Females eating nesting substrate

[AnamCara]

Hello, per suggestions from other members I am proving a nesting dish full time via large pot with plant in the side (umbrella plant) but I have seen my female cham eat part of the coconut core soil and I can't put rock one top otherwise she can't dig...

I feed 7-9 medium crickets daily, about to switch to every other day also bc she won't eat anything else. I dust crickets per the schedule recommended on here and other places and I gut load crickets etc.... I'm sure she eats all crickets and she has constant drip etc.... I know she's healthy. She poops regularly and it looks normal. I don't know what to do aside from change up soil.... suggestions?

She is six - 7 months old so she has never laid a clutch before. Another reason I wanna provide the dish at all times.

 

[Bmjo]

Hello, per suggestions from other members I am proving a nesting dish full time via large pot with plant in the side (umbrella plant) but I have seen my female cham eat part of the coconut core soil and I can't put rock one top otherwise she can't dig...

I feed 7-9 medium crickets daily, about to switch to every other day also bc she won't eat anything else. I dust crickets per the schedule recommended on here and other places and I gut load crickets etc.... I'm sure she eats all crickets and she has constant drip etc.... I know she's healthy. She poops regularly and it looks normal. I don't know what to do aside from change up soil.... suggestions?

She is six - 7 months old so she has never laid a clutch before. Another reason I wanna provide the dish at all times.

You are going to need a laying bin not just a plant. I believe @jannb could help you

 

[jannb]

Hello and I’m am glad that you are trying to provide a laying bin for your girl. I do agree that she needs a real laying bin and not just a plant. If they dig to lay in a plant it’s allot of work for the little girls trying to dig around and through all the roots from the plant. Just laying eggs can be very hard on them so I like to make to make it as easy as possiable for them. I’m linking you to a video below by one of our senior members here about how to make a laying bin. I’m also giving you a link to my blog about egg laying and the laying bin.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/laying-bin-set-up-educational-video.77225/
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/egg-laying-and-the-laying-bin.345/

 

[jamest0o0]

Chameleon eggs are often found near the roots of plants. I've seen many breeders use plants very successfully with laying as well. But most people seem to use a soil/sand mix. As long as the coconut fiber isn't long fibers that could impact them it shouldn't be a problem. Just make sure she has room to pick where she wants to lay. How much is she eating of it? My female panther is kept full time on 12" of substrate with plants, leaf litter, couple big rocks, etc and has no problems.

 

[AnamCara]

Thank youeveryone. From what I have read / heard they like to lay next to a root ball. It is a large pot, the size of a nesting dish sold by Dragon Strand and had one small plant in the corner. It is a MUCH MUCH larger pit than the baby umbrella plant needs. Substrate is coconut husk and does not have long strands. I've seen her eat it 3 times in the last 2 weeks. I will not worry but I appreciate all the feed back!

 

[Fireborn]

Switch over to fine grain organic soil. They are built to pass a little bit of dirt but not fiberous things like coco husk. If she is insisting on eating the soil this is your safest route. She may be eating soil because she is missing something in her diet.

 

[AnamCara]

?

Switch over to fine grain organic soil. They are built to pass a little bit of dirt but not fiberous things like coco husk. If she is insisting on eating the soil this is your safest route. She may be eating soil because she is missing something in her diet.

That is my thinking. She is about 7 months old and will not eat anything but crickets. I have tried Horn worms, meal worms, super worms and dubois (spelling? ) roaches. Per suggestions from a forum member I only offered worms and she didn't eat for two days. People on this site stressed the importance of getting her to eat a varied diet but at 6 months (at the time I tried only offering worms) I thought it more important she get calories -- I have Vitamins and Calcium that I use per the care sheet on this site -- regular calcium, d3 alternating and i'm waiting for her regular vitamins with no calc or d3 to come.)

She GOBBLES up her crickets, but will not touch anything else. When she gets older maybe I will try not offering crickets for a longer period of time -- I just figured since she is a baby she should be eating something.... I will definitely switch to a finer soil / sand mixture. Any suggestions on brands you like?

 

[Fireborn]

Do you gut load your feeder insects before feeding?

 

[Fireborn]

Personally I go for any black earth or top soil and sift out any sticks and junk. Just make sure it has no added chemicals.

 

[AnamCara]

Do you gut load your feeder insects before feeding?

I do. I gut load with Kale, spinach, carrots, potatoes, etc... the occasional piece of fruit but I always make sure they have leafy greens.

She is newer to me / my house. She is settling in but is still perpetually hesitant. I have a large cage I am going to transfer her into when she's bigger -- was going to do that ASAP but she seems comfy and I didn't want to stress her moving her so much. This is working out because it's letting me get all the "bugs" out of my setup before moving her to her final enclosure.