Is Sphagnum moss bad for a chameleon to eat?!

[Herocleasin]

I'm really worried, Archie just ate some sphagnum moss and I don't know what it will do to him

 

[Thehippie]

its usually gonna cause a little impaction, how did he eat it??

 

[ERKleRose]

Could you fill out the ask for help form in my signature below? It’ll help rule out if he’s missing anything in his husbandry to lead him to this

 

[Herocleasin]

I walked into the room and he was just gulping it up.

 

[Herocleasin]

its usually gonna cause a little impaction, how did he eat it??

I walked into the room and he was just gulping it up.

 

[Thehippie]

he is a veiled right? also is the sphagnum moss just substrate or is it for something esle

 

[Herocleasin]

Could you fill out the ask for help form in my signature below? It’ll help rule out if he’s missing anything in his husbandry to lead him to this

• My Chameleon: Presumed male, 7-8 months old. Been in my care for 3 months now
• Handle him every day I have off.
• Feed him once or twice a day—large crickets
• Use calcium supplement every other time I feed him, multi-vitamin at least once a month.
• I spray his cage and use a dripper
• His droppings are usually healthy, a slightly yellow hydrate every once in a while.
• Unfortunately he did come from PetSmart.

 

[Herocleasin]

• My Chameleon: Presumed male, 7-8 months old. Been in my care for 3 months now
• Handle him every day I have off.
• Feed him once or twice a day—large crickets
• Use calcium supplement every other time I feed him, multi-vitamin at least once a month.
• I spray his cage and use a dripper
• His droppings are usually healthy, a slightly yellow hydrate every once in a while.
• Unfortunately he did come from PetSmart.

Also he is a veiled.

 

[Herocleasin]

he is a veiled right? also is the sphagnum moss just substrate or is it for something esle

Yes, and the moss is for aquarium. We had a surplus amount of it and his cage looked like the perfect place for it to prosper, so yes, it is his substrate.

 

[ERKleRose]

Filling out the entire form with as much detail as possible will really help us

 

[Herocleasin]

Filling out the entire form with as much detail as possible will really help us

Sorry, I didn't see the part about the cage.

• Glass cage with unknown dimensions
• "All Living Things" Basking and daytime light
• Temperature 80 throughout the day, but as low as 70 during the night
• Humidity, around 60-80
• Plants: All artificial, except for the Sphagnum moss, which is technically a non-vascular plant.
• The cage is right next to the window. Unfortunately it is under the air vent, but the ceiling is quite far from him and there are many things over his cage blocking the air a little bit.
• Rural North Carolina, USA.

 

[ERKleRose]

• My Chameleon: Presumed male, 7-8 months old. Been in my care for 3 months now
• Handle him every day I have off.
• Feed him once or twice a day—large crickets
• Use calcium supplement every other time I feed him, multi-vitamin at least once a month.
• I spray his cage and use a dripper
• His droppings are usually healthy, a slightly yellow hydrate every once in a while.
• Unfortunately he did come from PetSmart.

Sorry, I didn't see the part about the cage.

• Glass cage with unknown dimensions
• "All Living Things" Basking and daytime light
• Temperature 80 throughout the day, but as low as 70 during the night
• Humidity, around 60-80
• Plants: All artificial, except for the Sphagnum moss, which is technically a non-vascular plant.
• The cage is right next to the window. Unfortunately it is under the air vent, but the ceiling is quite far from him and there are many things over his cage blocking the air a little bit.
• Rural North Carolina, USA.

Don’t handle him that much unless he asks for it (comes over to you and tries to get out). Feed him once a day and only in the morning, chams need to be able to bask and digest later in the day. How many crickets do you feed? What do you gutload with? Try some more feeders, like silkworms, hornworms, butterworms, the occasional superworm, black soldier flies and larvae, blue bottle flies, roaches (red runner, dubia, orange headed, and ivory headed all cannot climb or fly), mantids, small helix aspersa, stick insects, and silk, horn, and waxworm moths, to name a few. Use a phosphorus free calcium without D3 every feeding, phosphorous free calcium with D3 every two weeks, and a multivitamin without D3 every two weeks. Make sure every feeder is lightly, but completely, dusted right before feeding. Every feeder needs to be gutloaded before feeding, as well. He needs to be misted at least three times a day, but preferably for more, for at least two minutes each time, but preferably for five minutes. Make sure spray down his entire cage, especially the plants, and to mist him gently as well, for he needs it to clean out his eyes. I would invest in an automated misting system, like a MistKing. He needs a minimum of a 2’ by 2’ by 4’ tall cage, preferably screen, with lots of plant cover, preferably cham-safe live plants since veileds eat plants, and lots of branches and vines, mostly horizontal, too. He needs a uvb light. Get either a t5HO or T8 linear uvb bulb and fixture. A 10.0 Zoo Med is perfect for a 2’ by 2’ by 4’ tall cage. His basking temp is low, it needs to be between 90-95*F. Keep the humidity between 40-70%. Could you post a pic of him and his cage, please?

 

[Brodybreaux25]

It’s not a death sentence but should be removed from his viv.