Sphagnum Moss Question

Camsmom

New Member
We recently bought a vine covered in green sphagnum moss for our Chameleons cage in hopes to give him something else to climb on and to help add moisture to his cage. While at the pet store the guy helping me showed me a bag of sphagnum moss and told me I could put it on the bottom of the cage and keep it damp as well as putting it in the pots I have his plants in to keep him from eating the dirt. However we have noticed him trying to eat the moss. We will get it out of his mouth before he manages to swallow it. According to the bags the moss came in its safe for several different types of lizards including chameleons but I wanted ya'lls opinion on whether we should leave the vine and the moss I have around the plants in there (if its safe to eat) or if we should go ahead and remove it. He is acting fine and going to the bathroom, I just worry about him not being able to pass the moss if he does eat it. Thanks in advance for any input! Love Camo's mom
 
We recently bought a vine covered in green sphagnum moss for our Chameleons cage in hopes to give him something else to climb on and to help add moisture to his cage. While at the pet store the guy helping me showed me a bag of sphagnum moss and told me I could put it on the bottom of the cage and keep it damp as well as putting it in the pots I have his plants in to keep him from eating the dirt. However we have noticed him trying to eat the moss. We will get it out of his mouth before he manages to swallow it. According to the bags the moss came in its safe for several different types of lizards including chameleons but I wanted ya'lls opinion on whether we should leave the vine and the moss I have around the plants in there (if its safe to eat) or if we should go ahead and remove it. He is acting fine and going to the bathroom, I just worry about him not being able to pass the moss if he does eat it. Thanks in advance for any input! Love Camo's mom
I’m not sure if it would pass if he ate it, but personally I wouldn’t risk it.
About the pet store guy telling you to put moist moss on the enclosure floor...I haven’t heard about that but it doesn’t sound like a good idea. Bare floor is best unless you are bioactive.
To maintain humidity, you could cover 2-3 sides of the enclosure with a shower curtain or similar and add more plants. What are your current humidity levels and what type of chameleon do you have?
 
I’m not sure if it would pass if he ate it, but personally I wouldn’t risk it.
About the pet store guy telling you to put moist moss on the enclosure floor...I haven’t heard about that but it doesn’t sound like a good idea. Bare floor is best unless you are bioactive.
To maintain humidity, you could cover 2-3 sides of the enclosure with a shower curtain or similar and add more plants. What are your current humidity levels and what type of chameleon do you have?

We have two sides covered half way with press n seal wrap and use a fogger on a timer. We have several plant in there and he doesn't bother the moss I have on them, maybe because he can't see it, and it stays around 50%. Well its higher when the fogger is on. We mist him two to three times a day as well. We didn't want the moss on the floor because it was messy and way to hard to clean up.
 
We have two sides covered half way with press n seal wrap and use a fogger on a timer. We have several plant in there and he doesn't bother the moss I have on them, maybe because he can't see it, and it stays around 50%. Well its higher when the fogger is on. We mist him two to three times a day as well. We didn't want the moss on the floor because it was messy and way to hard to clean up.
Looking back at earlier posts, I see you have a veiled. Your humidity is fine at 50%. During the daytime you don’t want it to get any higher than that. At night it can increase as it does in their natural habitat. Not really sure about foggers during the day. My limited knowledge says foggers are for night use only. Too much humidity during the day when the temps are higher causes bacterial growth and can lead to upper respiratory infection. If I’m wrong, I hope someone will correct me. :)
 
Cant say i approve "any" media for chams as i have never had a planted cage. But "peat moss " (tomato tomaaato) is on the "comes out the other end just fine" list for tegu, beardy, and leopard/fat tailed geckos.

It also sucks up ALOT of water and is resistant to mildew/mold.
 
I'm not a fan of moss wrapped branches mostly because in nature few if any chameleons walk around on soggy branches day in and day out. This can lead to foot infections.
As to the eating of it small pieces will pass but if they get too much at one time you could have a problem. I have suspicions about a couple of panthers that passed after eating moss but a necropsy wasn't done so I have no proof.
 
I put a moss covered vine in my cage for the same reasons. In the month I've had the chameleon, I've never seen my cham choose to walk on it. The only time it does is to step over it to get to the other non-moss vines. Based on the set up of my enclosure, this is not random chance, it is active avoidance. It also sheds moss on a daily basis, and thus must be constantly cleaned up from the bottom of the cage to avoid any standing water (it blocks the drainage holes).

So while it looks really cool, next time I do a cage clean and need to take the cham out anyways, I will be removing it.
 
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