Is fine coconut substrate ok?

[Eggimations]

So I'm the soon to be proud owner of my first turquoise sunburst veiled. I'm currently building my cage into a shelf, and am unsure whether or not to use coconut substrate. I've heard that if it's not large, they can digest any bits they accidentally eat without trouble Personally, I'd rather use it than paper towel because it would look better, but if it could kill my cham, there's no other option. So how many of you think that having fine coconut substrate might kill my cham?

 

[scout83]

If you plan to cup feed it should be fine but if your not you can always do tiles or look into other ideas

 

[Balizar]

Lowes has different size plexglass and the can cut it for you. That also have a valspar spray paint in white if you dont like clear. I have used it for a whiles with dripper and paint and plexi are fine.

 

[Eggimations]

Thanks, I'm going to cup and hand feed him. Also, what do you mean about the plexglass? What would it look like?

 

[ridgebax1]

No substrate! Even when the cage has potted plants the dirt should be covered to prevent ingestion. I would not use paper towels either. If you are not going to have live plants in the cage, you should have some type of drainage (even if you are going to have plants you need drainage). Most people just have a plain floor with plant pots sitting on the floor. It is much easier to keep clean and dry.

 

[Eggimations]

Ok, thanks for the info. Just to make sure though, the substrate is quite small and digestible. Is it still going to be a problem then? If not then do you know something else that would look nice as a floor?

 

[ridgebax1]

Well I have a planted bottom and have the dirt covered with river rock. I am actually going to remove all the rocks and cover the dirt with landscape cloth and put the rocks back for a couple reasons. Look at the top of page. There is a section with pics.

 

[Eggimations]

Sorry, can't seem to find it. I'm new to these forums

 

[Eggimations]

Also, do you know anyone who's ever had a cham get seriously hurt from substrate? From what I've seen it's a thing that most people avoid, even though there may not be much proof against it. I mean chameleons do live in the wild and they can't always choose where they eat their food. I can see large pieces of bark getting stuck in their throat, but a more fine powderlike digestible coconut substrate should be fine. Then again, I haven't had experience but I've seen pet shop owners keep chameleons with substrate and they say it's fine.

 

[Eggimations]

Also, would ceramic tile of some sort work? I went all out and bought coverings for the two walls that aren't screen and having paper cover the floor would kinda ruin the look I'm going for.

 

[CarlC]

Also, do you know anyone who's ever had a cham get seriously hurt from substrate? From what I've seen it's a thing that most people avoid, even though there may not be much proof against it. I mean chameleons do live in the wild and they can't always choose where they eat their food. I can see large pieces of bark getting stuck in their throat, but a more fine powderlike digestible coconut substrate should be fine. Then again, I haven't had experience but I've seen pet shop owners keep chameleons with substrate and they say it's fine.

Why would you want to take the chance on your chameleon becoming impacted? The wild is one thing and captivity is another.

You can also see half dead poorly kept chameleons in pet stores and they say the chameleons are healthy and just fine.

Using tile like you state in your next post would work and could probably be made to be very pleasing to the eye.

Carl

 

[ridgebax1]

Tile would work well. I agree with Carl. There is a big difference between the wild and a cage. Chameleons are arboreal creatures therefore they rarely descend from the tree tops to eat. If you read the history of captive chameleon care you will see that until fairly recently, chameleons were thought of as delicate hard to keep creatures who did not live very long. Much of this was attributed to improper husbandry techniques and over the years the care we give them now came about through research and I am sure trial and error. I bet many a cham died from becoming impacted from eating substrate. In addition the life expectancy of a cham in the wild is much less than in captivity now.
The well being of your chameleon should be your primary concern over and above the esthetics of the enclosure. Ultimately it is up to you as to what you put on the floor of your cage.

 

[camimom]

Using tile is fine, Or you can use large river rocks if you plan to plant your cage.

If you keep live plants in the cage, we also recommend large rocks be placed over the dirt.

Veileds are notorious for eating vegitation, so should they ingest any of the substrate it could lead to impaction.

Even if you have the finest ground substrate, it can still cause issues.

Also, bugs tend to hide in the dirt, so do you want random bugs hiding, or your cham eating the bug and a huge mouthful of dirt?

Why risk it?

Better to have a slightly barren looking floor that doesn't quite please your eye, than a dead chameleon.

 

[camimom]

Also, do you know anyone who's ever had a cham get seriously hurt from substrate? From what I've seen it's a thing that most people avoid, even though there may not be much proof against it. I mean chameleons do live in the wild and they can't always choose where they eat their food. I can see large pieces of bark getting stuck in their throat, but a more fine powderlike digestible coconut substrate should be fine. Then again, I haven't had experience but I've seen pet shop owners keep chameleons with substrate and they say it's fine.

also, just because a pet shop owner does it, doesnt mean its correct.


we have had many new owners say the pet shop owner said:
you only need this red light bulb.
give calcium with d3 everyday.
canned, dead bugs are fine to feed them.
keep your baby cham in a fish tank until its older.
they dont take up alot of space.
keep a bulb on at night so they dont get cold.
their tails grow back if they fall off (Yes i saw someone who said a shop said that)
they need a waterfall or a bowl of water to drink at all times.
they are hard to care for and die easily (only when taken care of improperly)
pet shops forget to warn owners that girls lay eggs even when not bred.

These are just some of the lies and stupid responses pet shops give on how to care for cham correctly.

Do you really want to trust a pet shop person who either A- has no training or knowledge about chams or B-is just trying to make a sale of a highly priced item.