Substrate????

[PhDoc]

I have been recently given a beautiful Mt. Kenya Chameleon from my husband and we love him.
As I was searching around I noticed that some people use substrate and some don't....I was wondering what you guys thought about it? I currently do not have substrate in the cage (I just have paper towels at the bottom). I have pothos plants in pots inside as well, and all i keep hearing in my head is my husband saying. 'you better put some substrate or he is going to fall and hurt himself"
Should I put substrate? If so, what kind of substrate? If not, the paper towels with the basic pots around is fine?
Thank you all so much for your help?

 

[reptileman]

I personally would keep it the way it is, substrate just poses the threat of impaction and has no benefit for chameleons because they dont want to be on the ground of the cage anyway, also paper towel is much easier to clean

 

[buzz]

some people do but I wouldn't. most people actually don't because some chameleons will try and shoot for prey on the bottom and accidentally get the substrate and if a chameleon eats to much it can cause impaction. The chameleon will not fall if your chameleon is just falling and can't stay in the tree you might want to get him checked. Yea keep the substrate out. also make sure you washed the pathos leaves down VERY well to get pesticides off, and change the soil to an organic one with no fertilizer in it. Thats very bad if hey eat that.

 

[Ace]

papertowel is fine....its better for no substrate is used, and chams are tougher than we give credit for, they live in ther trees for a reason, and i heard some jacksons jump off from a few feet high with no problems, but as long as you feed, water, and supplemenet properly with proper setup, than you shoud have a healthy cham, that wont fall, they only fall if they are weak(sick), but there are rare occasions when they mite fall whem asleep at night (bad sleeping spot by a weak bending branch).......

substrate is not use because if a bug was on the floor with substrte , the cham mite ingest the substrate with the bug and mite cause impaction....

also if you put a good amount of leafy plants like pothos, the more foilage, the better for coverage and slow down the falling if he did potentially fall

hope this helps....

 

[Trace]

Does your chameleon fall a lot?

 

[PhDoc]

Thank you all so much! No substrate it is! He actually has never fallen in my care (and he looked pretty healthy when we got him). I was just worried that he might fall and hurt himself