Will my Jackson chameleon lay infertile eggs?

[mommyof11]

Hi! My female Jackson is about 8-9 months old. She has been hanging out on the bottom of her cage on and off for the past week. She is also not moving around as much as she usually does. Her appetite has not changed. And she is just as mean as always.

I have read a million sites and am confused! I know she will lay live babies when bred. I have not even exposed her to my male as of yet (planned to wait until she is a year). Will she also expel infertile eggs? Will I need to make something for her to have them in? Or will she drop them as she would fertile eggs/babies?



Thank you for any advice! Though she is mean, she is our girl and I really can not find any valid info on this subject.

 

[Chamlo]

Maybe she was pregnant from the pet store. That is weird. Does she look plump? They don't give infertile birth. No eggs involved so she will give infertile birth.

 

[mommyof11]

She is not really plump....but not thin. :0) She is eating as much as my male and I have cut her back after reading on various sites. I was concerned she would have eggs to expel but I would not notice due to her weight.

If she will not have to worry about infertile eggs, I will return her to her normal appetite. I am sure she will be happy with that!

I am fairly certain she was not pregnant when I got her from the show as she was VERY tiny. She was even smaller then my first female (who died because I had her in with my male and did not know any better).

 

[ISA my Veiled]

You dont have to worry about her laying eggs or becoming egg bound, Jacksons chameleons are a live baring species meaning they only give live birth. So you do not have to worry about that.

 

[Chase]

She is not really plump....but not thin. :0) She is eating as much as my male and I have cut her back after reading on various sites. I was concerned she would have eggs to expel but I would not notice due to her weight.

If she will not have to worry about infertile eggs, I will return her to her normal appetite. I am sure she will be happy with that!

I am fairly certain she was not pregnant when I got her from the show as she was VERY tiny. She was even smaller then my first female (who died because I had her in with my male and did not know any better).

First off, they do not lay eggs.

How long have you had her? She is still eating? Drinking?

You said she is hanging around the bottom of her cage; Is this the very bottom, or just on the bottom of the plant?

What are the temps in her cage?

-Chase

 

[mommyof11]

How long have you had her? She is still eating? Drinking? I have had her since early February. She is still eatng and drinking.


You said she is hanging around the bottom of her cage; Is this the very bottom, or just on the bottom of the plant? She is hanging around at the very bottom. Not always, but more then normal.



What are the temps in her cage? Daytime temps are 78-82. Nighttime temps are 72-75.

 

[Chase]

Is she sleeping over night on the bottom?

Could you fill this out please.


Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.


Pictures are helpful



-Chase

 

[chameleonkev]

Maybe she was pregnant from the pet store. That is weird. Does she look plump? They don't give infertile birth. No eggs involved so she will give infertile birth.

I would be very worried if she lays eggs as jacksons are live berring lol

 

[Swayne8998]

Sometimes, if kept at higher temps, female Jackson's will produce "slugs," which are like egg yolks. It's rare, but only happens if they are too hot. So if you give provide adequate needs (seems like you do so far), she will not produce any.

 

[Elizadolots]

Your overnight temperatures seem a bit on the warm side. Do you just keep your house that warm at night? Or are you making an effort to keep her warm at night? She'd benefit from a significant drop in temperatures at night. If you can let it get to 65 or even less at night it would help her.

 

[mommyof11]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Jackson, female, approx. 9-10 months old. I have had her 8-9 months.

Handling - She is rarely handled. She is not a people person unlike my male who always climbs out of his cage and onto my arm.

Feeding - She is eating 5-7 medium to large crickets per day. She is fed every morning. The crickets are gut loaded with commercial cricket food and also fresh fruit and veggies.

Supplements - Reptivite every other week and Exo Terra calcium once a week.

Watering - I have a drip system set up but neither of my Jacksons will drink from it. I mist 4-6 times per day (my Jacksons and their plants) and every evening they drink straight from my spray bottle. My male seems that he looks forward to this. My female seems that she is only drinking this way because she needs to. (any other suggestions would be welcome)

Fecal Description - I am going from memory of cleaning this morning and in the past but I think the fecal has been dark with a bit of gel type fluid around/with it.

Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? No

History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. I have a malde and female and the cages are side by side. However, there are 2 pieces of cardboard in between the cages and they have never seen each other.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) Screen- 36x18x18

Lighting - 5.0 UVB (changed out every 5-6 months) and a heat bulb (can not remember the wattage...will check tonight). Both lights go on in the morning and off between 8 and 10 at night.

Temperature - Daytime- 78-82 Nighttime 72-75. Measured with a thermometer.

Humidity - 66-74 I maintain them through the drip system, spraying and monitioring many times per day. I use a hygrometer (I think that is the name)

Plants - There are philodendrums in each cage as well as a few fake vine plants.

Placement - Cages are sitting on top of a dresser in an extra bedroom. The top of the cages are over 5 feet tall from the ground.Location - I am in WV.


Current Problem - Female Jackson has been laying on the bottom of her cage (she is there now). She is still eating and drinking the same. But she does not seem like herself.
I have placed her on the side of her cage and it has made her very angry with me. Once she is on the side, she does not try tio go back to the bottom right away. She was on the side of her cage this morning. Since then, she has went to the bottom.

 

[mommyof11]

As for my nighttime temps, in the winter months I did have the temps around 65. I thought warmer temps would be better for them though so I don't try to cool it off in the summer.

I will be dropping the temps though starting tonight.

 

[Elizadolots]

I'm concerned about the plants. Not only do I not find philodendrons on the Safe Plant list I find some suggestions that it is known to be toxic.

Reptiles - Toxic Plants
List of plants that can be toxic to reptiles
...
Philodendron – Philodendron spp. and Monstera spp.

 

[mommyof11]

I am so sorry! The plants in their cages are Golden Pothos! I was pulling the plants out of the cage after reading you reply and saw the names listed on the side of the plant.

 

[Elizadolots]

Just to be on the safe side, maybe you might want to post a picture of a plant? There are people here who are really good at identifying plants. Sometimes the stores get it wrong!

Pothos plants are safe.

On drinking...I'm always a bit wary about the "drinking right from the sprayer" thing because it seems like there's a danger that you might drown your chameleon. How much water are you putting in each cage when you mist? I really think you should be misting at least 1 quart of water every time and more would not be amiss.

It sometimes helps to get the dripper going first, then do the heavy spray down. It's like the dripper is then just a continuation of the rain or something.

**edited to add question**

Do either of your supplements have D3 in them? While Jackson's don't normally require a lot of supplementation, they do want some D3. I think if it were my animal I would be giving calcium maybe 2x/week and a multivitamin with D3 once a month.

 

[mommyof11]

I will try to post a picture this evening. (but I did look online at about 50 other photos already to "confirm" what they were). :0)

I have no problem with spraying that much when I mist (though not spraying that much at this time_. I do have a question though. The bottom of their cages are a particle type board with a shiny surface. Should I place a piece of two of paper towel down prior to spraying? I have read that you can, but most seem to think nothing on the bottom is better. If I place nothing, should I wipe down the bottom in the evening??? I am just concerned that the over spray on the bottom could end up with bacteria.

I have ths dripper going but have never once seen them take any interest in it.

My reptivite has D3 in it. You think I should cut back from every 2 weeks with the Reptivite? And up the calcium from once a week?

 

[Elizadolots]

You know, why don't you wait for someone with more Jackson's experience to advise you on the supplements. I just wanted to make sure she was getting some D3. Whether once a month of twice a month is better, I don't know.

If you've confirmed the plant type 50 times, they I think you're in the clear!

You can put paper towels or even towels on the bottom of the cage. If you use regular towels you'll want to switch them out and wash them every other day at the least.

A better long term solution is to fix it so the cages have some drainage. There are lots of ideas in the enclosure forum. What you can do depends largely on where you keep the cages. With them on top of a dresser, it might be possible to have a bit of the cage sticking off the side, drill a hole in the bottom and run a tube from the hole to a container on the floor.