Oops... Zelig may have eaten coconut fibre..

[Echoezra]

Okay so first off I think Zelig MAY have just accidentally gotten a little bite if soil (coconut coir). I don't have stones in that pot yet, and it was my own dumb fault because the crickets were tiny this time, and I just dumped some on the plant he was sitting on rather than placing them on the screen like usual. Just wondering if this coir is any better or worse than the usually mentioned soil? Anything specific I should watch for?

He was still eating well afterwards, and technically I don't know for sure that he got soil and not the cricket, just usually I will see a leg sticking out the side of his mouth before he chews it up, although, Hess crickets were much smaller than he has normally been eating, so it could be that it was just small enough to fit all the way in his mouth at first shot... So I might have nothing to worry about. Just wanted to know what to look out for, just in case it was the soil (coconut fibre)

 

[jastate09]

Just make sure he shows normal color and eats, drinks and poops.

 

[jojackson]

Sarah, lose the coconut fibre, its indigestable and bad news, if you cant, cover the pot soil with large round smooth river rocks as preventive.
Take notes and watch for poop, ensure plentiful hydration.

 

[Echoezra]

Okay, that was 6 days ago, he's been fine, eating, poop is fine like usual, he's okay. Actually, I watched him carefully eating afterwards, and it's just that these tiny crickets disappear totally in his mouth, that's why i thought he shot & missed something. So I don't think that's what happened, I think he got what he was shooting at, and i just couldn't see any legs or anything. I dot think he ever got any soil in the first place.

As for the coconut though, tell me more. When i was setting up the cages, I went to four different stores, and couldn't find anything that said organic. It's not gardening season yet, so kinda slim-ish pickins.
So I had access to this, thought it was light and non-compacting (holds moisture but doesnt clump) and plain, nothing bad in it so I thought it was a safe bet as an alternative soil. Apparently not?
I have most of it covered with rocks but I ran shorter than expected, so there was spaces between.

 

[Echoezra]

Oh yeah also it's Melissa not Sarah. Don't want you thinking someone else named Sarah is a dumbass. Lol. It's me.

 

[jojackson]

Oh its probably ok for the plant and from the pov of contaiminates a safe bet, certainly better in terms of impaction risk than many other soils etc, but still indigestible.
Mind you what you describe as coco coir, may not be the same as we get here, here its its literally fibres, compressed into blocks, its kinda like birds nest material, fibres maybe 6-10cm long.
cant imagine that would do a lizards gizzards any good
Just buy some more smooth rocks, and stop panicking so much, he'll be fine!

Oops! sorry Melissa, my bad, Im old, I forget. (thats my excuse anyway )

 

[Echoezra]

Oh, wait no my bad, that was the other plant, no, no stones in that one, that's right, it's s smaller pot and he leaves mostly covered it so when I ran out in the other more open plant, yeah. It seemed okay before but I had moved the vines and it opened more up. Yes I definitely need more stones. I just keep forgetting to grab some. Is there anything else that would work like that, that wouldn't end up so heavy? I wanted to switch more plants to hangers, less weight would be better, especially if I have to switch to a denser soil..

 

[jojackson]

Its probably fine as soil goes. I hear you about weigh in hangers, cant really think of anything other than buying a really dense grown pothos hanger, so the plant covers all the soil already.
I wouldnt be concerned over much unless yours takes to munching soil.
A stiff wire framework, close around a tree/plant stem, covered with fine mesh might work instead of stones, but you'd have to get creative.
Imagine a wire dome like structure like a sieve with a hole in the middle where your plants stem goes, covered in fine mesh.

 

[Echoezra]

Replying in your quote:

Oh its probably ok for the plant and from the pov of contaiminates a safe bet, certainly better in terms of impaction risk than many other soils etc, but still indigestible.
Mind you what you describe as coco coir, may not be the same as we get here, here its its literally fibres, compressed into blocks, its kinda like birds nest material, fibres maybe 6-10cm long.

-- okay, it's compressed into blocks, but it's not long stringy, it's all shredded up fine, you soak it and it gets all fluffy. Actually this one is marketed as Plantation Soil, if that helps? But it's the same as coconut coir blocks we used to get years ago, so I always forget the commercial name when I'm talking about it.

cant imagine that would do a lizards gizzards any good
- I'm sure it won't, hence the fussing about it. Lol.

Just buy some more smooth rocks, and stop panicking so much, he'll be fine!
-- Haha, I'm getting the feeling I'll never stop panicking over these little monkeys!!

Oops! sorry Melissa, my bad, Im old, I forget. (thats my excuse anyway )

It's okay, I'm old too, I forget my own name sometimes... lol. (shhh, don't tell)

 

[jojackson]

If its finely chopped stuff it probably would pass through without complication unless it ate heaps.
Your really like a mother to your lizards arn't you!
Are you Ever going to change that freaky marylin manson cham avatar?

 

[Echoezra]

That's what I figured and was hoping, I just wasnt sure about specific symptoms if it was worse than soil for some reason.
And yes, totally, like a psycho, hovering, OCD mother. Hahahaha..
Oh, and the picture, yes! Actually I did. Tried. I just had it mixed up, so now the new pic is my "profile" pic, but this is the "avatar" pic I guess, so I had them mixed up and this one didn't change and I got frustrated & gave up. Lol. But yes, soon. I've been snapping pics a lot, should have a new perfect one soon.
The other thing is, most of the time I'm browsing on here on my phone, so I can relax & be in same room as chameleons (that's also the reason for most of the lake spelling mistakes, stupid iPhone autocorrect) and so it won't let me upload pics from my phone to the site. So I have to go get them off phone & onto computer, then from computer onto site.. Blah blah blah, pain in the buttocks. Lol. I'm a very lazy, impatient girl. So lackin in pictures. Well, I have pictures, just can't get them on here quickly. Like, there's another thread about cake, and I iced a cookie with a chameleon drawing the other day, and thought it would be cute to comment with my cookie picture, but then I'd have to do the whole computer thing.. Ugh. Never mind. Lol.

 

[jojackson]

Whoo Hoo!

 

[Echoezra]

Ground coverish plants to cover soil?

So I was thinking, what about some sort of low, dense plant planted in the bottom of my other plants? To cover the dirt of the other, by being dense? I have a baby tears, you can't even see the soil, if that was growing in bottom of hibiscus, woudnt need stones... ?? Any ideas/opinions there? Suggested safe plant types for this sort of thing?

 

[jojackson]

Good idea, there are probably plenty of safe 'groundcover' type plants, but im afraid I cant tell you what they are. I think the safe list here has photos and sci names, you might see some?
Here somebody will have to chime in , but I will endevour to find out for you.
Perhaps soom food herbs will do the trick and be lizard safe?

In a pinch, perhaps you remove one plant at a time for a weeks outdoors and sow thick lawn seed in the top? Im pretty sure most grass is safe?