always on the ground

[veiledmaggiemoo]

hi there everyone i'm new to the forum so forgive me if this problem has probably been mentioned before. I have a few issues I'm concerned about and the more i read up on websites the more panicked i get!

i have a female veiled chameleon who is roughly 6 months old. She has never had any problems shedding but this month she only shed her head and legs.....is this normal? She's also become very patterned in the last two weeks but i've read this means they are scared???

Also this past week she has barely eaten, just letting hoppers walk on her and letting me get them off for her. She's never had a problem with being held before but has recently started hissing at me and walking on the ground and behind her plants to hide. It also looks as if she may have been digging. I'm really unsure of the egg-laying situation too.

Any help would be fantastic i worry about her so much lol

 

[Julirs]

Perfect symptoms of a female that needs to lay eggs. Place a pot that is at least 10" around and 10" deep in her cage that is filled with moist organic soil or a mixture of Bed-A-Beat (cocount fiber) and play sand also moist enough to hold a tunnel.

 

[alhickabee]

Sounds like she's gravid with infertile eggs. Get a laying container in there immediately, a small round trash can filled with play-sand or 50/50 sand/vermiculite moistened enough to hold a tunnel. Leave her totally alone until she is done especially if she is digging. If she sees you she will most likely abandon that hole. If at anytime her eyes become sunken in or she is not acting normal get her to a vet.

Read up on how to care fully for an egg laying female:
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

 

[veiledmaggiemoo]

sorry!

here is some more detailed information....

Cage Type - all glass with a mesh top roughly 18x18x24 (24 inches being height)

Lighting - UV bulb hangs above the mesh - on for 12 hours a day

Temperature - I have a thermometer that reaches between 75 F and 80 F, if she gets too hot she tends to move to the other side of the cage as the heat lamp is only placed abouve one half of the enclosure. Lowest overnight temp between 60F and 70F .

Humidity - Humidity levels tend to stay around 80 i use misting about 5 times a day and dripper if necesary.

Plants - I use artificial plants and vines.

Location - The cage is located on high drawers. the top of the cage is nearly 2 metres from the ground.

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - she is a veiled cham, female, and was told she was 2-3 months when i bought her and she has been in my care since september 2008

Handling - She is handled when being cleaned out and also if she doesn't mind coming out at other times, although this ius becoming rare.

Feeding - She mainly has a diet of hoppers and crickets until two weeks ago was eating up to 15 a day (on average) and also sometimes has mealworms and wax worms as a treat. she gets fed in the morning and late afternoon. i mostly gut load with grated carrot.

Supplements - T-rex chameleon supplement i think.

Watering - i mostly mist for 2 minutes about 5 times a day. i have only seen her drink a handful of times.

Fecal Description - Her faeces is fairly large i think! normal brown part then white on the end. she goes every day without fail.

History - No previous information.

Current Problem -Hiding on the ground behind logs, waterfall and plants. some digging looks apparent. also she has started hissing at me and will often sit with her mouth gaping.

 

[veiledmaggiemoo]

ok thanks so much. wont be able to get one in tonight cus its 7pm uk time so everywhere is shut! so what is best to use for her to lay in...organic soil?? and how long shall i leave it in with her?

 

[Syn]

Pmoist organic soil or a mixture of Bed-A-Beat (cocount fiber) and play sand also moist enough to hold a tunnel.

play-sand or 50/50 sand/vermiculite moistened enough to hold a tunnel.http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

There you go lol.

 

[NewOwner]

Perfect symptoms of a female that needs to lay eggs. Place a pot that is at least 10" around and 10" deep in her cage that is filled with moist organic soil or a mixture of Bed-A-Beat (cocount fiber) and play sand also moist enough to hold a tunnel.

My female veiled is around 4.5-5 months old now, so i suspect within the next couple months she will lay infertile eggs, Do you mind me asking how many parts of each you put in?

Coconut fiber : play sand

Ps, I have some 'desert sand' from the pet store that i bought, its quite a big bag... Would it work for the 'Playsand' part? Its very fine sand..

Thanks for your help

-Levi

 

[alhickabee]

Couple of things to point out in your husbandry:
-By UV bulb be more specific. Is it the swirly compact florescent type buy? If so get rid of it immediately. You need a tube florescent UVB, preferably a Zoo-med repti-sun 5.0 and a regular incandescent bulb for the basking spot.
-Depending of the size, 15 bugs a day might be too much. Also mealworms aren't a good feeder since they're high in chitin, try superworms instead.
-Get rid of that waterfall, they harbor bacteria. Try using a dripper instead. Poking a pin-sized hole in the bottom of a container/jug and putting it on top of the cage will work well. Or you can buy a commercially made dripper.

Read every word of that link I posted in my previous post. It is the best veiled care sheet on the web.