Has anyone's cham tried eating silicone?

mujino

mujino

Established Member
I caught him the other day trying to tear off a chunk of silicone he found on one of the branches in his enclosure. Really going at it, too. I had to reach right in and take it off the branch and out of his mouth (!) before he managed to swallow it and get impacted or worse. Has anyone else seen this behavior?
 
CJ's Exotics said:
Was the silicone part of the branch? Seems strange, you probably shouldn't use those branches anymore.
Click to expand...
Heh no kidding! It's gone, for sure. Looks like it was used to seal a crack and there was some overflow I hadn't noticed before.
 
Thank you all for responding so quickly. I should clarify this was about a week ago and I unfortunately didn't think to take pictures. :/

I'm just glad he's ok and I caught it in time. Maybe he mistook it for a fake plant...?
 
mujino said:
I caught him the other day trying to tear off a chunk of silicone he found on one of the branches in his enclosure. Really going at it, too. I had to reach right in and take it off the branch and out of his mouth (!) before he managed to swallow it and get impacted or worse. Has anyone else seen this behavior?
Click to expand...
What kind of silicone was it?
 
CJ's Exotics said:
Do you know if it was silicone 1 or 2.
Click to expand...
I don't. I posted this thread because I was genuinely curious how "normal" it was to chomp on something that shouldn't look like food.

The good news is that he didn't succeed in eating any (that I know of), I kept a close eye on his urates, and he's still eating and pooping normally. :)
 
Klyde O'Scope said:
What kind of silicone was it?
Click to expand...
CJ's Exotics said:
Do you know if it was silicone 1 or 2.
Click to expand...
THX, CJ's Exotics, you knew where I was going with this.

mujino, All I was getting at is that some brands & types of Silicone are safe (non-toxic when completely cured) for reptile enclosures, and some are not. (More or less concern about whether any might have been ingested. Impaction is a different—albeit important—issue.)
reptile safe silicone
 
Klyde O'Scope said:
mujino, All I was getting at is that some brands & types of Silicone are safe (non-toxic when completely cured) for reptile enclosures, and some are not. (More or less concern about whether any might have been ingested. Impaction is a different—albeit important—issue.)
reptile safe silicone
Click to expand...

@Klyde O'Scope, my apologies - I completely missed your comment. I am only using 100% Clear Silicone 1 in his new enclosure. The aquarium silicone was on back order online (!!) and local shops were sold out, so I got the GE and Loctite products without the moldicide or anti-mildew additives. (If this sounds wrong, let me know and I'll correct it. Anything for my little dude.) It's been "curing" for 3 weeks and the vinegar smell was gone within a few days.

As a random aside, thank you all for being on this forum. Already the amount of knowledge and assistance I've found just lurking on the forum has helped my little guy more than you know.


EDIT: Adding pics and links

1. Loctite Clear Silicone (says "Aquarium Safe" in the fine print)
https://www.lowes.com/pd/LOCTITE-3-...VnB-tBh3gFQS0EAQYFSABEgIBLPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
1591200877314.png



2. GE 100% Clear Silicone 1 (not for use in aquariums but "compliant for incidental food contact")
https://www.gesealants.com/Products/All-Purpose-Silicone-1-Sealant?category=Caulks+&+Sealants&isProductDetail=true
1591200849933.png
1591200860703.png
 
Last edited:
mujino said:
@Klyde O'Scope, my apologies - I completely missed your comment. I am only using 100% Clear Silicone 1 in his new enclosure. The aquarium silicone was on back order online (!!) and local shops were sold out, so I got the GE and Loctite products without the moldicide or anti-mildew additives. (If this sounds wrong, let me know and I'll correct it. Anything for my little dude.) It's been "curing" for 3 weeks and the vinegar smell was gone within a few days.

As a random aside, thank you all for being on this forum. Already the amount of knowledge and assistance I've found just lurking on the forum has helped my little guy more than you know.


EDIT: Adding pics and links

1. Loctite Clear Silicone (says "Aquarium Safe" in the fine print)
https://www.lowes.com/pd/LOCTITE-3-...VnB-tBh3gFQS0EAQYFSABEgIBLPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
View attachment 268417


2. GE 100% Clear Silicone 1 (not for use in aquariums but "compliant for incidental food contact")
https://www.gesealants.com/Products/All-Purpose-Silicone-1-Sealant?category=Caulks+&+Sealants&isProductDetail=true
View attachment 268415View attachment 268416
Click to expand...
Yep looks good. Sometimes chewing on branches isn't unheard of, I just thought it was strange he was going after the silicone. But it seems things are good now, just keep a watch on him and make sure he doesn't try to find other beads in the enclosure.
 
Grayson Payne said:
I don't know if you're talking about the branch or the chameleon doing that but I have heard of some chameleons trying to take a chunk out of their branches.
Click to expand...
yes! my cham tried eating the fake moss off of these branches i had gotten her, unfortunately had to take them out & strip the moss off of them since i wasnt sure how that was going to go. they claim its “real preserved moss” but it feels very plastic like & its tied on with a string??‍♀️
 
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