Impaction??

[PabloTheCham]

My cham was on his freerange, and he decided to eat dirt. I heard in the wild they eat dirt also, but the problem is that he ate one of the white things in the dirt. He opened his mouth and I could see the white stone thing in there. I think he swallowed it by now. Is the white thing going to go through, or will he be impacted? What are the signs of impaction, and how is it treated?
Edit: I looked up the signs of impaction, and it said refusal of food. Come to think of it, he may have already eaten dirt before, and this may be why he hasn't eaten in the past 2 days, which is unusual for him. it may be that he is eating less since he is 6-7 months old, but I still thought it was worth mentioning.

 

[kinyonga]

First of all cover the dirt with stones that are definitely too big for him to swallow since your dirt has those "white things" in it.

Now, how big was the white thing? The size of a rice grain or a green pea or what? How can we know if it's too big to pass through him if we don't know the size. Also, we need to see how big your chameleon is so we can decide if it might go through or not.

 

[PabloTheCham]

First of all cover the dirt with stones that are definitely too big for him to swallow since your dirt has those "white things" in it.

Now, how big was the white thing? The size of a rice grain or a green pea or what? How can we know if it's too big to pass through him if we don't know the size. Also, we need to see how big your chameleon is so we can decide if it might go through or not.

the white thing is pea sized, and the cham is 6-7 months old, haven't measured him.

 

[jamest0o0]

The white thing is perlite and should pass just fine, I wouldn't worry too much. Cover the soil as mentioned and keep an eye out. Impaction is not a normal thing contrary to how some make it out to be. A healthy cham should be fine. Good hydration is important for digestion.

 

[PabloTheCham]

I just measured him, he is 6 inches from tip of nose to base of tail.

 

[jamest0o0]

Some hornworms and silkworms should help make sure it all goes through

 

[PabloTheCham]

The white thing is perlite and should pass just fine, I wouldn't worry too much. Cover the soil as mentioned and keep an eye out. Impaction is not a normal thing contrary to how some make it out to be. A healthy cham should be fine. Good hydration is important for digestion.

Ok! He is hydrated so I guess he is good.

 

[PabloTheCham]

Some hornworms and silkworms should help make sure it all goes through

I have neither atm, but he is hydrated. And like I said, he is not eating.

 

[jamest0o0]

If he hasn't eaten at all, it may be because he has a stomach full of dirt. When was the last time he ate? And what did he eat for that feeding?

Edit I see you said, hasn't eaten in 2 days

 

[PabloTheCham]

If he hasn't eaten at all, it may be because he has a stomach full of dirt. When was the last time he ate?

The whole problem is, there is no way to tell. I cup feed, and sometime I notice 2 crix are gone, but the next day, I see a cricket at the bottom of the cage. The thing is I THINK he ate, but maybe the cirx just escaped. Today, for example, a cricket is missing. Don't know if he ate it, or if it escaped. Last thing I know for SURE he ate was 2 superworms 2 days ago. They were gone, and i don't think the worms are able to escape, so that was he last thing for sure.

 

[jamest0o0]

The whole problem is, there is no way to tell. I cup feed, and sometime I notice 2 crix are gone, but the next day, I see a cricket at the bottom of the cage. The thing is I THINK he ate, but maybe the cirx just escaped. Today, for example, a cricket is missing. Don't know if he ate it, or if it escaped. Last thing I know for SURE he ate was 2 superworms 2 days ago. They were gone, and i don't think the worms are able to escape, so that was he last thing for sure.

Chances are that he's hunger striking for superworms. Very common

 

[PabloTheCham]

Chances are that he's hunger striking for superworms. Very common

are chams really that smart? how is this hunger strike solved? Should I just wait him out?

 

[CasqueAbove]

The whole problem is, there is no way to tell. I cup feed, and sometime I notice 2 crix are gone, but the next day, I see a cricket at the bottom of the cage. The thing is I THINK he ate, but maybe the cirx just escaped. Today, for example, a cricket is missing. Don't know if he ate it, or if it escaped. Last thing I know for SURE he ate was 2 superworms 2 days ago. They were gone, and i don't think the worms are able to escape, so that was he last thing for sure.

I use a small mason jar. get them anywhere. The lip at the top makes it very hard for crickets to escape.

 

[kinyonga]

If he's pooping then he's eating....check for poop.

 

[jamest0o0]

are chams really that smart? how is this hunger strike solved? Should I just wait him out?

It's mainly that chams can go without food for much longer than we feel comfortable with. So if they taste something they really like, they may just ignore all other food until they get that again, or when they are finally hungry(which could be a couple weeks). It's like the saying, 'there's always room for dessert'. Superworms are also fatty, which isn't bad, but fat has more calories per gram than protein or carbs, so a little bit goes a long way. When a cham has a few, that may be enough to sustain him for a while.

 

[PabloTheCham]

If he's pooping then he's eating....check for poop.

last poop was tiny

 

[kinyonga]

Then the chameleon isn't eating much.

 

[PabloTheCham]

It's mainly that chams can go without food for much longer than we feel comfortable with. So if they taste something they really like, they may just ignore all other food until they get that again, or when they are finally hungry(which could be a couple weeks). It's like the saying, 'there's always room for dessert'. Superworms are also fatty, which isn't bad, but fat has more calories per gram than protein or carbs, so a little bit goes a long way. When a cham has a few, that may be enough to sustain him for a while.

so should I just wait him out and not give in with the supers?

 

[CasqueAbove]

so should I just wait him out and not give in with the supers?

If he is healthy he can go a couple of weeks before it starts to be an issue.
Just a time reference. Not a care tip

 

[PabloTheCham]

If he is healthy he can go a couple of weeks before it starts to be an issue.
Just a time reference. Not a care tip

UPDATE: all of the crix are gone, and he ate 2 bsfl. I think he's fine.