Plants

[Freedom1]

I am hoping to buy some live plants for my chameleons cage. The last time that I had a live plant in there I put rocks over the top so she wouldn’t eat the soil but she still found away around them! I caught her eating dirt on multiple occasions so I took the plant out. I really want live plants in the cage so are there any ideas on how to keep her from eating the dirt other than putting rocks over the top? I give her multivitamin twice a month along with D3- I rotate them. Every other feeding is without d3. I just don’t know why she feels the need to eat dirt!!! Also, do you know what plants are safe for chameleons and easy to keep alive?

 

[kinyonga]

Is it a veiled chameleon?

Sounds like you need to answer the questions in this thread...
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

 

[Freedom1]

Is it a veiled chameleon?

Sounds like you need to answer the questions in this thread...
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/

My chameleon: I have a one year, 3 month old female veiled chameleon. She's been in my care for a year.
Handling: I handle her at least twice a week.
Feeding: I feed her 5-6 feeders every other day in the a.m. The feeders consist of crickets and Dubia roaches with the occasional hornedworm. I gut load them using sweet potatoes, blackberries, oranges, and apples.
Supplements: I use Flukers Repta Calcium with d3 twice a month, alternating with Zoo Meds Reptivite multivitamin( also used twice a month) Every other feeding I use Zoo Meds Repti Calcium without d3.
Watering: I mist her cage for 2-3 minutes everyday. Once in the morning and once before bed. I also have a clean homemade dropper made out of a plastic container with a small hole in the corner which drips onto leaves.
Fecal Description: Her poop has been dark rich in color and her pee is 50% white and 50% yellow.
History- I ignorantly got her from Petsmart but she seems to be doing fine even though I know that Petsmart workers usually don't know much about chameleons. The worker told me that she was a guy when I got her!
Cage type- It's a screen cage sitting on top of a small but sturdy table. It's dimensions are 16"by 16"by 30".
Lighting- I have a T5ho fixture with a Reptisun 5.0 uvb linear light. Her heat lamp is a 60watt blue daylight bulb. She is at least 6" away from the uvb which is sitting on top of her cage while the heat lamp is lifted up by a lamp stand so it doesn't burn her.
Temperature- Her basking spot is always around 80-85F. The bottom of her cage gets to about 70-75F. At night it can drop as low as 50-60F. I measure these using a Temperature gun.
Humidity- During the day her humidity stays between 40%-60%. At night I raise it to 70-76%. I use a Hydrometer.
Plants- I currently have all plastic plants which she has never tried to eat. I am looking for some live plants.
Placement- I moved her away from her previous spot close to a vent. She is now in a room which has a fan, but I never use it.
Location- I live in Northern Virginia.
Current Problem- I want to get some live plants but the last time I had some she was eating the dirt so I had to take them out. I did put rocks over the dirt but she still somehow found her way around them. I don't know why she feels the need to eat dirt! I am hoping that someone may have some ideas of certain plants that I can get and how to keep her out of the dirt.

 

[Freedom1]

I just bought a Golden Pothos plant from Lowes. That's safe for chameleons right? I am 99% sure that they are but just checking.

 

[Mansfield]

If you have the patience to deal with something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Flower-Repel...&qid=1582401091&sprefix=plant+pot+grid&sr=8-7
They work well depending on what type of plant you are using and if you are keeping them in pots. There are a few variations that range in price.

 

[Freedom1]

If you have the patience to deal with something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Flower-Repel...&qid=1582401091&sprefix=plant+pot+grid&sr=8-7
They work well depending on what type of plant you are using and if you are keeping them in pots. There are a few variations that range in price.

I will look into purchasing one. But for the time being I just put A LOT of flat rocks over the top and put the Golden Pothos in the cage. She immediately ate one of the leaves. She has never tried to eat any of my plastic plants. Do you think that she knows the difference between what she can eat in her cage by now? Or since the real plant is in the cage and she could get confused from what's real or not, should I just remove all plastic plants?

 

[The Wild One]

I just bought a Golden Pothos plant from Lowes. That's safe for chameleons right? I am 99% sure that they are but just checking.

Yes they are safe and frankly one of the most popular,

 

[kinyonga]

Supplements...I have for years dusted lightly with RepCal phos free calcium at almost every feeding. Calcium dusting helps make up for the poor ratio of calcium to phos found in most of our feeder insects. I dust lightly twice a month with RepCal phos free calcium/D3 powder to ensure the chameleon gets some D3 without overdosing it and leaving the chameleon to produce the rest from its exposure to the UVB light were providing for it. D3 from supplements can build up in the system....I hope what you've been giving it already wasn't too much. I dust twice a month lightly with Herptivite which has a beta carotene prOformed source of vitamin A...if the chameleon needs some prEformed vitamin A it can be given separately. PrEformed vitamin A will build up though so be careful of it.

You could add dandelion greens, mustard greens, kale, collards, squash, sweet red pepper, sweet potato, etc to your feed/gutloading for the insects and a wider variety of insects would be good too.

Plants...it's always a worry with veileds in particular with fake plants. I would recommend using real ones that have been well washed, both sides of the leaves. Veiled females will strip a pothos plant bare of leaves. As for eating the soil...some soils will cause impaction and others won't...but with new plants I would worry about fertilizer too. You just have to find a way that they can't get to the soil.

Basking bulb...I would use a regular incandescent household bulb of a wattage that produces the same temperature range you have now.

Has she got an egglaying bin in her cage? Has she ever laid eggs?
(They don't need a mate to produce eggs.)

Can you post a photo of her too please?