Strange behavior (bitting stuff)

[jojackson]

LOL, ok Eliza, If I accept the term 'Omnivorous' will you accept that they are not obligate omnivors?

 

[ataraxia]

pssh: you are doing a great job. the fact of the matter is insects found where ever your chameleons range is eats a variety of plants and whatnot we can not provide in captivity. also keep in mind they get a different variety of insect that have a different nutritional break down also. they also have a variety of plants we do not have here in the states. we can only try our best. i am just suggesting that our lizards organs arent any different than ours in the aspect of failing or not performing in certain aspects. we can go to the doctor and "TELL" them whats wrong. we have to guess when a animal is acting strange.

 

[Elizadolots]

I'm with ya, Jo. They do not need veggies, but eating veggies doesn't necessarily indicate a problem. pssh, omnivorous means eats everything. Insects would, I think come under the heading of "meat".

 

[jojackson]

I wouldn't call insects 'meat' exactly, anymore than tofu, but protein, among other essentials yes certainly.
Lets hope the OP sorts things out and his/her lizard improves!

 

[ataraxia]

I'm with ya, Jo. They do not need veggies, but eating veggies doesn't necessarily indicate a problem. pssh, omnivorous means eats everything. Insects would, I think come under the heading of "meat".

i hope we understand im not talking about veggies. im talking about soil and bark consumption.

 

[pssh]

Well, they fall under the category of animal, so I guess they do fall under an omnivore diet.

And while we do not have access to the exact things to replicate a wild diet, there are many panthers who do not eat sand/soil that are given a less varied, less gutloaded, and overall less nutritional diet than mine. I figure there must be a reason for it, so I cover up as much as I can with river rocks, which he moves, and eats what he can/wants. I've never seen him eat more than one or two tongue-fulls a week.

 

[Elizadolots]

it could just be my imagination going wild here but i personally think they chew on plants and such from a lack of vitamins. try some green leaf lettuce. also what are you using for a multivitamin and how often are you using it?

I'm sorry, I interpreted this to mean it wasn't natural to eat plants, that it indicated a problem with the normal feeding. I guess I was wrong.

Jo, check this out.

 

[ataraxia]

correct. plants within the cage that have no nutrients what so ever. bark that has no nutritional value what so ever. soil has minerals but is not a good treat what so ever. pathos is not a good source of anything. hibiscus except for the flower is a plant worth nothing. umbrella schefflera plant not good for anything and is actually toxic. so unless he has a garden of veggies within his cage. i would think if the animal is chewing on "plants" (not what we consider veggies) hes needing one of two things. NUTRITION OR WATER.

thats why i offered a suggestion of a vegetable green leaf lettuce to suffice the lack of vitA possibility. if these plants leaves or bark have nutritional values to a chameleon please post some links.

i have poor sentence structure and probably the worst at typing exactly what im thinking. i do try my best to give good advice. i would never give someone bad advice intentionally. most of my advice is from personal ventures with my own animals and lots of reading.

 

[pssh]

Well, most fruits and veggies contain proformed sources of vit A, so any gutloading would be just the same. And if they use the repcal brand multivitamin, there is a beta carotene source of vit A.

 

[ataraxia]

Well, most fruits and veggies contain proformed sources of vit A, so any gutloading would be just the same. And if they use the repcal brand multivitamin, there is a beta carotene source of vit A.

yes you are correct but you are not thinking of any possibilities. so this guy may go by a keepers suggestion of once a month or twice a month use of repcal multi (who says this is what every single cham needs?) how well does he utilize this? does he personally watch every feeder get eaten or does he dust them and throw them in the cage. either way whos to say the cham got all the nutrients from these few feedings?

gutloading, yes this practice is very important but it does not guarantee your cham is getting all the nutrition it needs. each chameleon may have different needs than another chameleon. every chameleon is not created 100% tip top shape for the years it will live. organs may fail or not put out what they should or absorb what they should.

im no vet or expert. the words i type can be taken in or discarded. if i believe i can help a animal out i will try.

 

[pssh]

So what are you suggesting he do to solve this problem? If using greens, veggies, and fruits that have proformed sources of vit A isn't enough, how is using green leaf lettuce any better? It is still a leafy green after all. I am failing to see the logic?

 

[Stanly]

Well my gut loads are not as good as pssh's but not awful (need to mix in some more).

Wet: Greens (collard and turnip), carrots, papaya, orange, mango.
Dry: bee pollen, spirulina, ground nuts, weat, oats, sea kelp.

Feeders are some what lacking (just crickets), I've tried pill bugs and wax worms (I know not a good feeder, they were for treats but didn't work out, ie he didn't want any of it).
I will start adding more verity.

Calcium is repti calcium (with and with out d3), which doesn't seem to have vitamins at all, I do use herptivite one feeding every other week but maybe I'll look into changing brands. Also what do you all use and what's the recommend dosage for the prEformed vitamin A (I think that's what it's called) ?

Thanks all for the input, he's still doing it .
today it was rock that I have covering the soil, there big enough he can't eat them but I was worried he may hurt his teeth so I tried to get him away (unsuccessfully), he finally gave up and doesn't seem harmed.

 

[pssh]

Your gutloading sounds good. I would probably just add a few more high calcium greens and maybe a few veggies. You dont have to use all of the stuff at once, so two or three a week or so is fine.

Herptivite is the repcal brand right? If so, it is very recommended (by both me and others with more experience.) There is no "recommended" dosage of preformed vit A. It is still unknown if they can even turn proformed vit A into usable vit A, and they can overdose on preformed vit A. Some never give any preformed vit A, others give it as frequently as once every week. I prefer to be cautious and only give very small amounts a few times a year.

 

[ataraxia]

So what are you suggesting he do to solve this problem? If using greens, veggies, and fruits that have proformed sources of vit A isn't enough, how is using green leaf lettuce any better? It is still a leafy green after all. I am failing to see the logic?

this cham may need more proformed? he may need preformed? he may be in search of other nutrients? he may be dehydrated?IDK. im giving suggestions i dont know how to help you understand what im typing any better. tell me if you really think a chameleon eats bark, soil or even sand in the wild? unless some documented reasearch states otherwise.... im not riding the wagon that says this is acceptable.

 

[ataraxia]

stanly - this is what i would personally do.

1) i would draw 6ml bottled water and a small pinch of herptivite. mix it well and feed to the cham. i would do this once a week for 4 weeks and make sure he is drinking well. also offer a wide variety of insects and dont forget to gutload.

if number 1 doesnt solve.

2) change multivit's

 

[pssh]

I dunno, I'm more inclined to believe Jim (below) but I do not know your experience or if it is greater than his:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/eating-soil-4253/ (read both pages.)

 

[Stanly]

Your gutloading sounds good. I would probably just add a few more high calcium greens and maybe a few veggies. You dont have to use all of the stuff at once, so two or three a week or so is fine.

Herptivite is the repcal brand right? If so, it is very recommended (by both me and others with more experience.) There is no "recommended" dosage of preformed vit A. It is still unknown if they can even turn proformed vit A into usable vit A, and they can overdose on preformed vit A. Some never give any preformed vit A, others give it as frequently as once every week. I prefer to be cautious and only give very small amounts a few times a year.

Yeah I don't put in all those veggies in at once, I rotate week to week. I try to keep some of the dry mix in, 1 to 2 types of veggies, a piece of fruit and some water crystals.
I think the herptivite is repcal brand (have to check later). I know it has beta carotene and other vitamins.

 

[ataraxia]

i could be wrong but i have to follow my gut. captive animals have to make do with whats available imo. exploring the options given.