¡Caught Alfred eating his fake leaves !

[Alexander1]

I've been suspecting he might be and finally my girl friend caught him eating a fake leaf from one of his plants, I'm obviously worried about impactions now, not to mention my investment in his plants in his cage, those thing started adding up. Is there any way I can help him pass these things?
I've tried offering him lettuce and kale before and he only ate it once, I'm assuming I'm about to get bashed for not having live plants too.
I'm pretty bummed out

 

[Decadancin]

The only thing I could suggest to help pass things would be something that would lubricate. Perhaps some soft bodied worms? It's worth a try.

 

[jajeanpierre]

That is not good. Feed him lots of moist, soft food like hornworms and silk worms. You want to fill and expand his intestines so everything just gets passed. Real plants aren't very much money. I think I buy big ficus for maybe $20. You can make a fake "tree" with natural branches and then tie various little plants onto the branches. I like sword ferns. I buy a big pot of it and cut it up into a lot of smaller sections.

For days after my first chameleon came to me he pooped out rocks and bark bedding. He was fine. I've had two wild caught imports who were not doing well at all--I was force feeding one for several months just to keep him alive. I had them in to the vets and had their parasites taken care of but they still didn't do very well until I found a hair coming out of their vents (a urate was stuck to it). Once they both passed those hairs, they were fine. It might have been a coincidence, but I still wonder if the hair was causing irritation/damage to the lining of the gut. Whatever you do, if a thread is sticking out the vent, don't pull it. If anything, cut it short so he won't catch it on some thing in his cage. It might be looped around part of the gut and you might do tremendous damage by trying to pull it out.

Good luck. Be especially vigilant about his hydration. You want big, soft, moist stool.

 

[Alexander1]

Thanks everyone, I'm just going to have to wait to see how he does, something tells me he may of done it before but I thought the leaves where falling off when I would waste them. I'll keep an eye on him, is it better for me to remove all his plants or should I wait until I go to get him some real plants for cover? His cage will definelty be empty and he might feel stressed?

 

[Andee]

Was he eating a silk plant or plastic plant?

 

[Alexander1]

Silk

Was he eating a silk plant or plastic plant?

 

[Alexander1]

He pooped today, looks normal. What signs am I looking for?

 

[rambonerzilla]

In my opinion it should mash into a mud ball if squeezed in your hand. If you can sculpt it your good! I make Mr hankys from Southpark with my boys pool. I have pics for reference if need be

 

[Andee]

In my opinion silk plants aren't safe to be used with veiled. If you are using fake plants only use plastic.

 

[vtcowgirl]

In my opinion silk plants aren't safe to be used with veiled. If you are using fake plants only use plastic.

I am curious whT the silk wouldn't be recommended? I have tons of live plants and a few plastic ones thinking that the plastic would wash/wear better than silk but didn't know if there was any other reason to avoid silk?

 

[Andee]

Because veiled chameleons can eat silk plants easier. Read the thread.

 

[nick barta]

I had a big male Fishers that suddenly went ugly colors, and was laying on his branch, with his eyes closed. I scooped him off the branch, and he struggled a bit, so I knew he was alive. He was making a raspy sound and breathing with his mouth open, so I figured it might be an upper respiratory infection, but I had never seen a URI hit so quickly, with no gradual signs. I looked in his mouth, and there was a small triangular shaped green plastic leaf from my plastic plant in the cage visible back in his throat. I got my wife to hold him and managed to grab the tip of the leaf with long forceps and pull it out, but he barely moved during the extraction, or after it. The piece was 1/2-inch by 3/4-inch by 3/4-inch.

Plastic or silk plants with a reptile that strikes prey with a sticky tongue doesn't make sense to me, why not give the living chameleon living plants? The advantages of humidity, and chemical free surfaces to drink off of, is the right thing to do, IMHO.

CHEERS!

Nick

 

[vtcowgirl]

Because veiled chameleons can eat silk plants easier. Read the thread.

I did read the thread before posting my question, thank you. I didn't notice any comment anywhere that the silk were easier to eat and figured if they wanted to bite a fake plant that they would...regardless of what it is made of, and that reason wouldn't have occurred to me... Which is why I asked the question.

 

[vtcowgirl]

I had a big male Fishers that suddenly went ugly colors, and was laying on his branch, with his eyes closed. I scooped him off the branch, and he struggled a bit, so I knew he was alive. He was making a raspy sound and breathing with his mouth open, so I figured it might be an upper respiratory infection, but I had never seen a URI hit so quickly, with no gradual signs. I looked in his mouth, and there was a small triangular shaped green plastic leaf from my plastic plant in the cage visible back in his throat. I got my wife to hold him and managed to grab the tip of the leaf with long forceps and pull it out, but he barely moved during the extraction, or after it. The piece was 1/2-inch by 3/4-inch by 3/4-inch.

Plastic or silk plants with a reptile that strikes prey with a sticky tongue doesn't make sense to me, why not give the living chameleon living plants? The advantages of humidity, and chemical free surfaces to drink off of, is the right thing to do, IMHO.

CHEERS!

Nick

thanks nick... I agree. I will be removing the handful of plastic plants that I have tomorrow and replacing them with more real ones for sure!

 

[Andee]

I would also agree with you Nick, I still think the safest route is live. If you have a problem keeping the plants alive your lighting obviously needs to be fixed.

 

[Alexander1]

Yeah, I'm converting to real plants this weekend, I didn't have any issues up till now, now I'm gonna build a terrarium with a non vegetation eating reptile to use up all those fake plants I have.. smh..

 

[jajeanpierre]

I had a big male Fishers that suddenly went ugly colors, and was laying on his branch, with his eyes closed.

Did he live?

 

[jajeanpierre]

I did read the thread before posting my question, thank you. I didn't notice any comment anywhere that the silk were easier to eat and figured if they wanted to bite a fake plant that they would...regardless of what it is made of, and that reason wouldn't have occurred to me... Which is why I asked the question.

The extra risk with silk are the threads and just hat it is easier to wad up a silk leaf and swallow it than it is to eat a chunk of plastic.

 

[jajeanpierre]

He pooped today, looks normal. What signs am I looking for?

You are looking for him to stop pooping and/or to stop eating. You should be worried about an intestinal blockage or damage to the gut. That's why you want to have his gut full of soft fluffy food to help whatever might be in his gut move easily through and also to protect the gut from any damage it might cause.

 

[Alexander1]

He pooped, and ate some crickets, I'll be purchasing some horn worms tomorrow morning. Also will be filling his cage with some live plants