shedding

[katkat669]

hi, i have a 4 month old panther chameleon and i am worried about his shedding habits. He hasnt shed in about 3 weeks, is this normal or should he be shedding more frequently? His humidity is around 60% and the temperature in his basking area stays around 85-90 and the rest about 80. He is eating like a pig, about 7 crickets and 20 flies a day. He seems to be growing and looks perfectly healthy but hasnt shed in a while. It is starting to worry me, can someone help please? Thank you.

 

[Brad]

It is possible he shed when you were not around. If not, he should be shedding soon

 

[Prism Chameleons]

In lower humidity levels, sometimes chameleons have a bit more difficulty with their shedding. Perhaps try to mist more often or raise humidity levels a bit. This might help induce easier shedding as he grows.

 

[katkat669]

thanks

I will try misting more. It is possible he shed while i was at school, but where did the shed go? Do they eat it like geckos? because i didnt think they did. Thanks for your suggestions.

 

[Prism Chameleons]

I have never seen any of my panthers eat their shed. If your panther has shed, you'd see the shedding everywhere around the cage and even a few bits left on his body here and there.

 

[Brad]

Chameleons will sometimes eat their shedding. Once or twice I found small remnants of shedding skin around the spines or tail of my cham, but no other dead skin could be found in the cage. I assume Ezhno ate it


link to related post by chris anderson

 

[Brad]

Ezhno shed today and I saw him eat some skin
I was watching him for a few minutes and admiring his colors. He had finished shedding and was hanging out on one of his favorite branches, staring at a large piece of dead skin about 6" away. I never though he was going to eat it. Just when I was thinking I should remove the skin, he shot his tongue at it and had engulfed it almost instantly.

 

[Prism Chameleons]

LOL.... I have to admit, I've never seen my panthers eat their skin. But, after what you just witnessed, I suppose anything is possible .

 

[Tara]

Just a thought

ok, you know how when your body needs something, you will get a really wierd craving? Like when a pregnant women gets the wierd cravings. I myself craved vegetables. I was obsessed with salad and subs from subway. Just the thought of lettuce, tomato and fresh green peppers...MMMMmmmmm!
(It's a good thing my food is already in the oven!)
So do you think their might be something in their skin that their body is craving? Just an idea. Tara

 

[Brad]

So do you think their might be something in their skin that their body is craving? Just an idea.

This is a very reasonable assumption and could be true. I think it is most likely a behavior that has been reinforced through evolution due to the calcium content of the skin. According to the link above, it is common in other reptiles too. To be safe, I have been adding an extra calcium dusting for the past couple days.

 

[Prism Chameleons]

I'm sure the response is due to something they might be lacking or need from the nutrients they get from it.

I have yet to see my chameleons eat their shed, but I suppose they may have eaten some I haven't noticed prior to me picking the pieces up from their cage once they are done.

Here is another off the wall theory about chameleons eating their shed... I wonder if it could be possible to cover their tracks in the wild? Just a crazy thought on my part. But hey, it's Friday night and I've been spending all day writing a care sheet (which is still underway) and I guess the fact I've been doing that all day, I'm entitled to crazy thoughts .

 

[Tara]

Jenna, you are so funny!

Thanks Brad! I missed that link. To add ...I must admit to a not so healthy diet. Veggies are definatly not the norm for me. In hindsight, it makes perfect sense that my body needed that for my baby. Even now, I get these intense cravings for salads and subs.

Jenna! Funny girl! My mind does that too! It makes sense though. I mean, a mother cat eats her placenta and the sacks on her babies for exactly that reason, doesn't she? When I woke up to find my mommy cat had given birth during the night, I could only find a few specs of blood left to clean up and nothing else. Tara (looking forward to your caresheet )