a while, that wasn't dirt.
He has a linear T5HO UVB, a linear plant light & a basking light. He was getting the repti.cal & pollen daily(when he was eating). The repashy 2x a month. His temp during the day is between 78 & 80. At night it drops to around 66, which is what we keep our house at. His basking spot is about 87. (which I was told is too hot, so it has been turned down) Humidity is usually around 35-40% (I've been told this is also too low humidity, so i have added a fogger for night time). I gut load all my feeders with a variety of veggies & fruits for a minimum of 48 hrs before offering them to him. I have included pictures of Jupiter & the supplements I use. He is uncharacteristically friendly, always has been. He is active & drinks well. We are in the process of building him a new enclosure with the dimensions of 32x24x48 Photos were taken last night. (9/7)
ANY advice is welcome.
 

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honestly if he really is just wanting dirt and refusing every feeder then maybe take it out. That would be a drag so maybe cover up the bottom with rags/paper towels/newspaper??‍♂️ just throwin suggestions out there
 
honestly if he really is just wanting dirt and refusing every feeder then maybe take it out. That would be a drag so maybe cover up the bottom with rags/paper towels/newspaper??‍♂️ just throwin suggestions out there

I have considered this. I was going to cover it with large pieces of cork bark. But I am concerned about the WHY behind his refusal to eat bugs. It was suggested to me to post in this forum to see if anybody had any insight.
 
I'm at a loss as to what to do with my 9 month old, male, panther chameleon. He won't stop eating dirt! He is now refusing ALL bugs & actively seeking out dirt. He is in a 18x18x24 bioactive enclosure. I have covered the pots mounted on the back wall with rocks, but I don't think I can cover the entire bottom with rocks without damaging my healthy ecosystem?? I have the substrate covered in a thick layer of leaf litter, but he will dig it away to get to the dirt.
I have tried every feeder I can think of. He is refusing all of them. He ate crickets great for around 3 months when I got him. Then stopped eating those & would ONLY eat superworms until about 2 weeks ago. Then he would eat a grasshopper here & there. Now he won't eat those either. I've tried all sizes of dubia, he ate 2 or 3 then refused them. I've tried all sizes of crickets. BSFL & the flies, Wax worms, silkworms & the moths. I will put bugs in his feeder & he will stare at them like hes hungry, then wander off. He ate a jumping spider off my wall last night(9/7). Thats the only thing I've seen him eat in quite a while, that wasn't dirt.
He has a linear T5HO UVB, a linear plant light & a basking light. He was getting the repti.cal & pollen daily(when he was eating). The repashy 2x a month. His temp during the day is between 78 & 80. At night it drops to around 66, which is what we keep our house at. His basking spot is about 87. (which I was told is too hot, so it has been turned down) Humidity is usually around 35-40% (I've been told this is also too low humidity, so i have added a fogger for night time). I gut load all my feeders with a variety of veggies & fruits for a minimum of 48 hrs before offering them to him. I have included pictures of Jupiter & the supplements I use. He is uncharacteristically friendly, always has been. He is active & drinks well. We are in the process of building him a new enclosure with the dimensions of 32x24x48 Photos were taken last night. (9/7)
ANY advice is welcome.
Typically they will eat dirt when their is a vitamin imbalance that they are trying to make up for.... Do you have CUC in your enclosure? I am wondering if the digging has more to do with him going after them rather then the dirt itself. @jamest0o0 what do you think?
 
Chameleon Info:
  • Your Chameleon - 9 month old, male, panther chameleon. I've had him since he was 8 weeks.
  • Handling - Daily
  • Feeding - See above. Daily feeding. Gut load for 48 hrs before offering. I feed a variety of veggies & fruits.
  • Supplements - see above photo included
  • Watering - I have a mister & a dripper. Mist for about 45 seconds in the AM when lights come on & then when lights go off in the evening. I see him drink every day from the dripper & mister.
  • Fecal Description - His droppings are dark with white/cream colored ends. They always look the same. Has not been tested for parasites.
  • History - No history

Cage Info:
  • Cage Type - Glass exo terra. 18x18x24. 2 computer fans at the top that run all day. A new cage will be completed in a couple days.
  • Lighting - T5HO linear UVB. I ordered it from Pangea, I do not remember which brand. Lights on @ 7AM lights off @ 7pm. Basking light is a flood light. There is also a linear plant light that came with the fixture.
  • Temperature - temps listed above. I measure temps with a temp gun with a laser.
  • Humidity - humidity levels listed above. I have a digital hygrometer inside the enclosure.
  • Plants - 100% live plants. Schefflera, pothos, polka dot plants, unbrella tree
  • Placement - located in the living room. away from windows & vents. Top of cage is 6 feet off the floor.
  • Location - Northern Wyoming, United States

Current Problem - eating dirt. detailed above.
 
Could he just prefer the thrill of hunting for his food? Have you tried leaving his food out of the feeding cup for him to ‘hunt’ it?

Yes, he currently has crickets, grasshoppers & BS flies in his enclosure. I also turned the silkworm moths loose in there. There's also superworm beetles from some of the worms that somehow escaped, but I've heard those are particularly icky, so I didn't expect him to eat those. lol
 
Well, I've never really looked. I guess I'll go check when I get home. Why on Earth would he want to eat those tiny bugs when he can have ANYTHING else. :cautious:o_O
Supposedly they really like the isopods lol. We have a few keepers with females that will happily hunt them down.
 
oh good grief. That seems like an expensive feeder. ?‍♀️
Yeah... chams can get stuck on one insect. He may prefer them over the other items your feeding. Granted I am going off of the feedback you gave and not seeing any reason for him to eat dirt since your supplementation and feeder variety when he ate was good. He is in a small enclosure right now... So he is really close to the ground maybe he just sees them there running around and tried them one day. Got a taste for them. :LOL:
 
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