Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all! Just a few minutes ago I witness my 4 month old Veiled Chameleon down in his potted plant. I don't see him down there often, so I thought I'd stop and watch him for a few minutes. Not long and he started chomping on the soil, and seemed to be enjoying it too! Should I worry about this? I've never heard of chameleons actually EATING the dirt. Should I remove his plant? He is shedding today... would that have anything to do with it? Help!

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1.1.0 Leopard Geckos (Booger & Gimp)
1.0.0 Veiled Chameleon (Lucutis)

Eating dirt and branches is pretty normal for young chameleons,
some people think it's a sign of mineral deficiancy, but if you're supplying vitamins and minerals I wouldn't worry about it. Mabee they like the taste? Possibly a natural way for them to pick up soil organisms for digestion, who knows. Just make sure there's no perlite, fertilizer pellets, rocks, or chunks he can accidentaly ingest. It's a good idea to replace with clean organic soil too if you haven't already done so. (I use an organic bat guanoearthworm casting fertilzer on my chameleon plants instead of miracle grow and the like)
You can play it safe by covering up the dirt with some smooth river stones.
I saw one of my chameleons crunching down on a big rock once,
didn't wan't that happening again!
Garrett

Wierd that you ask. Just last night I was reading information stating that Chameleons who eat dirt are not fed enough. It was a printed sheet, so unfortunatly I can't source this for you.
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1.1 Bearded Dragons
1.2 Maroantsetra Panther Chameleons
2.0 Long Tailed Grass Lizards
0.0.2 Rhampholeon Brevicaudatus Chameleons

I feed him every day, with vitamin & mineral supplements, so I don't think he is starving. I toss in about 10-20 crickets every morning for this little guy, and he gets superworms occasionally. I hope to vary his diet more in the future, when I can find some suppliers of different bugs. Could I not be feeding him enough?
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1.1.0 Leopard Geckos (Booger & Gimp)
1.0.0 Veiled Chameleon (Lucutis)

Well he's a growing boy! Maybe not? Maybe the crickets are too small.
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1.1 Bearded Dragons
1.2 Maroantsetra Panther Chameleons
2.0 Long Tailed Grass Lizards
0.0.2 Rhampholeon Brevicaudatus Chameleons

Maybe I'll try giving him more tomorrow and see if any are scurrying around later on. I sure hope that it is normal, according to kurpak's response! Thanks for all the help!
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1.1.0 Leopard Geckos (Booger & Gimp)
1.0.0 Veiled Chameleon (Lucutis)

Yeah, Im not sure. But I just am reading it in an older 'general' chameleon caresheet here. At this age, I think it would be harder to overfeed your chameleon providing your not too foolish...

(Also I re-read that last post, and I just wanted to make sure you read that lightheartidly, when I read it, I realized it could have sounded sarcastic ansd condescending internet...)
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1.1 Bearded Dragons
1.2 Maroantsetra Panther Chameleons
2.0 Long Tailed Grass Lizards
0.0.2 Rhampholeon Brevicaudatus Chameleons

I didn't take it negatively at all. I just saw that you were "voicing" your thoughts to try and help me. I really appreciate it!

I try not to take any responses too personally. Criticism in these forums (not saying you were criticizing )can be either taken positively or negatively, I think it just depends on if that person is open to change, and is able to see and admit their mistakes.

Thanks again for your help!
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1.1.0 Leopard Geckos (Booger & Gimp)
1.0.0 Veiled Chameleon (Lucutis)

As an earlier poster noted, the eating of dirt, tree bark, leaf litter, etc, is not uncommon at all stages of the life cycle of a chameleon. That it is indicative of not getting enough to eat is not born out by multiple historical observations. No one has ever definitively ascertained what the reason is, if a reason is needed, and most experienced keepers see it as normal, although at times infrequent, behavior. The earlier advice to be sure that you had no unnatural substances, such as perlite in the soil, was also good. As for over-feeding concerns, that is also something you need not worry much about. To the extent that we would want to influence it anyway, or could influence it, the chameleon will self-regulate its consumption.
The Chameleon Company

Thanks for the response! I feel greatly releived now that I have more than one person telling me that it is normal. Hope you all have a great holiday!
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1.1.0 Leopard Geckos (Booger & Gimp)
1.0.0 Veiled Chameleon (Lucutis)

Mine did that a few times from the potted plant. No ill effects. I agree to make sure no perlite, fertilizer or colored rocks visible. cover it with plain dirt or repot in plain dirt. he also ate Hibiscus buds that had fallen off plant and were half decayed. He always has a million bugs to eat, not a starvation problem...probably a natural habit - for minerals or not.