substrate may be good?

[meatslim]

right now, i have a 5 month old male set up in a temporary container until he is old enough to go into the large cage. Hes got paper towel for substrate and the plant's soil is covered in river rocks because he was eating hte soil from day one. He still tries to go near the bottom of hte plant once in a while. Today I saw the paper towel at hte bottom of his cage was all torn up and after straightening it back out, I realized he had eaten a good 3-4 square inches of it. I'm worried now and will keep an eye on his stools and eating habits. We all know chams will occasionally eat substrate and I surely would rather have him take a few mouthfuls of some safe soil than paper towels. what do you guys think

 

[lbesok]

I think nothing is best!

 

[Vibrant Chameleons]

I don't use substrate at all, but I do use a 100% organic soil to pot all of my plants. If the chameleon feels like eating a little dirt, it won't be harmful to him. Some people believe they do this because they are lacking minerals in their diet. I'm one of those believers, so I leave the soil uncovered in case they feel the need to eat some.

 

[meatslim]

yea, i wasnt actually planning to use substrate just because it would be a hassle to clean, but i may uncover the dirt at hte base of hte plant so it would not chew up the paper towel.