Panther trying to eat rocks

[Jon S]

My 3.5 month old male ambilobe climbed down his ficus tree this morning and started biting the quarter/half dollar sized smooth black shiny rocks that I have covering the tree's potting soil. What the hell is he doing? He looked like he was really a rockbiter and hadn't eaten in years. what was he doing.. has anyone had this behavior happen to them before? I think it was weird and suspicious.

 

[jannb]

Make sure that all rocks are large enought that he can't eat them. One of my daughter's chameleons did eat a rock from her plant and it killed her. You might want to use screen or plastic to cover the soil if he keeps doing this. Jann

 

[Jon S]

the rocks are much to big for him to eat, i just thought it was weird behavior. screen sounds like a good idea too

 

[Carlton]

Much as we love them, chams are not the sharpest knives in the drawer. They are attracted to shiny surfaces, possibly thinking they are water drops or a glossy shelled insect. I had a veiled who would roam around on the carpet shooting his tongue at shiny grains of sand or mica tracked in from outdoors. Just use a top dressing of larger rocks on the pot soil or lay a piece of window screen over it.

 

[Syn]

possibly thinking they are water drops or a glossy shelled insect.

I've always thought the same thing.

 

[Malicious]

I don't cover my plants soil whatsoever. Its clean organic soil mixed 50/50 with play sand. My male panther will eat a bit here and there, but is has never been a problem.


Using rocks over clean soil is a matter of preference really, Some do it, some don't.

If you do choose to cover the soil I would recommend using screen instead of rocks. I have found that rocks do not allow the soil to dry out very well, and that leads to fungus gnats, and eventually mold. Now some of you may disagree, but that is my personal experience.


-Jay