Need some help - Any tips on how to find fecal matter?

[The Chameleon Collective]

Hey all,

Wondering what you all do to find fecal matter in your thickly planted cages? I am thinking I may need to take out the larger base fern and really get in there to look but I don't want to cause my cham any stress if I don't have to. There were a couple times I was easily able to see fecal matter but its been a few days I know it is in there somewhere lol. Any tips or tricks would be appreciated! Also do you just wipe down the ferns after you pick it up or should I be washed the leaves with anything special? Appreciate the help!

 

[elizaann2]

I do t have ferns in my enclosure but I wish I did. They are beautiful.

If I can’t find poop I either put the chameleon on their free range and dig around to try and find it or just get in there until I notice my Cham is telling me to get out of their space.

If I find poop on a leaf I end up taking the whole leaf away just because I don’t think you can honestly clean the leaf well enough to remove any parasites. I could be wrong though.

Most chameleons end up having a pooping spot so hopefully that will get easier for you. All mine took a minute but then they found their poop spots and that’s usually where they end up going.

 

[The Chameleon Collective]

I do t have ferns in my enclosure but I wish I did. They are beautiful.

If I can’t find poop I either put the chameleon on their free range and dig around to try and find it or just get in there until I notice my Cham is telling me to get out of their space.

If I find poop on a leaf I end up taking the whole leaf away just because I don’t think you can honestly clean the leaf well enough to remove any parasites. I could be wrong though.

Most chameleons end up having a pooping spot so hopefully that will get easier for you. All mine took a minute but then they found their poop spots and that’s usually where they end up going.

thank you! I may have to do a little digging then. I have a bromeliad about mid level height and last time he pooped on that. I haven't seen any on that leaf since but worry it may be actually inside the bromeliad which wouldn't be good with the water sitting on the top. great environment for parasites to thrive

 

[elizaann2]

thank you! I may have to do a little digging then. I have a bromeliad about mid level height and last time he pooped on that. I haven't seen any on that leaf since but worry it may be actually inside the bromeliad which wouldn't be good with the water sitting on the top. great environment for parasites to thrive

Agreed! Keep me posted!

 

[MissSkittles]

You could try putting some wax or parchment paper over everything early in the AM. Paper towel doesn’t work well as it just absorbs the poo and dries it out quickly.

 

[The Chameleon Collective]

Agreed! Keep me posted!

Well, I did not plan on getting shoulders deep in the cage before school the other day but I did lol! I removed the fern and began the search. Found two different locations with fecal matter. One of the sites had a couple different samples and the other spot only had one. So it seems like he may have chosen his spot to go. I am going to do another less invasive search tomorrow AM to see if that secondary location is his go to. Fortunately I did not see any fecal matter inside the bromeliad, phew!

 

[The Chameleon Collective]

You could try putting some wax or parchment paper over everything early in the AM. Paper towel doesn’t work well as it just absorbs the poo and dries it out quickly.

Thank you for the tip! Do you blanket everything in the parchment paper? Trying to get a sense of what that would look like, appreciate the help!

 

[MissSkittles]

Usually they tend to poo in the same area. If you can find where that is, that is the area to cover.

 

[The Chameleon Collective]

Usually they tend to poo in the same area. If you can find where that is, that is the area to cover.

thank you!

 

[elizaann2]

Well, I did not plan on getting shoulders deep in the cage before school the other day but I did lol! I removed the fern and began the search. Found two different locations with fecal matter. One of the sites had a couple different samples and the other spot only had one. So it seems like he may have chosen his spot to go. I am going to do another less invasive search tomorrow AM to see if that secondary location is his go to. Fortunately I did not see any fecal matter inside the bromeliad, phew!

That is great news!

 

[JacksJill]

Finding the poop spot is key. Cover that in wax paper and be sure to collect a fresh poop for a fecal test for accurate results. If you can't get to the vet or lab quickly put it in a plastic baggie in the fridge overnight to preserve the sample.