Eating Bark??

[jprox]

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - 5mo male panther, ive had him for 2mos
• Handling - 2-3 times a week for cleaning/outdoor time. i keep physical contact to a minimum though
• Feeding - 10-15 crickets a day, occasionally a superworm/hornworm. Silkworms otw when the weather cools down a bit
• Supplements - repti calcium w/o D3 every day except sunday, alternating repticalcium w/D3 and miner-all (multivitamin w/o D3) on sundays
• Watering - Mist 3 times a day, sometimes 4 (but i make sure that it fully dries in between each mist). i see him drink occasionally. had a dropper before but he never drank from it and avoided that area of the cage so i got rid of it, he seems to get enough water from misting though so im not worried
• Fecal Description - no testing but white urates, sometimes a tiny bit of orange (like 1/5 of the urate) but nothing to be concerned over
• History - N/A

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - XL reptibreeze
• Lighting - linear uvb bulb (reptisun, T5HO) and a white light for heat
• Temperature - 86-71
• Humidity - daytime: 50-65 nighttime: probably in the 80s(?) but i dont check regularly when im asleep (i have a fogger)
• Plants - money tree pothos and schefflera
• Placement - in my room on a table
• Location - I’m in NC (triangle area)

Current Problem - I had wooden dowels in the cage previously so i switched them out for some real sticks bc i read they could cause sores bc of their uniformity or something. I hadn’t been home much since i switched them out but I’ve been home all day yesterday and saw him eating the bark! I forcibly removed it from his mouth bc i was scared of impaction but dismissed it as a one time thing maybe relating to him shedding that day and trying to scratch something? idk. However today I saw him do it again and once again had to remove it from his mouth. There is a chance he has been doing this all week so i will be watching for impaction symptoms but he is fine so far, more active than usual if anything. I took out the sticks with bark on them and removed the bark and placed them back in his cage, but afterwards i still saw him biting at the stick (though he couldn’t get anything off bc there was no bark anymore). Is this a sign of some sort of deficiency or something? Im at a loss here.

 

[jamest0o0]

Completely normal for a panther of that age. Nearly all of them do this at some point. They'll also bite at rocks and random other stuff. Good idea removing any he could eat. As long as the bark chunks aren't large enough to cause a blockage, he should be fine. Keep an eye on him, but my bet is you have nothing to worry about.

 

[jprox]

Completely normal for a panther of that age. Nearly all of them do this at some point. They'll also bite at rocks and random other stuff. Good idea removing any he could eat. As long as the bark chunks aren't large enough to cause a blockage, he should be fine. Keep an eye on him, but my bet is you have nothing to worry about.

Thanks for this lol I was so concerned. Do you have any idea why they do this though? Is it just curiosity?

 

[jamest0o0]

Thanks for this lol I was so concerned. Do you have any idea why they do this though? Is it just curiosity?

Seems to be a mystery as no matter the circumstances(diet, etc) they still do it. Maybe some instinct from the wild.

 

[ERKleRose]

Hello there, and welcome to the forums! I have a few questions and some feedback for your form:

• What do you gutload with?
• You need a different supplement as your multivitamin without D3,.like Zoo Med Reptivite Without D3. The Miner-All Outdoor needs to be used with the Miner-All and Vit-All line, not as a plain multivitamin.
• How long do you mist for?
• Could you post some pics of the cage, please?
• What is your UVB bulb's strength and distance from the basking branch?
• How do you measure your temps, and what are your nighttime temps?
• Is your fogger a cool-mist fogger, and when do you run it, along with how often do you clean it?

 

[nightanole]

HAHHA you have a filthy bark chewer. QUick everyone point and laugh.

 

[jprox]

Hello there, and welcome to the forums! I have a few questions and some feedback for your form:

• What do you gutload with?
• You need a different supplement as your multivitamin without D3,.like Zoo Med Reptivite Without D3. The Miner-All Outdoor needs to be used with the Miner-All and Vit-All line, not as a plain multivitamin.
• How long do you mist for?
• Could you post some pics of the cage, please?
• What is your UVB bulb's strength and distance from the basking branch?
• How do you measure your temps, and what are your nighttime temps?
• Is your fogger a cool-mist fogger, and when do you run it, along with how often do you clean it?

what i gutload with depends on the week. this week its collard greens, alfalfa sprouts, apples, and bee pollen but i switch it up every week. Ill look into the multivitamin stuff, i was just using info i got from my breeder so thanks! I mist for 1.5 mins im pretty sure. I cant take any pics bc my phone is broken sorry! I forgot the strength... i think 10.0? distance is 10in(?) from the branch again, i forgot but i did adjust it after someone had commented on it in a prev post so it should be good i think. I measure my temps with a probe and nighttime temps are 68 (ambient) and then ~64 bc the fogger makes it colder. I just recently got the fogger and was planning on cleaning it every two weeks but lmk if i should be doing it more frequently. Not sure if its a cool mist fogger? I mean the mist is cool so i assume so lol i just got what the breeder recommended and i run it at night.

 

[jprox]

HAHHA you have a filthy bark chewer. QUick everyone point and laugh.

lmaooo he’s mad at me now bc i had to touch his face to get the bark out and hes only recently started getting comfortable with me :/ a forbidden snack

 

[Chameleoking]

Uses of Bee Pollen
Bee pollen contains nearly all the nutrients required by humans and most reptiles and animals. It is used mainly as a dietary supplement acting as a natural multivitamin and protein source which is highly bioavailable. Very safe and effective. My veiled cham has far more energy when eating the pollen then the multivitamin. I use the pollen during the winter months when my cham can't get to bee's

 

[jprox]

Uses of Bee Pollen
Bee pollen contains nearly all the nutrients required by humans and most reptiles and animals. It is used mainly as a dietary supplement acting as a natural multivitamin and protein source which is highly bioavailable. Very safe and effective. My veiled cham has far more energy when eating the pollen then the multivitamin. I use the pollen during the winter months when my cham can't get to bee's

i do use bee pollen in my gutload sometimes. ty for the info tho!

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Thanks for this lol I was so concerned. Do you have any idea why they do this though? Is it just curiosity?

Why do puppies (most notorious for oral investigations) or any animals do it? It's curiosity for sure—a way of investigating and learning about their world.

I think stripping the bark off was appropriate. I don't share others' concerns with dowels or bamboo for that matter. I have a mixture of dowels, bamboo stakes, plastic coated steel garden stakes (rough surface) and the branches that grow from the live plants. Vines are living Philodendron & Tradescantia.

 

[jamest0o0]

Uses of Bee Pollen
Bee pollen contains nearly all the nutrients required by humans and most reptiles and animals. It is used mainly as a dietary supplement acting as a natural multivitamin and protein source which is highly bioavailable. Very safe and effective. My veiled cham has far more energy when eating the pollen then the multivitamin. I use the pollen during the winter months when my cham can't get to bee's

The amount of pollen they'd get in the wild would be pretty minimal IMO. Just what small amounts would be on the legs of beetles and bees. It also may have a link to kidney failure. Don't get me wrong, I use it too and have been for a while. I just don't think it's good to overdo it.

Point being, this has no impact on whether or not a Panthers chews on things. I haven't noticed anything bad or good since using bee pollen, I'll continue to do so, but it's overhyped a little IMO.

Not trying to be argumentative, just don't wanna see people overdosing their Panthers when they see them chewing things lol. It's normal behavior

 

[ERKleRose]

what i gutload with depends on the week. this week its collard greens, alfalfa sprouts, apples, and bee pollen but i switch it up every week. Ill look into the multivitamin stuff, i was just using info i got from my breeder so thanks! I mist for 1.5 mins im pretty sure. I cant take any pics bc my phone is broken sorry! I forgot the strength... i think 10.0? distance is 10in(?) from the branch again, i forgot but i did adjust it after someone had commented on it in a prev post so it should be good i think. I measure my temps with a probe and nighttime temps are 68 (ambient) and then ~64 bc the fogger makes it colder. I just recently got the fogger and was planning on cleaning it every two weeks but lmk if i should be doing it more frequently. Not sure if its a cool mist fogger? I mean the mist is cool so i assume so lol i just got what the breeder recommended and i run it at night.

If you want to add even more variety, here's the gutload chart, too! The Miner-All has minerals, not vitamins, and should only be used with Vit-All for people not knowledgeable with the science between supplements who know what they're doing when mixing them. If you compare the ingredients and analysis with other multivitamins, it's missing a lot of ingredients. So get a multivitamin without D3, like Zoo Med Reptivite Without D3, to use instead, it'll be much healthier for your cham. If it is a T5 HO 10.0 UVB bulb, the distance from bulb to basking branch should be 11-12". If it's a 5.0 or 6%, the distance needs to be 8-9". Or get and use a Solarmeter 6.5 to more accurately measure.

 

[jprox]

If you want to add even more variety, here's the gutload chart, too! The Miner-All has minerals, not vitamins, and should only be used with Vit-All for people not knowledgeable with the science between supplements who know what they're doing when mixing them. If you compare the ingredients and analysis with other multivitamins, it's missing a lot of ingredients. So get a multivitamin without D3, like Zoo Med Reptivite Without D3, to use instead, it'll be much healthier for your cham. If it is a T5 HO 10.0 UVB bulb, the distance from bulb to basking branch should be 11-12". If it's a 5.0 or 6%, the distance needs to be 8-9". Or get and use a Solarmeter 6.5 to more accurately measure.

ooh ok ill def switch the multivit i was just trusting the breeder lol. and yeah i remember now its 10.0 and i had it at 10” but moved it down to 11” bc someone earlier had told me to do so. solarmeters are way too expensive for me though lol ill just switch the lamp out every 6mos

 

[jprox]

If you want to add even more variety, here's the gutload chart, too! The Miner-All has minerals, not vitamins, and should only be used with Vit-All for people not knowledgeable with the science between supplements who know what they're doing when mixing them. If you compare the ingredients and analysis with other multivitamins, it's missing a lot of ingredients. So get a multivitamin without D3, like Zoo Med Reptivite Without D3, to use instead, it'll be much healthier for your cham. If it is a T5 HO 10.0 UVB bulb, the distance from bulb to basking branch should be 11-12". If it's a 5.0 or 6%, the distance needs to be 8-9". Or get and use a Solarmeter 6.5 to more accurately measure.

also it wasnt planned but its funny how my gutload this week is the first of every category on that list lol. it was just what i had in my fridge hahaha

 

[Chameleoking]

That is true. You don't need but a very small amount. My veiled is 6 yrs and two months old now. And as I mentioned I only use it in the winter months. 3 or 4 months out of the year and just enough to cover a tiny leg or two. Also that is not everyday

The amount of pollen they'd get in the wild would be pretty minimal IMO. Just what small amounts would be on the legs of beetles and bees. It also may have a link to kidney failure. Don't get me wrong, I use it too and have been for a while. I just don't think it's good to overdo it.

Point being, this has no impact on whether or not a Panthers chews on things. I haven't noticed anything bad or good since using bee pollen, I'll continue to do so, but it's overhyped a little IMO.

Not trying to be argumentative, just don't wanna see people overdosing their Panthers when they see them chewing things lol. It's normal behavior