Substrate Question...

[honeybee1985]

Hi,

At the minute my cham's enclosure has a wood chip substrate on the floor. I've only had him since xmas. Since joining this forum I've seen that most people think that no substrate at all is best.

Just now however, I came accross a fleeting reference in a post to wood chips causing health problems to a chameleon. Is this true? Why does it cause problems? Should i remove the wood chips at once and stick to paper towels? I've not yet seen my cham on the floor of his enclosure, does that make any difference?

Any help will be much appreciated.
Thanks, Amy

 

[Julirs]

Yes-please remove the wood chips. Chameleons will zap at insect or just out of curiosity eat the substrate and it can cause fatal impaction. No substrate is best. Also when watering/misting as much as you will need to, the wood chips will turn into a moldy mess.

 

[honeybee1985]

Ok I will do. Thanks for your help - this site is amazing. I still have a lot to learn about my little fella!

 

[chameleon97]

wood chips is by far the worst substrate. a rubber mat is what i use

 

[Robert Johnson]

I highly recommend a finely milled cypress mulch with a sprinkle of Sphagnum moss on top

 

[MutantHybrid]

"At the minute my cham's enclosure has a wood chip substrate on the floor. I've only had him since xmas. Since joining this forum I've seen that most people think that no substrate at all is best.

Just now however, I came accross a fleeting reference in a post to wood chips causing health problems to a chameleon. Is this true? Why does it cause problems? Should i remove the wood chips at once and stick to paper towels? I've not yet seen my cham on the floor of his enclosure, does that make any difference?"

I'm with the rest on this issue.

Chameleons can and will accidentally or even intentionally ingest any stray bit of matter in their enclosure. Sometimes they seem to actually want to try different things just to see if it any good to eat, like human babies do sometimes. Most of the time that indigestable matter is passed, but on occasion it can lead to digestive problems, intestinal blockages, and even punctures if the foreign objects are sharp. Best bet is to leave any bite sized object you do not want the chameleon eating out of the enclosure. Mine tries to bite of bits of wood from her sticks and twigs and did ingest several wood chips when I had the same problem as you with the wood chip flooring (I placed some for about 2 days until I saw her swallowing large wood chips).

Best bet is to use the paper towels, reptile carpet (you would have to take it out and replace or clean it often), or bare plastic liner as flooring. Basically, anything that cannot be eaten, can be kept clean or removed easily, and provides little haven for bacteria and mold is best.

Note, if you have a potted plant in the enclosure make sure that the soil is not chemically altered with fertilizers and that it does not have large chunks of perlite and such. Chameleons will go to soil level and try some of the dirt just for the heck of it. If you have a female Veiled, you will need to supply some soil or moss for her to dig in when egg laying time comes up anyways, so this is a no win situation as she will likely eat some anyways. Chameleons are going to get ahold of and ingest whatever they can fit in their greedy mouths, so make sure that whatever is in the cage can't harm them.