gnawing on branches??

[SteelHeadStalker]

ok ive seen this tag before but cant remeber what the posts said, my panther never did or ive never seen him do this until this morning when i came in to check on him and i see him gnawing on a repti vine i freaked out grabbed the misting bottle and misted him (he hates being misted) so he stopped chewing on it and hauled tail to the back of the cage and watched until i put the mist bottle down and he came back to the front of the cage , is this chewing on branches behavior " normal " ? should i remove all of these branches as im not sure the stuff they are covered in is good to be gnawing on ? anyone else have this issue ?

 

[carol5208]

yes sometimes they do chew on things and I am not sure if anyone knows the real reasons. I have seen people suggest some type of mineral or vitamin deficiency in the diet, but I don't know if there is any real proof of that. If he is biting off pieces or srtipping the vine of the coating, then I would remove it to be on the safe side. My one panther used to gnaw on the tail of a fake plastic toucan I had hanging in my patio. He was never able to break any pieces off so I just let him chew on it.

 

[MsRulh]

Maybe hes got the munchies. Mine loves to chomp on his live branches/leaves from time to time. Try reading up on safe plants, they will be good for him, too.

 

[Tay And A]

I've been told by many breeders that this is caused by a lack if
Vitamins. Make sure your not only gut loading right but supplementing right as well. What are you currently using?

 

[FlChamMom]

My panther gnaws on sticks when he is outside and I follow a supplement schedule. As long as he is not swallowing pieces that could lead to impacting I would not worry about it.

 

[Psychobunny]

My oldest veiled used to chew the tip of his dripper, which was a soft plastic
pipette.
He would chew it like a dog with a bone, and I had to keep replacing them.

This was when he was a juvie, and he seems to have grown out of it.

My first panther used to chew on a bump sticking out of his basking branch.

I replaced the branch and never saw him chew anything after that.
I have no clue why they do it, but unless they are swallowing stuff they
shouldn't, I don't worry about it.

 

[Deevo]

I think it could be a sign of vitamin deficiency but if your following a schedule then it is more likely just general behaviour in his personality.

 

[MsRulh]

I agree with deevo & psychobunny. As long as you are sure nutrition is right, no worries.