Why do chams eat soil ??

[chambabysitter1]

In the USA you have a warmer climate and use screen cages and no soil, and they try to eat whatever bit of substrate they can get their teeth in.

No idea where you came to that conclusion.

You keep this thread going as if americans just feed their chams soil every chance they get. This seems to be something that happens less than more, please stop trying to misconstrue the entire thing by saying you have some hard evidence.

The fact of the matter is, with more numbers comes more variations in results. You seem to be missing that. It's polling 101, less results, less conclusive. More results, more conclusive. Everyone is speculating why this happens, but you seem to think it's so very common, when it's in fact the opposite.

Forget the polled numbers, and black hair has not nothing to do with why chameleons eat soil.

I was making an analogy. You know, so you can draw a correlation between a small sample group between a large one, and see the difference in results it can make. But it seems to have flown right over your head.

I get this feeling of like forum resentment or the real need to show everyone up. You should stop making replacing conclusions with assumptions.

 

[Tom Carlier]

In all the threads I've read it says: NO SUBSTRATE & USE SCREEN CAGES, and there are quite a lot of threads saying that chams eat soil, that's where I got my conclusion I guess.

You keep this thread going as if americans just feed their chams soil every chance they get. This seems to be something that happens less than more, please stop trying to misconstrue the entire thing by saying you have some hard evidence.

Now where did you get that from? I never said they feed their chams soil
I just meant that a lot of people here seem to have chams who themselves try to eat the soil, so you prevent that by not using soil on the bottom and covering the rest with stones and such.

...but you seem to think it's so very common, when it's in fact the opposite.

You are saying that it is not so common,
but when I asked it before who has seen their chams do it for themselves, somebody reacted

Probably seen it a thousand times, but I stopped counting long ago.

Have probably seen it mentioned in threads across the internet by 100 different chameleon keepers over the years. Probably been on threads in this forum 25 times of more, but again, who is counting ....

So I presumed it happens often

 

[chambabysitter1]

Members: 6,529
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Most users ever online was 807, 12-18-2008 at 06:34 AM.

Now, let me try to break this down for you.

If you have a large number of people being drawn from, you will tend to see more results, including the minor ones.

So, you assume that a few posts by a few members suddenly speaks for this number? Hopefully, I put the number of users drawn from in perspective for you, so you can understand.

Not one person here is claiming this is normal behavior that I can see, except for you.

 

[Tom Carlier]

I know how many members this forum has, checked it before,

but 25 threads in 21,864 is still more than 0 on the 2 smaller dutch forums.





but still, it doesn't explain why they do it...

And now when did I claim this is normal ?
I had never even heard of it before...

 

[chambabysitter1]

So checking out of this thread now.

It's like, wooosh, right over your head every time.

 

[Chameleon Company]

Originally Posted by Chameleon Company
Probably seen it a thousand times, but I stopped counting long ago.

Have probably seen it mentioned in threads across the internet by 100 different chameleon keepers over the years. Probably been on threads in this forum 25 times of more, but again, who is counting ....

So I presumed it happens often

Yes, I believe it a common behavior. Just as bark eating. Just as chewing on leaves on occasion.

There's a notion in me that tells me that if I were a chameleon in Belgium, looking down at Cocopeat, I might be thinking something like "I'm not eating this $hit. Gimme some real dirt" Just a little Yankee humor.

 

[Titan]

Ok, I'm back. and I see one less argument has left the building> All I am trying to accomplish is the reason. I think we know why, BUT, if it is true Countries over there, have less of a problem than here, there may be a reason why? Not for arguments sake, but for the sake of getting to the bottom of it. And we will know possibly why they do it, consensus is already for mineral intake? So this topic will be solved and off the thread charts. OR, it will keep comming back to haunt us!
Chameleon Company has been here in the forums much longer than I, and Stated the countless times this topic keeps ariseing! As for me It seems at least twice a month!

Possibly more Chameleons are eating dirt in the wild, but who's watching? and who really cares there, if the do it or not.
People here keep posting "my Cham is eating dirt, is there anything I should do or worry about?"

Ok Ive done my share of Cham ownership and breeding over many years, to the tune of hundreds of Chameleons (many different Species) in my care and not once has MY Chameleons ate any dirt?? why is that? Also why does it appear to be almost non existant overseas? some correlation I'm sure.

Reason I asked those questions prior is I dont for one see to many Montane owners complaining of this?

Next, would be the water? I have heard talk of many here intentionally or unitentionally. Talking of only giving their Chameleons Store bought water or distilled, or water softened, or purified water? Cause they feel their household water is not sufficient. Is this what the other countries do? Also is your household water filtered or purified?

The problem here may lie within the water we use and or also the Species we
deal with? Since we know some species require diferent requirements in care.

In the Wild Chameleons are subject to more dirt products than our supper clean cages. Hence the gaining of minerals in the wild is more readily availlable to a Cham that basically eats everthing off the ground or a dusty or dirty branch?

Ok, ha ha - have you ever seen a complaint "My Pygmy keeps chewing at the dirt" Hell no! they get a little dirt everytime they eat something?

Edit: Ok Jim, love the Yankee humor. in the last post!

 

[Tom Carlier]

found this on " www.melleridiscovery.com " under Husbandry :

Inspect the plants and pots to be sure the chameleon is not eating the potting soil. Soil eating is a sign of insufficient nutrition, so make adjustments in gutload or supplementation.

 

[Pieces]

i got river stones to put over the dirt and he will still go down move the stones and eat the dirt... ive also seen him chewing on rocks.... wierd... so i guess theres nothing to worrie about then?

 

[liquidsweetness]

wow.

I just read this whole thread, and I must say I got a hell of a laugh out of it.
The funniest thing to me being the rabbit trails it went off on...like eggs at roots of trees and whether or not to use substrate...when neither really answered the question. No matter what happens, people will still post new threads asking if they should be worried because their cham is eating dirt.

I just have to say this, though, because no one ever did- SUBSTRATE is SUBSTRATE. SOIL is SOIL. Two completely different things, and I never once saw anyone say that their cham was intentionally eating substrate, only soil...except the person who said they covered the soil with peat, so it ate the peat, lol.

The answer to the question... as long as you use organic soil, without perlite, its ok if your cham wants to eat it. Its likely a natural urge and its not likely to cause it harm. soil is digestable, just be aware of whats IN the soil you use. If you aren't using a mineral supliment, it'd probably be a good idea to start using one and see if it stops eating the dirt. Whether it stops or not, if it seems otherwise healthy, I wouldn't worry about it. It happens.