Dirt eating Veiled

[AmandaS]

Dont really know why your babes is eating dirt.
How far away from your uv is your basking spot?
What are your temps at?
What kind of potato are you gut loading with?


I do not think the playsand will hurt her. So long as it is very fine, it *should* pass through without issue. It is clumpy soil or bark that likely would cause an impaction. Still, it would worry me too.

 

[Tinydino]

Her laybin is playsand mixed with a fine organic potting soil with no additives.
The potaties the crickets get are just plain old white potatoes that a grew in my garden this year. Her closest basking branch which is under her 75watt bulb is 9 1/2 inches. (Temp sits around 88 in the warmest spot. I use a laser gun to measure basking temps)
The the others are 10 and 12.
She has good cover for when she wants it. Although I rarely see her hide out in the shade.
She has a healthy appetite. Loves crickets. Is super iffy about supers and will leave them until there is nothing else. (She just started eating them the last.couple.weeks)
She loves hornworms and silk worms. But I don't have access to them regularly. So.I try to get her a couple of each at least every week.

 

[AmandaS]

I'm at work, but I see @Beman is on. Perhaps she can step in and review this, otherwise I'll help more in a few hours.
Good luck!

 

[kinyonga]

I use a sand produced by King's that comes in a whit bag with red, yellow, blue sandbox toys on the front. It has never caused an impaction in any of my females.

 

[kinyonga]

Has your chameleon been checked for parasites?

 

[Tinydino]

Has your chameleon been checked for parasites?

That I can answer no to unfortunately.
I've had her just over a month. The closest vet suitable to see a Cham is over 2 hours away and I don't city drive which makes it all a little more complicated.

 

[kinyonga]

Any vet should be able to do a fecal exam for parasites.

 

[Tinydino]

Any vet should be able to do a fecal exam for parasites.

I'm surrounded by large animal vets (when my horses need a vet. No problem)and a couple others that wouldn't neuter my rabbit. But treat.my dogs and cats(Closest town is population 8000)
The closest city is an hour and a half away. There might be a vet there that can do it.
I will call my cat and dogs vet tomorrow to see if they are equipped to test.

 

[AmandaS]

So, you should not be feeding the insects regular potatoes, but a healthy option would be sweet potatoes.
The distance from uv sounds good around 10 inches with a 10.0 bulb, I believe. But 88 is too hot for your female. It should be no higher than 81 MAX for a female. Heat + food = lots of eggs. Which is not healthy for the longevity of a female's life.
You should try to get her started on roaches instead of crickets, if you can, because they gut load better and they do not have as high of a parasite risk.

I still have no idea why she is eating the dirt...sorry I can't answer your question.

 

[AmandaS]

Please come back and let us know what the vet says about parasites, I'm curious now. ?

 

[Tinydino]

So, you should not be feeding the insects regular potatoes, but a healthy option would be sweet potatoes.
The distance from uv sounds good around 10 inches with a 10.0 bulb, I believe. But 88 is too hot for your female. It should be no higher than 81 MAX for a female. Heat + food = lots of eggs. Which is not healthy for the longevity of a female's life.
You should try to get her started on roaches instead of crickets, if you can, because they gut load better and they do not have as high of a parasite risk.

I still have no idea why she is eating the dirt...sorry I can't answer your question.

I cant do roaches. I'm in canada and when I asked about roaches at the only store that carries a variety of feeders. I was told no.
The crickets came with potato in the box when I got them.
Ill stop with the potatoes

 

[kinyonga]

You can get silkworms, hornworms, and for an occasional treat, superworms and waxworms when available...me they can be shipped to you as well. They would all make good additions.

 

[Tinydino]

You can get silkworms, hornworms, and for an occasional treat, superworms and waxworms when available...me they can be shipped to you as well. They would all make good additions.

All of those but wax worms are being fed.
Crickets are her staple. Supers she gets regularly.
Silkworms and hornworms i cant get local. But I try to get her a couple of each a week.
I've just started breeding my own crickets
The first are set to hatch this week coming

 

[Tinydino]

Please come back and let us know what the vet says about parasites, I'm curious now. ?

Just got off the phone with my vets office.
They don't specialize in exotics but can send the fecal off to the lab for me.
I can take one in on Monday morning.
Cost is just over $57 plus tax to have it done.
Lucky for me she usually poops on a scedule. ?

 

[Tinydino]

Please come back and let us know what the vet says about parasites, I'm curious now. ?

Out of curiosity. I called the other 2 vet offices within a 20 min drive and was turned down for the fecal.
I guess my regular vet really is the best in the area?

 

[AmandaS]

That's so strange to me that they would turn down a simple fecal check. But glad your vet is willing to do it for you!

 

[Tinydino]

Update*
Still trying to catch a fresh poop for a fecal. (I hope this Monday she co operates with the schedule)
She has stopped eating dirt (at least I haven't caught her doing it kn the last week)
Shes moved on to eating her flowers.
I rescued a couple fuchsias from the frost and transplanted one into the enclosure.
Apparantly fucshia blossoms are the bomb.

 

[Tinydino]

Caught a fresh poop this morning. And when I say I caught it fresh. I mean literally. I put my hand out just abouve her poop plant and caught it. ?
Anyway. Its in a baggie in the fridge.
Im hoping to grap a fresher sample tomorrow morning. But this is my back up.
How long are samples good in the fridge for?? The vet ships out to the lab at noon.

 

[Tinydino]

I called the vet today (i droped off Vadas sample off yesterday morning) and was told they only had partial results(which basically tell nothing) and the rest of the analysis would be in tomorrow.
Why would the Lab only send a partial result?

 

[Tinydino]

Please come back and let us know what the vet says about parasites, I'm curious now. ?

Fecal went into the lab on monday.
The vet recieved a partial analysis which was not explained to me.
I was told I would have results tues or wed.
I called today and still nothing.
Hopefully someone will get me some results tomorrow.
I paid over $60 for this test. I will be pretty upset if i dont get any results at all