Vet help ?

[Thecarnage181]

Hey so my cham got a cage update and I had pebbles in my ivy and I saw him hit one and I’ve never seen him do this I immediately grabbed the plant and took it out I noticed a couple pebbles at the back and I’m wondering if he did eat the pea gravel if he can pass it because there aren’t any vets close to me as well as it’s a holiday weekend? He’s acting perfectly fine but I’m still super worried?here is a photo of him now

 

[Beman]

@JacksJill @kinyonga thoughts on this...

 

[jackthejellydragon]

females can pass eggs but males idont know how pig was the pebble. Have you seen him poo since he ate the rock. Please send a pick of a rock

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

females can pass eggs but males idont know how pig was the pebble. Have you seen him poo since he ate the rock. Please send a pick of a rock

If you mean chameleon eggs, they don't pass through the digestive system—completely separate from the reproductive system; they just happen to share the same exit orifice (cloaca).

I agree it depends on the size of the pebble; I've read here that it happens, but IDK how common or uncommon it is.

I think I'd look up a herp vet (form the sticky threads above in the shaded area) in advance—just in case—rather than having to find one later in a panic. YMMV.

 

[kinyonga]

Its going to depend on the size of the pebble....whether its small enough to pass through the opening between the stomach and intestine to begin with.

 

[Thecarnage181]

These are the ranges of these pebbles

 

[Thecarnage181]

He has eaten today and acts just normal he may not have eaten the pebbles he’s not eating out of my feeder but he’s eating them if they are running around so

 

[MissSkittles]

To be safe, remove all of those pebbles. If you need to cover your plant soil, use river rocks that are too big for him to eat.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

These are the ranges of these pebbles

They look (to me) big enough that he likely wouldn't swallow one, BICBW.
Other opinions?

It is possible for chameleons to vomit.

I agree w/ MissSkittles

 

[Thecarnage181]

I use thise but those where to big for this plant so I buy the pebbles in I have removed all of them

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

We just bought a 50 lb. bag of river pebbles for $6, and that was garden store price.
I've heard they're also reasonable at home improvement big boxes.

 

[jackthejellydragon]

Yeah those look pretty big. Just take them all out and replace the with big rocks. Or use mesh and put a few rocks over the mesh to weigh it down.

 

[jackthejellydragon]

Yeah those look pretty big. Just take them all out and replace the with big rocks. I use mesh and put a few rocks over the mesh to weigh it down, And cover the edges.

 

[JacksJill]

It is possible for chameleons to vomit.

Out of curiosity and a desire to learn have you actually seen that or is there an example somewhere?
The few times I've seen a chameleon actually vomit it was one of the last things they did if you get what I mean.
They frequently spit out things they don't want to eat safely.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Out of curiosity and a desire to learn have you actually seen that or is there an example somewhere?
The few times I've seen a chameleon actually vomit it was one of the last things they did if you get what I mean.
They frequently spit out things they don't want to eat safely.

For sure it's usually not a good thing—and not all animals can vomit—but it's one of nature's ways of indicating and dealing with certain problems. In the case of ingesting substrate, vomiting is usually better than the alternative—impaction.

Vomiting should never be ignored, but depending on the circumstances, monitoring may be sufficient. A vet will ask for more information anyway.

No, fortunately I have not (yet) witnessed it personally in a chameleon (OTOH, my aging service dog barfs quite easily—and frequently ? ), but there are plenty of examples in the archives here, and on other reptile forums & sites (scroll down).

chameleon vomit (pictures)
chameleon vomit (videos)

This may be more than you needed—or wanted—to know about chameleon puke, but sometimes that's how I feel about all the chameleon ? discussions. Both are ways we monitor their health; fortunately most ?far more infrequently than than they ?. ?