Soil? Or not to soil?

[Ashimarie]

I have tried reading about soil in enclosures for Chameleons and I have read quite a mix of things and still not too sure if it's alright or not.

I have a 3 month old Veiled Cham and have just switched her from her small cage to her permanent enclosure. She has be in her new enclosure for about 2 weeks and is still getting used to it, but does venture around. Crickets hide up in the corners and she hasn't tried to venture to the top vines to try and get them, but that's a different issues.

There is a single pack of Zoo Meds Eco Earth that I use. I'm worried about it now because in her last small cage, there was no substrate and now in her big enclosure, with her not being too motivated to go get the crickets, she has started to nibble on the dirt. I've read that it's alright for them to nibble of rocks and dirt and branches and it is just what they do. But I've also read that it's not helpful at all for the substrate. Since she hasn't been eating nearly as many crickets as she had been, Wax worms, Supers & Calci worms make up her staple diet, but I'm just worried she's looking for nutrients that she isn't getting in the dirt.

Anyways, this is my first chameleon and first post. help? Thanks!!

 

[JaxyGirl]

I have tried reading about soil in enclosures for Chameleons and I have read quite a mix of things and still not too sure if it's alright or not.

I have a 3 month old Veiled Cham and have just switched her from her small cage to her permanent enclosure. She has be in her new enclosure for about 2 weeks and is still getting used to it, but does venture around. Crickets hide up in the corners and she hasn't tried to venture to the top vines to try and get them, but that's a different issues.

There is a single pack of Zoo Meds Eco Earth that I use. I'm worried about it now because in her last small cage, there was no substrate and now in her big enclosure, with her not being too motivated to go get the crickets, she has started to nibble on the dirt. I've read that it's alright for them to nibble of rocks and dirt and branches and it is just what they do. But I've also read that it's not helpful at all for the substrate. Since she hasn't been eating nearly as many crickets as she had been, Wax worms, Supers & Calci worms make up her staple diet, but I'm just worried she's looking for nutrients that she isn't getting in the dirt.

Anyways, this is my first chameleon and first post. help? Thanks!!

Hi there, I would definitely remove any substrate from her enclosure. Eating it is definitely not a good thing for your chamelion as it could cause a blockage in her intestines. Most people will just leave the floor bare or put paper towels down for easy cleaning.

 

[JaxyGirl]

Also ther could be other reasons why she's not eating because of lighting and temperature etc.
Please Fill out this form for us so we have an idea what your setup is like and we can diagnose any problems.
Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information, you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.


Pictures are helpful

 

[nick barta]

Soil will be a problem for cleaning, and with misting can become a wet mess of bacteria and mold.

Your chameleon looks healthy, welcome to the forum!

CHEERS!

Nick

 

[Ashimarie]

Julie Jules

She's a Female Veiled Cham and is 3 months old. I've had her since she was 3 weeks old.

She's handled once or twice a day or every other day. I still don't know too much about how often to handle her.

Up until changing her enclosure, she would eat anywhere from 10-15 small crickets in the morning (dusted with Repashy Calcium) and between 1-3 super worms in the afternoon. After changing to her big enclosure, she eats maybe about 5-10 crickets throughout the day, 4-7 wax worms and about 3 calci worms in the morning. (I've been worried about her not eating the crickets. Climb to a part of the enclosure that she hasn't gotten comfortable with yet.) All of which are gutloaded with Flukers Orange Cubes and Cricket Quencher.

I mist her enclosure 2-3 times a day for about 2-3 minutes.

She's never been tested for parasites. Her doo has had the same consistency since I've had her. Leading with the white and following with the long dark doo.

Her cage is a screened enclosure. I believe it's 46 x 48? (I'll post the pic)
The lights are Zoo Med's Tropical UVA & UVB bulbs. Both being on from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Although I will open the window that sits behind her cage and she likes to bask there in the sun for about an hour after her breakfast. Then go back out for some exploring.) The temp ranges from 75-90 within the cage.

No live plants. Not yet atleast. Was hoping to get atleast 1 set of live vines in there.

My biggest concerns are that she is getting the nutrients she needs. In her smaller enclosure, the crickets were well fed, dusted and within close range to her. With her being in the bigger enclosure now, the crickets practically live in there with the dust on them more than likely not sticking with them by the time she eats them. This is why I introduced wax worms to her diet. That, and because the supers are a bunch of A holes. Nibbling dirt and licking rocks is what she's been doing now. Not too much. Just every few days.

 

[Carlton]

The problems with letting your feeders free range are:

a) they hide before the cham gets them
b) they can groom or rub off their dusts
c) they start eating grungy cage floor stuff you probably don't want your cham eating
d) crix especially can annoy or chew on your cham at night when its not aware.

Some people prefer free ranging their feeders to give the cham a chance to hunt more naturally. I do a sort of compromise...I confine my feeders to a large plastic storage box hung or wedged in the cage branches with a bit of gutload and dust in with them and arrange perches so my chams can climb down to the rim of the box to hunt. They can keep getting dust on themselves during the day and keep eating. I remove uneaten feeders at night so they can recharge on gutloads in their own bins again.

BTW, those Fluker gutload and cricket quencher cubes are not that great. There are much better options available from forum sponsors.