Free Range and Impaction Risk!

CasqueAbove

Chameleon Enthusiast
Right off I want to differentiate.
Open Enclosure = cage with no physical walls, but the animal is confined to that area.
Free Range = I let my guy go where he wants, like a puppy. Also = BAD.

Well my open enclosure has not been as good at restraining. He can get to my desk and will come and hang out to get fed. Sound cute, it is, but he has no tongue and can only eat about one a day so it is more a drive of nature and he is simply no longer concerned with me as a threat.

Well I did not properly evaluate the risk. He has no tongue so has to be hand fed in a special way so that he can get the roach far enough back to swallow. So he can only swallow what I give him. All is good.

Well He is a Chameleon and never ceases to amaze.

The straw was down his throat to the bend. I did not realize how deep till I pulled it out . It was in my cup when I left the room. I feed out of a cup with a long pair of tongs.🤦‍♂️
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But wait !! I find this this morning. It is a small foam float for fly fishing. PASSED thankfully. He showed no ill signs.
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So now looking at my desk and trying not to be over concerned, but at this point nothing is off limits. It was further back on my list, but time for a cage redo.

LESSON!!
Never trust a chameleon. There is apparently no such thing as "He Wont" I will only ever say "Hasn't Yet" .

Of the concerns I did have this was not on the list.
 
Right off I want to differentiate.
Open Enclosure = cage with no physical walls, but the animal is confined to that area.
Free Range = I let my guy go where he wants, like a puppy. Also = BAD.

Well my open enclosure has not been as good at restraining. He can get to my desk and will come and hang out to get fed. Sound cute, it is, but he has no tongue and can only eat about one a day so it is more a drive of nature and he is simply no longer concerned with me as a threat.

Well I did not properly evaluate the risk. He has no tongue so has to be hand fed in a special way so that he can get the roach far enough back to swallow. So he can only swallow what I give him. All is good.

Well He is a Chameleon and never ceases to amaze.

The straw was down his throat to the bend. I did not realize how deep till I pulled it out . It was in my cup when I left the room. I feed out of a cup with a long pair of tongs.🤦‍♂️
View attachment 306665

But wait !! I find this this morning. It is a small foam float for fly fishing. PASSED thankfully. He showed no ill signs.
View attachment 306666

So now looking at my desk and trying not to be over concerned, but at this point nothing is off limits. It was further back on my list, but time for a cage redo.

LESSON!!
Never trust a chameleon. There is apparently no such thing as "He Wont" I will only ever say "Hasn't Yet" .

Of the concerns I did have this was not on the list.
When we tell people no fake plants with a Veiled and they say "oh he does not mess with them" and I then have to shake my head. Veileds are like toddlers, everything goes in the mouth.

Impressive that he tried for the straw. Glad you caught him in time. Only close call with Beman was right after we moved into the new house. I had a box of kleenex on my desk. I was holding him while sitting at my desk. He shot at the tissue that was hanging out of the box. I pulled back my arm just in time. They do not differentiate food. They just think everything is there for them to eat. lol
 
Could it be he thought the straw was a worm or stick insect or something?

Hard to judge the size of that float; lined/ruled paper comes in different widths, but it looks like it hurt! OW! 😫 But do they learn from that? I doubt it.

IME, all animals taste/put things in their mouths; Like infants, it's one of the ways they experience the world.

We aren't just their keepers; we're also their guardians.
 
Could it be he thought the straw was a worm or stick insect or something?

Hard to judge the size of that float; lined/ruled paper comes in different widths, but it looks like it hurt! OW! 😫 But do they learn from that? I doubt it.

IME, all animals taste/put things in their mouths; Like infants, it's one of the ways they experience the world.

We aren't just their keepers; we're also their guardians.
I concur on thinking it is a worm. When I feed Dino a roach from my palm he frequently thinks my little finger is a silkworm and thus a tastier choice :)
 
I concur on thinking it is a worm. When I feed Dino a roach from my palm he frequently thinks my little finger is a silkworm and thus a tastier choice :)
This might be the first time I'm glad to have sausages where other people have fingers—too big for that to happen.
 
I concur on thinking it is a worm. When I feed Dino a roach from my palm he frequently thinks my little finger is a silkworm and thus a tastier choice :)
Yup, same problem constantly and already had a few big hit. Tongue stuck to my finger and she needed to pull herself towards my finger
 
Right off I want to differentiate.
Open Enclosure = cage with no physical walls, but the animal is confined to that area.
Free Range = I let my guy go where he wants, like a puppy. Also = BAD.

Well my open enclosure has not been as good at restraining. He can get to my desk and will come and hang out to get fed. Sound cute, it is, but he has no tongue and can only eat about one a day so it is more a drive of nature and he is simply no longer concerned with me as a threat.

Well I did not properly evaluate the risk. He has no tongue so has to be hand fed in a special way so that he can get the roach far enough back to swallow. So he can only swallow what I give him. All is good.

Well He is a Chameleon and never ceases to amaze.

The straw was down his throat to the bend. I did not realize how deep till I pulled it out . It was in my cup when I left the room. I feed out of a cup with a long pair of tongs.🤦‍♂️
View attachment 306665

But wait !! I find this this morning. It is a small foam float for fly fishing. PASSED thankfully. He showed no ill signs.
View attachment 306666

So now looking at my desk and trying not to be over concerned, but at this point nothing is off limits. It was further back on my list, but time for a cage redo.

LESSON!!
Never trust a chameleon. There is apparently no such thing as "He Wont" I will only ever say "Hasn't Yet" .

Of the concerns I did have this was not on the list.
Thanks for sharing, really appreciated. And luckily you where in time to handle adequate.
 
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