Chameleon egg laying

[SuikaTheChameleon]

Okay, this is just a quick question about my veiled chameleons egg laying schedule. I understand that it occurs every 3 months, but it's almost been 4 months since she last laid her eggs(she last laid on August 10th). I dunno if I'm just being paranoid or if I did something wrong or upset her. She does look pregnant, as her belly is fairly big, that's why I'm a bit worried that she hasn't laid yet. I always cover her cage with a blanket so she can have her privacy, and only come to feed and mist her if she's by her basking light. Though I haven't noticed any movement in the soil, so I don't think she even touched it yet. I hope I'm just being paranoid and nothing is actually wrong with her. Thanks a bunch!

 

[CBee7726]

How old is she/ how many times has she laid?
You said her belly looks full, does she have gravid colors showing right now/ has she started digging?
What is her feeding & supplement schedule?
What is her basking temp?

Please take a picture of her& the enclosure

This info will be helpful to help figure out what might be going on

 

[SuikaTheChameleon]

I believe she is a year and a half(I've had her for a year now), and I think she's laid 3 times now? That sounds about correct, as she laid her first clutch in December of last year.

She doesn't have the dark green coloration for her whole body(she never has), but she does have the blur and the orange/yellow colors. She hasn't started digging yet, which is the concerning part.

She is fed superworms at night, she hasn't been eating very much though, I can only get her to eat at least 4 of them. She used to eat a lot more than that before, so it could just be because of the eggs. She can't really eat them on her own though..? It's like she's angry at the worms, so I kind of have to make her hiss at me so she opens her mouth. I doubt this is healthy, but at the same time, I want her to eat at least something...ah, saying it like this makes it sound really bad. I do have tongs for her so she can eat the worms, but again, she gets angry, hisses at it, and leaves.

I'm not entirely sure, since I don't have a thermometer gauge in her enclosure. But the bulb is the 'Zoo Med Repti Basking Spit Lamp, 75w' if that helps.

She doesn't like the camera..haha.

 

[CBee7726]

I believe she is a year and a half(I've had her for a year now), and I think she's laid 3 times now? That sounds about correct, as she laid her first clutch in December of last year.

She doesn't have the dark green coloration for her whole body(she never has), but she does have the blur and the orange/yellow colors. She hasn't started digging yet, which is the concerning part.

She is fed superworms at night, she hasn't been eating very much though, I can only get her to eat at least 4 of them. She used to eat a lot more than that before, so it could just be because of the eggs. She can't really eat them on her own though..? It's like she's angry at the worms, so I kind of have to make her hiss at me so she opens her mouth. I doubt this is healthy, but at the same time, I want her to eat at least something...ah, saying it like this makes it sound really bad. I do have tongs for her so she can eat the worms, but again, she gets angry, hisses at it, and leaves.

I'm not entirely sure, since I don't have a thermometer gauge in her enclosure. But the bulb is the 'Zoo Med Repti Basking Spit Lamp, 75w' if that helps.

She doesn't like the camera..haha.

Hi, so temperature actually plays an important role in a chameleon's husbandry and overall health, so it's super important to measure this in addition to humidity.
She looks gravid to me. I've tagged a couple people that I think have a lot of experience with female chams.

@MissSkittles @AmandaS

Another thing that's a little concerning is the lack of appetite. Is this recent (since she's been gravid) or has feeding been a challenge for a while? Cham's should also be fed in the morning, not at night, so that they can bask and digest during the daytime. What supplements do you dust her food with?

One more thing that I noticed: you have the dual dome fixture. What kind of UVB do you have? Do you have the compact, or do you have a separate linear fixture for this?

 

[kinyonga]

How many eggs did she laybin previous clutches?beiled chameleons should lay eggs about every 120 days as a rule. Over feeding them and keeping the too warm will encourage large clutches and reproductive and health issues such as MBD, prolapses, follicular stasis and egg binding.

 

[Fchamel]

Does anyone thinks she looks overweight? An adjustment to her feeding schedule with help with that.

 

[CBee7726]

Does anyone thinks she looks overweight? An adjustment to her feeding schedule with help with that.

That's why I asked about feeding since that is a common issue with girls, although she does look gravid to me. They said she hasn't been eating much though

 

[Fchamel]

That's why I asked about feeding since that is a common issue with girls, although she does look gravid to me. They said she hasn't been eating much though

Hmmmmm. In that case the eggs are very important

 

[Fchamel]

Check your basking temp. This is Important with egg laying. It should not go over 80. I suggest it being lower since she is gravid.

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi and welcome to the forum! Yes, your lady is most likely gravid.There is no set schedule for their laying and she will do so when ready. However, I do see a few things that are of concern. Please don’t mistake my bluntness for rudeness...I’d like to help get things perfect for your sweet lady.
Your uvb needs to be upgraded ASAP. The screw in uvb is unable to provide adequate levels unless your cham is 2 inches away from it. You’ll need to get a T5 fixture with a 5.0 or Arcadia 6% uvb bulb. It needs to be long enough to span the width of your enclosure.
Are you giving her any supplements? From her casque it appears she may have some metabolic bone disease, which besides all of the other issues it causes, can complicate egg laying. She should be getting calcium without D3 at every feeding except those in which you’d be giving a multivitamin or calcium with D3. Each of those is to be used one feeding every other week. There are other regimens which depend on which supplements you are using.
While correct uvb and supplementation is important for all chameleons, it is even more so with females.
Laying eggs takes a great deal out of our poor little ladies and shortens their lives. There are ways to help reduce not only the number of eggs that they produce, but to decrease the frequency that they lay. I feed my 2 girls 3-4 feeders 3 days a week (plus occasional small treats). I keep their basking temps at no higher than 80. Both laid their last in Feb & March and no eggs since. They have been receptive a couple of times, but even that is decreased in intensity.
When you say you cover her enclosure...do you mean you cover it every day? Only cover the visible areas when she has started digging and once she’s all done, she can stay uncovered.
Now if I may, I’d like to add some general care suggestions for a happier and healthier chameleon. Feeding should be done only early in the day so that she has time to bask and properly digest her food. Superworms are ok, but should only be given as occasional treats. Think of them as being like chameleon candy. Crickets, roaches, silkworms, bsfl are all good staple feeders and giving variety is best. I’ll attach the feeder and gutload sheets. You’ll need to feed your feeders healthy foods so that they will be more nutritious.
I notice you have only fake plants. Veileds love to nibble their plants and have been known to eat fake leaves and get impacted, which can be fatal. Get the bushiest pothos plant you can find, gently wash the leaves with dish soap and rinse and split the plant into 2 pots. They are super easy and fast growers. You want to create shaded areas for her. As they grow, train the vines around your branches for extra little roads for her. Speaking of branches, she needs more. You can use branches from outside. Just wash with dish soap, rinse, dry and they’re good to go. Avoid pine and other trees with sap.
Lastly, it looks like your enclosure is a 16x16x30”. She outgrew this long ago. She needs at minimum a 2x2x4’ enclosure or equivalent.
Some great resources to learn more - Neptune the chameleon on YouTube and do read all at this https://chameleonacademy.com/veiled-chameleon-care/
Of course, we are always here to help and support you so that you and your cham have many happy healthy years together.

 

[SuikaTheChameleon]

Her lack of appetite only started once she started showing signs of eggs, so I dunno. And yes, I'll change her feeding schedule now. I've only dusted her worms with calcium without D3. For her UVB, I have the 'Reptisun 5.0 UVB, 13w.' For the fixture, I'm not sure I quite understand what I'm being asked... I'm sorry. I guess I'm just not very well versed in all of this.

For her previous clutches, she's laid around mid twenties to high thirties. Her last clutch was around 30 eggs, her first was... I think 37 or 38.

I'm going to be getting a thermometer for her soon so I can check.

I'm going to be getting her a Megaray UVB when I can, since they're quite expensive. I'll also be upgrading her enclosure so it's larger just like you said. As for her crest, she did burn it last year because she got to close to her heat lamp, so that could be what it is, so I can only hope it's not MBD...
For the covering situation, I do cover it all day so she has privacy. But once she's laid her eggs, I take the cover off. I'll also be getting her one of those pothos plants. We did have a plant for her before, but it ended up rotting because of the misting, that's why I haven't had any plants in there since. I'll be getting more food options for her from the list, too.

As for the supplements, could you list some off? I know I'll be getting the calcium with D3, since I already have regular calcium without the D3, but you mentioned multivitamins. I'm not sure what those would be.

Thank you for the help and tips everyone. It means a lot.

 

[MissSkittles]

Her lack of appetite only started once she started showing signs of eggs, so I dunno. And yes, I'll change her feeding schedule now. I've only dusted her worms with calcium without D3. For her UVB, I have the 'Reptisun 5.0 UVB, 13w.' For the fixture, I'm not sure I quite understand what I'm being asked... I'm sorry. I guess I'm just not very well versed in all of this.

For her previous clutches, she's laid around mid twenties to high thirties. Her last clutch was around 30 eggs, her first was... I think 37 or 38.

I'm going to be getting a thermometer for her soon so I can check.

I'm going to be getting her a Megaray UVB when I can, since they're quite expensive. I'll also be upgrading her enclosure so it's larger just like you said. As for her crest, she did burn it last year because she got to close to her heat lamp, so that could be what it is, so I can only hope it's not MBD...
For the covering situation, I do cover it all day so she has privacy. But once she's laid her eggs, I take the cover off. I'll also be getting her one of those pothos plants. We did have a plant for her before, but it ended up rotting because of the misting, that's why I haven't had any plants in there since. I'll be getting more food options for her from the list, too.

As for the supplements, could you list some off? I know I'll be getting the calcium with D3, since I already have regular calcium without the D3, but you mentioned multivitamins. I'm not sure what those would be.

Thank you for the help and tips everyone. It means a lot.

I’m going to say avoid the mega ray uvb. That’s a mercury vapor bulb and unless you have a solarmeter, they can be tricky to get the correct uvb levels. You want a linear T5HO fixture like this. https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/arcadia-prot5-uvb-kit.html
For supplements, since you haven’t yet gotten calcium with D3 or a multivitamin, I’m going to suggest getting Reptivite WITH D3. It’s a combo multivitamin with D3 that you’ll use one feeding every other week. Just make sure the label says with D3 as the one without it is identical.
The only concern about covering her enclosure every day is blocking her ventilation and increasing her humidity. Humidity should be between 30-50% during the day which is much drier than you’d think. If humidity is too high and there isn’t enough ventilation, that could lead to things like respiratory infection. Maybe instead cover only the lower portion so when she does go in her lay bin, she won’t see you so easily.

 

[SuikaTheChameleon]

Oh, okay. Sounds good. Good thing I didn't purchase it right away then! I did get the new enclosure though! It looks pretty nice and very roomy(24x18x36 inches). Still need to fill it up with her stuff though. Not gonna move her until she's laid her eggs unless you recommend otherwise. I'll look for the multivitamin when I can, along with ordering the UVB.

I don't really know about the humidity situation, since I only have a 'Mist'R Lizard Jr' and only spray her plants, and I know that's not even close to 30-50% humidity. I did have a 'Reptifogger,' but it ended up not working anymore. Should I be using a fogger or something else?

 

[kinyonga]

The clutch sizes were a little high but not bad. 80F is fine for basking temperature.

 

[MissSkittles]

Oh, okay. Sounds good. Good thing I didn't purchase it right away then! I did get the new enclosure though! It looks pretty nice and very roomy(24x18x36 inches). Still need to fill it up with her stuff though. Not gonna move her until she's laid her eggs unless you recommend otherwise. I'll look for the multivitamin when I can, along with ordering the UVB.

I don't really know about the humidity situation, since I only have a 'Mist'R Lizard Jr' and only spray her plants, and I know that's not even close to 30-50% humidity. I did have a 'Reptifogger,' but it ended up not working anymore. Should I be using a fogger or something else?

I’d wait until after she’s laid her eggs to move her into the new enclosure. You should get a hygrometer to monitor humidity levels. I use these just outside my enclosures. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R3YC1BC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
You don’t want to use a fogger during the day. If you want you can use a cool mist humidifier at night for a few hours when the temps are cooler. It helps them with their hydration as they breathe in the cool humid air while sleeping. Personally I currently don’t use a fogger at night, but I do add an extra and very brief misting during the night.

 

[SuikaTheChameleon]

Kinyonga, you said the clutch sizes were a little high, may I ask what they should be? How do you help minimize the frequency and amount of egg-laying? I'd like to help Suika as much as I can.

 

[kinyonga]

Mid to low 20's is good IMHO....but with diet and temperature controls you can get it even lower and even stop it most times...and that should increase their longevity.

To do it, after she lays a clutch of eggs (just so you have a good starting point) feed her well for a couple of days and then cut her back to about 3 to 4 crickets two or three times a week. (You don't need to stick to crickets...but that's the amount of food that will work.)

Make sure the basking area is at 80 or 81F to slow her metabolism a bit so she won't feel so hungry.

Feed/gutload the insects well/properly and make sure the supplements are balanced.

Everyone's climate is slightly different...things can't always be completely controlled...so this isn't an exact science.

 

[SuikaTheChameleon]

Hmm. Okay. So, if I'm reading this correctly, I feed her quite a few insects at first, but then gradually move it down to 3-4? Are we feeding her 3-4 a day or 3-4 a week or more?

 

[SuikaTheChameleon]

Another thing, how do we make sure she eats her greens? Since they're not moving, will she not be attracted to them? What do I do?

 

[Fchamel]

Greens should not be fed directly to the cham but put as a gutload for the food she is given. So you give the greens to the bugs before you feed them to your Chameleon.