eating poop

[thetakeonlife]

hello everyone i have a Jacksons cham and iv noticed that he has been eating his poop does this happen with any of your chams and should i be concerned.

 

[jannb]

Maybe he's hungry. What all do you feed him and how often?

 

[Olimpia]

That's bizaar, I don't know why he would be doing this. Dogs sometimes eat their poop if they feel they aren't getting enough nutrients from their meals, possibly it has something to do with his diet also?

 

[thetakeonlife]

well he eats 5 + crickets a day and i dust them with calcium hes only done it twice that i know off i try to be him too it and just remove the poop.

 

[Olimpia]

What are you gutloading with?

 

[morpheon]

how old is he?

 

[jessica]

Couple questions:

1) Is the food in the feces completely digested (meaning no cricket chunks)

I ask this because like mentioned by another member may be he is looking for something he isn't getting in his diet.

2) Is there any little bugs possible attracted to the feces like little gnats or flies?

may be he is attracted to movement of bugs and striking at them and picks up the poop too.


Sometimes certain parasites can cause dogs/cats to do this also.I'm curious if it is the same with chameleons
I would have a fecal float/smear just in case, it wouldn't hurt

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Maybe he thinks its dirt? Do you have live plants in the cage with him? He may be wanting to eat dirt and is substituting poo. Just a thought.

 

[thetakeonlife]

how old is he?

he is 7 months

 

[thetakeonlife]

Couple questions:

1) Is the food in the feces completely digested (meaning no cricket chunks)

I ask this because like mentioned by another member may be he is looking for something he isn't getting in his diet.

2) Is there any little bugs possible attracted to the feces like little gnats or flies?

may be he is attracted to movement of bugs and striking at them and picks up the poop too.


Sometimes certain parasites can cause dogs/cats to do this also.I'm curious if it is the same with chameleons
I would have a fecal float/smear just in case, it wouldn't hurt

no its completely digested and no there are not any bugs.

 

[thetakeonlife]

Maybe he thinks its dirt? Do you have live plants in the cage with him? He may be wanting to eat dirt and is substituting poo. Just a thought.

yea i have a pathos.why do they eat dirt and is that normal?

 

[kinyonga]

If its WC has it been tested for parasites?

 

[ChamOh]

at 7 months he can probably still be eating more like 10 - 15 crickets a day right?

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Yes they do eat dirt. It is fairly common. My panther still tries to eat dirt and ive covered his plants in river rocks.

 

[IHaveAJackson]

I would have to say remove the poop as fast as you can because im sure that its not healthy!

 

[xanthoman]

i have never had a cham eat dirt or poop, i would say both a fecal float and a fecal smear would be in order. a couple of questions; does he always seem hungry, does he seem excessively thirsty, if you look closely at his stool or wipe it with a piece of paper can you notice any blood. what is your supplementation, it could be a mineral deficiency, it probably wouldnt hurt to give him a little sticky tongue farms miner-all. it could also be a lighting or eye issue, if he is having visual problems he could be mistaking his feces for a cricket. jmo