panther chews and bites rocks

[gogochameleon]

My 5 monthish panther is chewing on sticks and biting the stones blocking my soil...his apetite did decrease a little this last week to 6-10 large/med crickets and couple mealworms a day to 2-3 crix and couple worms a day. He just shed so that might explain the apetite. Why is he chewing on stuff?? I feed him every day as much as he will eat in approx 10 min and a snack maybe later. My montium doesnt do this

 

[djfishygillz]

dehydrated chameleons will chew on leafs... try upping the misting and drip systems. Also chameleons can drink through their eye balls so try lightly spraying some water into their eyes. When they bulge their eyes in and out that means they are drinking up the water.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Also chameleons can drink through their eye balls so try lightly spraying some water into their eyes. When they bulge their eyes in and out that means they are drinking up the water.

Uhhh...what?

 

[Stanly]

my panther also does this, he started at about 4 months. I think he's really trying to get to the soil.

I posted asking the same thing (and have also done a number of searches since) there really doesn't seem to be a firm conclusion, some supsect that they maybe looking for some vitamin or mineral that is lacking in there diet and at lest one member (who is also a farly lage breeder) screens (so there is no sticks or large bits) his dirt and allows his cham to take a snack at will.

I still have mine covered with rocks myself, I've started alternating using reptivite and herptivite (for vitamins) and alternating repti-calcium and Miner-ALL O for calcium (hoping to provide a better balance of vitamins and minerals), he doesn't do it all the time but I still see him bite at a rock now and then (and it has nothing to do with hunger or lack of food as I'm still feeding him as much as he wants daily)

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Mine bit shiny rocks because he thought they were wet and was thirsty. Once I replaced them with dull rocks and moved his dripper he stopped doing it. Some of them just do it for a while and grow out of it. It's important that all the rocks are too big for him to accidentally swallow. If it really bothers you then you can take the rocks out and put screen over the soil instead. People have posted about losing their chams to dirt impactions.

I don't believe there is any evidence that a chameleon can drink through its eyes btw (someone please correct me if I'm wrong). The movement of the turret that happens when they get wet is their way of cleansing their eyes - like you using eye drops. Not drinking...

 

[carol5208]

dehydrated chameleons will chew on leafs... try upping the misting and drip systems. Also chameleons can drink through their eye balls so try lightly spraying some water into their eyes. When they bulge their eyes in and out that means they are drinking up the water.

wow, would like to know where you got that info from? Drinking through their eyes? Really?

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

wow, would like to know where you got that info from? Drinking through their eyes? Really?

Right?! I read that and thought 'wow, I really missed something if that's true'. Chams are unique enough as it is.

 

[ShortStack]

When they bulge their eyes in and out that means they are drinking up the water.

Thats blinking...