Update on gravid female

Ok, so a lot of people posted on my other thread where I asked why my male chameleon was so fat, turns out he is a she and she is gravid, unknown if the eggs are fertile.This happened right after I got her at the reptile show so the eggs very well might be fertile.So I noticed she just stopped eating and has gotten more interested in her little sand box.I am not sure if she has layed them yet.I have a scale the the previous week she was 19-20 grams.I will weigh her again if she is not near the sand box.Is there something that will show that she has layed other than disturbing her?I will move within the next 2 days into a diy screen 2' 2' 4' cage.I haven't been taking her out lately because there has been bad weather and a lot of birds when there isn't. Should I be worried about mocking birds, herons, etc.?P.S. there are too many Skrillex haters on this earth.If You agree then say in your reply that you do.

reptileguy112 said:

Ok, so a lot of people posted on my other thread where I asked why my male chameleon was so fat, turns out he is a she and she is gravid, unknown if the eggs are fertile.This happened right after I got her at the reptile show so the eggs very well might be fertile.So I noticed she just stopped eating and has gotten more interested in her little sand box.I am not sure if she has layed them yet.I have a scale the the previous week she was 19-20 grams.I will weigh her again if she is not near the sand box.Is there something that will show that she has layed other than disturbing her?I will move within the next 2 days into a diy screen 2' 2' 4' cage.I haven't been taking her out lately because there has been bad weather and a lot of birds when there isn't. Should I be worried about mocking birds, herons, etc.?P.S. there are too many Skrillex haters on this earth.If You agree then say in your reply that you do.

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I would think that any bird big enough to grab your cham should be worried about. I would think you should be really worried about a heron. JMHO. This may age me but I had no idea what or who Skrillex was. I googled it and listened to a song/video. Music is kinda cool but I found the video a little strange. I did like it tho.

You will notice that the chameleon is dirty. That's the first sign, she will have sand all over her face. Second, she will be noticeably skinnier, and really tired looking.

If you really don't think you will be able to tell, what you can do is smoothen out all the sand in the laying bin then draw a pattern in the sand. I usually leave a swirly pattern. That way, if the pattern is disturbed in a certain spot, you will know where the eggs are. I do this when I have to use large bins.

After she lays give her as much water and food she will accept for a week at least. Don't forget to dust with calcium.

As was said, she should be skinnier once she has laid the eggs. If the eggs are fertile then she will likely produce more fertile eggs in the next clutch's and so she will need to be fed enough to ensure she gets the nutrients needed to maintain her own health and produce healthy eggs. If the eggs are all infertile then she didn't mate before you owned her. You should count the eggs.

No matter if the eggs are fertile or not, she should be well fed and watered for a couple of days. If the eggs were all infertile, after that couple of days you will need to make a choice....do you want her to make more eggs or do you want to try to slow down the egg production or maybe even stop it?

Here's how the egglaying should go....she should dig a hole. Often they will dig a test hile or two but should settle on one and dig it until she is happy with it. She should then turn around butt down and lay the eggs, usually in the evening. It could happen quickly if it might take a while but when she's done she should fill in the hole and tamp it down and return to the branches hungry and thirsty.

If it doesn't go this way and she shows lethargy, sits low in the cage, has her eyes closed during the day you should post about it here and get her to a vet.

Good luck!

Thank, I will look for those signs.The only problem is the dirty one because she has a tendency to crawl around in the water dish (for humidity), so she might not be dirty.I just got a ficus and cape honeysuckle yesterday

reptileguy112 said:

Thank, I will look for those signs.The only problem is the dirty one because she has a tendency to crawl around in the water dish (for humidity), so she might not be dirty.I just got a ficus and cape honeysuckle yesterday

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You should not have a water dish. It serves no purpose but to be a swimming pool for feeders and a toilet for your cham. The last thing you want is for your chameleon to be wading in that.

I clean it every other day.It is just for humidity till I get a ultrasonic fogger.Btw, should I be worried that my little guy...girl is going to get stabbed from a bougainvillea vine?Everyone says they are ok but they have huge skinny thorns!