Why my cham do this?

Hello..
I was wondering if the same thing happened to yours too..
Every morning, he climb down to the lower area of 1 specific ficus tree and stay there and lightly start to shoot at the dirt as if he's catching something.
(I use supersoil potting soil).
I think he loves the taste of the dirt?

One time i put my feeding cup (filled with tiny crickets) in the area.
He just got angry and left.
As soon as I take my cup away, he goes back and start shooting again.

WTH?

Maybe there are fungus gnats in your soil? I think I'm starting to get some in my potted schaefflera (sp?) because the drip from my drip system goes straight into it (Putting water shield in soon...I hear schaeffleras don't like having soggy bottoms).

HiroProtagonist said:

Maybe there are fungus gnats in your soil? I think I'm starting to get some in my potted schaefflera (sp?) because the drip from my drip system goes straight into it (Putting water shield in soon...I hear schaeffleras don't like having soggy bottoms).

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arghhhhh! I think you are right..
After reading this, I use a magnifying glass and try to see what's going on..
and i saw some tiny bugs run about here and there..
what should i do?

that is the plant that are kept getting wet due to dripper system.
My cham seemed to ignore the other ficus which only get wet during the misting session.

Maybe I should take out the dripper for a while?

I assume it's a veiled because veileds are notorious about shooting tongue and eating dirt. It's natural. Members here usually resort to two options for their veileds safety.

1. Cover the soil with big sterile river rocks, that a cham cannot ingiest if accidentally shoots his/her tongue.
2. Use soil that will not cause impaction.

I'm practicing the second option since I believe if they want to do it, why prevent them doing it. I'm just making sure that they don't swallow vermiculite or perlite which can be found in many potting soils by using either top soil or peat moss that is throughly checked for big pieces.

The reason why they do it still yet to be determined. Some say they drink by shooting tongue to the soil. Some say that they are trying to get minerals that are lacking from the food we provide. Some say both.

Hope this was helpful,
V

Eating Dirt...........

I put the sterile smooth river rock on top of the soil of all my potted plants. It totally eliminates the possibility of ingesting anything.

PardalisGirl said:

I put the sterile smooth river rock on top of the soil of all my potted plants. It totally eliminates the possibility of ingesting anything.

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I like this idea but the problem here is if you free range feed your chams, the crickets and roaches will hide under the rocks. With this method, you'd pretty much have to cup feed.

I use organic potting soil,so if he eats it,it aint bad for him.

Free Ranging......

I don't cup feed any of my chams. Some of the crickets do hide under the rocks a bit but the chams figure that out and will actually hover and wait for the cricket to come out. It's like a little game they play. I hand feed roaches out as a treat so they have no chance to hide. It works for me but may not work for others and their particular situation.

You can use marbles, it wouldn't be easy to hide in those

You can try getting another plant, when one plant gets too wet, switch the plants out so you give the soil time to dry. This'll prevent the roots from rotting from too much water as well. It may be your cham is looking for extra water. This could also cut back on the gnats as well

true, scheff do not like to get soggy, all of a sudden you may find it just collapsed if it gets too wet. Rocks can hold in moisture and increase the fungus gnat problem but it does eliminate the shooting dirt problem.

I use plastic canvas to cover the soil. It lets water in and air circulate as well. I use plastic coated paper clips to hold it in place - works great. You can get it in any color- to match your pot, or your decor (lol!) or even your chameleon

here's a pic to give an idea

Hmmmm,i have a plastic thing under my plant,weird water accumulates there,is this a problem? I have an umbrella plant.

bucky said:

Hmmmm,i have a plastic thing under my plant,weird water accumulates there,is this a problem? I have an umbrella plant.

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if your plant is sitting in it, yes. Your plant's soil will become saturated thru the drainage holes and the roots will rot thus causing gnat problem, smell and eventually a dead plant (umbrella plant is likely a schefflera)

Even if your plant is not sitting in it it will become stagnant and become a breeding ground for fungal spores and bacteria. That said, most of us need some sort of dish or tray under our plant to catch water. I use a turkey baster to suck any standing water out of the tray every night just before lights out.

hope this helps (you can buy a turkey baster for about $1.00 at any discount store in the kitchen section)

Here's an older thread concerning soil consumption:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/eating-soil-4253/

-Brad

I have figure out the most likely explanation this morning.
The plant has been exposed to lots of water from dripper and the misting.

I did saw some very tiny insects (smaller than ants) swirling around the soil eating some dirt. -fungus gnats?-
I think my cham saw these buggers and decided to have a taste.

So, today, I did a major cage cleaning.
I put a new dry soil in my plant. Switch the wet plant with the dry one.
Unfortunately, due to this, i am no longer able to keep the same setup of the enclosure.
as some of the fake branches has molds (minor case). So, i disinfect the plastic vines with purell and rinse it and let it dry.

Now.. here's the dilemma...
i am sure this problem will be back pretty soon as the humidity in the cage needs to be kept for the sake of my cham.

and once every 2 weeks major cleaning obviously not enough..
Is there a way to improve the cleanliness of the cage without having to clean it every week?

PS: I don't mind the work at all.. i am just concern that my cham will be stressed out due to the rapid schedule of major cleanings.

You may be over doing it on the humidity!
Remember that the enclosure should dry out COMPLETELY between mistings.
Plants only need watering once a week.
Mold should never be an issue in a properly maintained chameleon enclosure.

-Brad

lele said:

if your plant is sitting in it, yes. Your plant's soil will become saturated thru the drainage holes and the roots will rot thus causing gnat problem, smell and eventually a dead plant (umbrella plant is likely a schefflera)

Even if your plant is not sitting in it it will become stagnant and become a breeding ground for fungal spores and bacteria. That said, most of us need some sort of dish or tray under our plant to catch water. I use a turkey baster to suck any standing water out of the tray every night just before lights out.

hope this helps (you can buy a turkey baster for about $1.00 at any discount store in the kitchen section)

Click to expand...

O,i got a tray that i put under my plant,ill get a pic of it to show you what im talkign about.

yeah.. there's a gnat problem in both of my ficus.
So, today i repot the soil and now i am taking out my dripper. and mist the enclosure only.

and my cham has learned to love eating gnats.
He doesn't want to eat his crickets and his silkies.
Arghhh!

I have clean the cage inside out today.
and I kept the humidity by using a humidifier in my room (40% to 50% in his cage).

we'll see how it goes..
if it does not improve.. i will buy a new ficus tomorrow.

Fungus Gnats are minions of satan in my book
Best way to take care of them it to dry out your potting soil
and then start watering your potted plants from the bottom and not the top
(use a drip tray)
as long as the top layer of the soil is dry the females will not lay their eggs there.

The maggots will eat into the plant and create sites for infection with the various fungi they carry along with them.
if their numbers are high enough they can kill the plant.

I can't tell you how many hundreds of dollars in rare tropical's I've lost over the years due to these flying infections.

anyway that's my rant (sorry).
get rid of the gnats running around laying eggs on the soil... reduce the risk of impaction.

Hi,i was just investigating my chams enclosure,and somethign caught my eye in his plants pot...A BIG WHITE FUZZY THING!I dont kno what it is,does anyone know?