Eating Pothos?

J-Man · 09-23-03, 07:37 PM

Hey, I'm not sure if my female veiled is eating the pothos plant I put in her enclosure.

She's ABOUT 3 months? maybe a little less. And I *think* she is eating them because on some of the leaves there are little bite marks that are about the size of my pinky nail. It seems right but around the edge of the bite mark it gets brown as if it were burnt... and they are directly under the heat lamp so I'm not really sure. Any light I can have shed on my ingorant head will be greatly appreciated.

Brock · 09-23-03, 09:26 PM

They will be V shaped. There's no harm in eating pothos.

-Brock

J-Man · 09-23-03, 10:00 PM

Ok, thanks. Not really v shaped. They are more oval.

Trace · 09-23-03, 10:13 PM

Maybe she is just arranging and designing her shrubbery? Maybe she wants the two-level effect with a little path running down the middle.

NI!

There are some who call me Trace

Wuntu Menny · 09-23-03, 10:29 PM

That's great, Trace! A cham with a flare for topiary. lol

My veileds wouldn't really develop the taste and desire for pothos until they were 6-8 months old. Once they start, you'll certainly know about it. I have a female that's 4 1/2 now and she's grazed heavily on it her entire life. Every few months we have to replace the one in her cage because she's nibbled it down to bare stems.

WM

J-Man · 09-24-03, 08:12 AM

LMAO @ Trace. How could I not think of that one first? Curse you! If it were a male I swear I would rename it Roger.

Wuntu -

That's kind of what I thought. I didn't think they really ate veggies at such a young age. But on the other hand my little girl seems to grow up fast... she eats from dishes fine and I've heard that young veileds have trouble with dishes.

Thanks for the replies!

Wuntu Menny · 09-24-03, 08:36 AM

I always started them out with a dish from day one. I found it made for a much easier transition when they moved up to solitary caging. One thing I've read is that their digestive system needs time to develop before they can digest more complex foods.

According to some sources, the calyptratus has the longest digestive tract of all the chameleons enabling it to process a much greater variety of material. This adaptation is attributed to the semi-desert conditions in which they live.

WM

J-Man · 09-24-03, 08:54 AM

That's great - starting them on dishes so soon.

I've always been a fan of dishes. It makes it easier to monitor their eating. And it's easier for them to find their food. Only down side - not as much excercise.

What you're saying is that the veggies are more complex than insects? So it needs time to develop before it can d igest a more complex food, such as veggies?

Wuntu Menny · 09-24-03, 09:10 AM

That seems to be the case. Again, this is only what I've read. I can't claim it to be fact, but it appears to make sense.

Too many keepers panic when their 4 week old cham refuses to eat banana as they've been told it will. Given time to mature, they all seem to develop a curiousity towards alternative foods.

WM

Wuntu Menny · 09-24-03, 09:10 AM

That seems to be the case. Again, this is only what I've read. I can't claim it to be fact, but it appears to make sense.

Too many keepers panic when their 4 week old cham refuses to eat banana as they've been told it will. Given time to mature, they all seem to develop a curiousity towards alternative foods.

WM

Hmmm, why did that double post?

J-Man · 09-24-03, 09:50 AM

I was giving the leaf another look and it does look a little v-shaped. I'm trying to think of a way to get a pic... I have a flatbed scanner maybe I can just scan the leaf lol

choriona · 09-24-03, 07:43 PM

plant matter is harder to digest - this is why herbavoires have such funny stomachs. (Think of the 4 guts in a cow.) It is very hard to break down the cells of a plant because of their thick cell walls. Tissue on the other hand, has very weak cell walls. Insects have hard exoskeletons made of something very much like a plant cell wall.....but underneath their shells, they are all soft tissue.

choriona · 09-24-03, 07:49 PM

if the leaf looks v-shaped, the same size as her mouth (folded over of course), then it is safe to assume that she has tasted her pothos. She may eat more now, or maybe she'll find that it didn't agree with her stomach yet, and leave it alone for a while. If she is eating it, don't worry - it's an excellent source of water!
Is you don't want her to eat your plants, try adding some "waxy" leafed plants (like the rubber tree). I find that my chams leave those alone. Or, try a leaf like the yucca plant, these have serrated edges (like a steak knife) that make it difficult for them to chomp down on and they leave it alone after one attempt. This is a great plant to have because it grows tall and has a barky trunk and dosen't easily bend under their weight when the cham climbs up on it!

J-Man · 09-24-03, 08:44 PM

Oh, no, I definitely don't mind her eating the plants. Quite the opposite. I would love for her to start eating the plants. I like it when I see her eat anything. It gives me a good feeling. Yeah I figured it would be a good source of water which is also a plus because I don't get the opportunity to water her as much as I would like.

Thanks so much for all the replies.