Are eggs the cause?

[Forestdellic]

My 4 month old female veiled chameleon has been blackish/brown for a number of days now. She does bask, drink and move from time to time but she's mostly always brownish with black markings on her and a little bit of green here and there.

This morning I noticed she is hanging around the base of the ficus trees on the compost. She hasn't dug or anything.

Could this mean she is with eggs and is looking for a place to lay?

Could vermiculite be used instead of compost for the lay box?

 

[kinyonga]

Please post a recent photo of her. In the photos I saw in another thread by you she looked too thin to be with eggs.

Don't use vermiculite in the lay box...use washed play sand. The box should be opaque and at least 12" deep by 12" by 8". The sand should be moist enough to hold a tunnel.

 

[Forestdellic]

 

[Forestdellic]

This is she

She isn't as black as she used to be and started to shed out some green, especially in the morning but most of the time during the day she hovers between leather brown with green tints all over the place.

She is still not eating freely. I had to assist feed her each morning. At first she eats but than I always find out that she spat out the food.

This morning I gave her about 4 meal worms, gutloaded and she spat them out. Her dehydration is still not getting any better either.

She weighs 24.4grams

I don't know what to do anymore

 

[Thompson]

I'm not sure to why she's malnourished/dehydrated probably because I haven't been on the forums in forever, but did you buy her like this or did she stop eating and drinking in your care?

In regard to eggs, she really doesn't look gravid, but sometimes you can't tell by just looking. In any case, it would not be a good thing for her to be dehydrated and malnourished if she's carrying a clutch. Get her some silkworms and some Goliath quickly.

Do you have a laying bin with playing sand in her cage ready for her to dig when she wants?

 

[Forestdellic]

I'm not sure to why she's malnourished/dehydrated probably because I haven't been on the forums in forever, but did you buy her like this or did she stop eating and drinking in your care?

In regard to eggs, she really doesn't look gravid, but sometimes you can't tell by just looking. In any case, it would not be a good thing for her to be dehydrated and malnourished if she's carrying a clutch. Get her some silkworms and some Goliath quickly.

Do you have a laying bin with playing sand in her cage ready for her to dig when she wants?

I'm giving her frequent hot and humid showers, I mist twice a day with luke-warm water once in the morning when they wake up and 2 hours before lights off. Refill the dripper and try to feed her every morning like clockwork.

All this in efforts to rehydrate her

She was bought for me like this. She was eating at the petshop so I assume I am at fault here. Thing is I can't figure out the problem.

I am beginning to doubt it's due to her being gravid. She doesn't look like she's capable of holding eggs or if she than there's a good chance she'll be egg bound.

Yes I have an ice-cream tub full of fresh unfertilized/no pesticide compost mixed in with vermiculite, ratio of 2:1.

 

[kinyonga]

Vermiculite is used for the substrate in the incubation container and not for the egglaying bin. Ingesting it may lead to impaction and the females are easily attracted to the shine of the pieces of vermiculite.