Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My panther (male almost 10 mos. old) has started a habit of eating the dirt from the plants in his cage. I've had to cover the base of them with newspaper to keep him away from it. Is this normal, or is something going on? I appreciate any info!

Howard
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1.0.0 Bearded Dragon (Digger)
1.1.0 Golden Geckos (Tzeitel & Chavelah)
1.1.0 Tokay Geckos
1.2.0 Leopard Geckos (Jack, Janet & Chrissy)
1.0.0 Ambilobe Panther Chameleon

Lots of chameleons eat dirt/soil/sand. Its thought that they are missing nutrients in their diet or may be eating it for some other reason that we are unaware of. The problem is that some dirt/soils/sand can cause an impaction.

Thanks for the info! I was wondering about the nutrient side also, but he also seemed to try to eat a beetle that he spit out and then later on ate some of the dirt. Maybe he thought it was a way to get the bad taste out of his mouth!

Thanks again!
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1.0.0 Bearded Dragon (Digger)
1.2.0 Golden Geckos
1.1.0 Tokay Geckos (Stanley & Helen)
2.2.0 Leopard Geckos (Jack, Janet,Chrissy & Larry)
1.0.0 Ambilobe Panther Chameleon (Mr. Spock)

Check your gut loading and offer a variety of insects to ensure that your cham isnt missing something.

I had a female that was constantly hungry and always searching for food (she got twice as much as the others - would eat herself to death if I let her). She had a large "sandbox" for egg laying, and would sometimes eat a small pebble. I presumed she was mistaking it for a bug. She has also been known to shoot her tongue at my eyeball (successfully - terrible feeling), fingernails, rings, shadows, and her own tail. I think some chams are just gluttons. LOL

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Sandra
BC Canada