This is Lilly. I've had her for a year now. Is she gravid? What exactly does a gravid Cham look like? I thought they would be a dark color with spots??



She's obviously overweight. I've been cutting back her crickets, giving her three to four a day. My problem is I'm not sure how much is enough for her. As she tries to leap out and snatch the feeder cup before I even get it in the cage. Watching me at the door with her mouth slightly opened, tongue hanging out.

Any advice?

She also has fat legs. That worries me.

Also, today I was eating strawberries and she kept giving me the "feed me look." Out of curiousity I opened her cage and showed her the strawberry. She licked it and then "munch." I let her have two bites. Are strawberries bad? I think there was a thread about this before. Some people say yes, others say no.

And since everyone loves baby pictures:

She is fat! Like fat people,she will have a shortened lifespan.
Cut back on her food. Don't worry,she won't like you any more or less.

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2 crickets a day good??

That just seems like not a lot.

I would say more like 6.

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Seriously? I'm feeding her four now. Sometimes three other days maybe five.

Why is she so fat?? I can't understand it. They aren't extremely large crickets either.

She does sit around a lot. I see my male climbing up and down his cage all day long. While she spends a lotta time sitting around.

How old is she? She may be gravid,in which case she is allowed to be chubby.
How big is the cage?

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Little older then a year. Meaning I've had her for a year. Her cage is 16 x 16 x 30. I thought gravid veileds looked....different. Darker with spots?

They don't always show gravid coloration. Does she have a laying bucket, she has quite a belly on her.

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Often times they won't show the Gravid pattern unless there is a Male around to to trigger it. The best way you can tell if she is Gravid is if you have a male, pull her out and show her to him... If not, maybe try a mirror, but I don't know if that will work. If that doesn't work, I would try gently feeling for eggs in the belly. How long have you been witnessing a weight gain for.

Regardless I would definately provide a spot for her to dig just in case. It is always a good Idea to provide a digging bin for a fem over 6 months just in case she develops a clutch and needs to dig. I think egg binding is so common with unfertilized clutches, because the keeper, having not bred the Cham, sometimes is not concerned with giving her a place to lay eggs until it is too late. The colors don't look gravid to me, But the Belly sure does.

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I agree with Juli, most of the time they show some intense gravid colors but not always. It would be a good idea to prepare a container for some egg laying just in case.

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