Chameleon Poop 101 – The Last Guide you’ll Need To Read
Chameleons are strange lizards, right? Whether you are a new chameleon owner or an experienced one, you must sometimes (or maybe often) wonder about your chameleon’s poop. And rightly so, because a chameleon’s poop can tell you a lot about its general health.
Today, we are going to answer all your queries on this not-so-gross but super-important topic.
How Often Do Chameleons Poop?
Like human poop, there are no definite answers to this. It depends on several factors like their age, what they are eating, and how much. The temperature and humidity levels of the enclosure, basking duration, hydration levels, and the overall health of the chameleon also play a role in how often they poop.
In general, young chameleons (less than one-year-old) poop almost every day. While an adult chameleon will poop once or twice a week.
Fun fact – On the other hand corn snakes only poop once every 1-2 week, isn’t that fascinating.
Editor’s Note
If you do not notice any feces in their enclosure for over a week, it’s an indicator that your chameleon is facing some challenges.
What Does Chameleon Poop Look Like?
First of all, chameleons poop out of a hole in their rear. They lift their tails and push out their behind as an indicator that they are about to poop. Pet chameleons that live in enclosures usually pick up a spot to poop every time (super neat freaks, right?).
A chameleon’s poop is oval. It is usually made up of two parts. The first part has more moisture in it and is usually brown or black. It contains all of the chameleon’s digestive waste and usually has no odor.
Editor’s Note
Your chameleon’s feces will be a little runny if you are feeding it a diet consisting primarily of silkworms or hornworms.
The second part of a chameleon’s poop is called a urate. This is the chameleon’s pee, which is solid in form. Chameleons do not pass urine in liquid form like most other animals. It is usually white.
What Does Healthy Chameleon Poop Look Like?
Healthy chameleon poop consists of dark brown or black feces with solid white or yellowish urates. The feces part should be moist but not runny or dry. It should have an oval shape. Of course, there should be no blood.
The urates are usually smaller than the feces part of the poop. They retain a soft, solid shape. If the chameleon hasn’t gone for about a week, don’t be alarmed if there is a little orange at one end of the urates.
Anything apart from this indicates a problem with digestion, food, temperature, or humidity in the enclosure.
What Does Unhealthy Chameleon Poop Look Like?
There is a cause for alarm if the feces are smelly and not round in shape. The smell indicates that it has undigested food particles indicating a problem with digestion. The feces should also not be runny or too dry. A slightly runny feces is acceptable if the chameleon is on a diet of silkworms. Unhealthy feces may also contain blood.
Unhealthy urates are orange in color and cannot retain a solid shape.
Treating Unhealthy Chameleon Poop
Unhealthy chameleon poop is usually because of dehydration or parasites. Now let’s discuss each of the reasons in detail and how to treat them.
Dehydration
This leads to orange urates and can be fixed by rehydrating the chameleon. Simply increase the amount of water your chameleon is drinking. Feeding water-rich fruits and electrolytes and even showering can provide quick hydration relief.
Parasites
If the feces part of the chameleon’s poop is unhealthy, parasites are to blame. They have settled in your chameleon’s intestines and are disrupting its digestive system. Parasitic infections are very serious in chameleons and can even lead to death. See the vet with a sample of your chameleon’s feces. He will run some tests and prescribe a treatment.
Do Chameleons Pee?
Yes of course they do, but their pee is a solid lump. It is the white/ yellowish part of chameleon poop. Chameleons have evolved to pass solid urate to retain more water for hydration. Reptiles have been around longer than mammals, so they make better use of water in their body.
A little clear liquid passed along a white urate is a good sign that your chameleon is well-hydrated.
The urate can also have an orange color sometimes. This means that your chameleon is not hydrated. But if your chameleon has not pooped in a week and then passes orange urates, it’s nothing to worry about.
It simply means that more water has been absorbed by the chameleon’s body from the urate because it has been inside its body for longer. You can buy this amazing handbook written for chameleon owners to know more about them.
Most Common Chameleon Poop Problems
Let’s take a look at the three most common Chameleon poop problems:
Problem #1 – Your Chameleon Is Not Pooping
An adult chameleon should poop once or twice a week. It’s okay if once in a while your chameleon doesn’t poop for a week or so. What you need to look for is if this has become a regular pattern, despite eating regularly.
Usually, not pooping happens because of not eating enough, not eating enough variety of feed, or dehydration.
The first thing to do is to hydrate the chameleon. Try misting more frequently or for a longer duration for a few days. If it still doesn’t poop, try to improve the variety of insect feed. Usually, this provides the extra push your chameleon needs to poop.
If all fails, it’s time to take it to a vet. There might be a blockage in the intestines, like an insect part or substrate. Before you panic, remember that this is not very common.
Problem #2 – Your Chameleon is Constipated
If your chameleon is eating less, acting lethargic, or dehydrated, it may have constipation. It will not pass stools or any stools it passes will be hard and dry. At this time, it might even display aggressive behavior towards you. You should increase the fiber content of its food by adding vegetables along with the mealworms. This will help to pass the poop easily.
Constipation that lasts more than two weeks is a sign that your chameleon is seriously ill, and you should see a vet.
Problem #3 – Your Chameleon’s Poop Is Stuck To Its Rear
The first step is to identify that it is poop. If yes, then help your chameleon by using warm water to gently spray the area. After this, your chameleon should be able to pass it.
Editor’s Note
Never try to pull it out using tweezers or your hands.
If misting doesn’t help, it might be a more serious condition found in reptiles- prolapse. This requires emergency medical treatment and cannot be treated at home. Make the earliest appointment with the vet and keep the chameleon’s rear humid and moist.
How To Clean Up Your Chameleon Poop Like A Pro?
The right way to do it for best hygiene habits is to clear out the poop from the enclosure when you spot it. Chameleon poop is not messy or smelly. So, you can simply put on your gloves or even a plastic spoon to remove the poop.
Then take a moist paper towel to clean the parts of the enclosure soiled by any poop. A deeper cleaning should be done once a week. You should also plan for a thorough cleaning once a month. Watch this guide for A-Z instructions on cleaning the chameleon cages.
You will have to do it daily for young chameleons and then only once a week for adults.
Or you could wait till your chameleon is relaxed in a corner or asleep in the night. This will be less stressful for your chameleon. The poop will also be easier to remove because it would have dried up.
FAQ’s
Do Chameleons Eat Their Poop?
Like most animals, chameleons can try to eat their own poop. They can smell or see undigested chunks of food in the poop and want to eat them. Or there might be insects crawling or circling the poop, so they can try using it as bait. A more serious reason could be a parasitic infection which may make your chameleon act strangely.
Does Chameleon Poop Smell?
Chameleon poop usually doesn’t smell compared to other animals. Smelly poop is an indicator of parasitic infection in chameleons. But if the slight smell bothers you, try switching the chameleon to a diet of crickets.
Is Chameleon Poop Dangerous?
All poop is dangerous to humans. Chameleon poop might have Salmonella, tapeworms, or roundworms. These can cause several health problems for us.
Conclusion
Chameleons indeed have very strange and unusual excrement. As a pet owner, you must be aware of what to expect from your creature, and how to ensure your chameleon has the healthy bowel movement it deserves.
Hopefully, now you are much more informed about Chameleon poop!