Egg laying need some ADVICE

[dreamforthedead]

I have a 16 week old Yemen Chameleon called Mia i need any advice on the whole egg laying thing. She's my First Chameleon, i've looked on the net but loads of people say different things about signs that a female has eggs. I'm sooo confused, how can you tell? How old will she be when she starts laying? How will i know if she's egg bound? I have a spare terrarium that im gonna use for when she starts laying, i've already got the sand ready too.

 

[gary1621]

Its good to be prepared but you shouldnt need to worry for a little while. Dont panic about the conflicting information everywhere, the trick is to read from a reliable (experienced keeper) source, such as here... and follow/adapt them to as close as you can to suit you and your cham.

You female will grow into her adult colours, gaining lots of blues and oranges.

Egg production is dependant on how much you feed your female and the temperature she is kept at.
Too much food produces large clutch sizes which isnt too good for your cham.
High temperature speeds up egg production (i could be wrong)
Either way, if you control these variable well, your cham might not produce any eggs at all

The blues will become vivid and she will start exploring her cage a lot more and possibly want to come out... she is on the hunt for a boy
I would add a laying bin about now.
Her colours will calm down a bit as will the exploring.
The second time her blues become vivid and she starts to explore she is looking for a laying site.

I can only offer you what has worked for me in the past.
My veiled has a large container/RUB, 12" wide 12" high, not sure of the depth Maybe 9 or 10"
I filled it with a 2:1 soil to sand mix and kept it moist so that when your female digs the walls stay up and wont collapse on her.

She will feel more comfortable if left in her current surroundings, instead of being removed to a strange home and expected to dig and lay eggs there, could stress her out.

When you see her investigating and starting to dig in the laying bin it is best to leave her alone and dont disturb her. If you can, cover the front of the enclosure with a big sheet. A disturbed cham can become egg bound. I cant offer help on the signs of egg binding as *touches wood* Peanut has laid successfully.

Good luck with your little girl. Whats her name?

Stick around the forum, read other peoples threads and ask as many questions as you like... its nice to go through these things with people and gain from their experiences

 

[CHAMKINGZ]

She should be showing gravid or receptive colors

 

[kinyonga]

She should develop mustard/yellow spots when she is becoming sexually mature...and then blue dots when she is receptive.

Its hard to know when they are going to lay the first clutch or even if they will lay a clutch....so IMHO I would recommend providing an opaque container of washed play sand in her cage now and leaving it there so that she has a place to dig to show you she's ready to lay eggs. The minimum size I would recommend for the container is when empty, she will fit into it with several inches to spare on all sides and at least 8 to 10" deep.

When/if she starts digging do not let her see you watching her while she is digging. It will make her abandon the hole and this can lead to eggbinding if it happens too often.

Signs that she is getting ready to lay eggs include but are not inclusive to these...roaming the cage, increased girth in the lower half of the body, increased thirst, grumpy, decreased appetite (if she is producing a large clutch), etc.

Signs of eggbinding include but are not limited to...sitting low in the cage, lethargic, digging a hole and filling it in without having laid eggs, sleeping during the day, etc.)

 

[tonyb441]

veiled cham

i have sort of the same questions about my veiled Gerri she is about 5 in long body and 2 in tail not sure how old she is about 4in long body size and tail is about 2 to 3 more in. i dont take her out of the cage much because she doesnt like it but she does hand feed cant get her to go on hand. but anyways that is a way different story. I'm not sure how old she is if anyone can help? also i dont know the signs or colors she may be when shes ready to lay eggs?

 

[kinyonga]

tonyb441 said..."i dont know the signs or colors she may be when shes ready to lay eggs?"...the female will develop mustard colored splotches when she is sexually mature and then blue dots when she is receptive. Non-receptive/gravid (dark background colors with the bright blue dots) colors can come and go during the time she is non-receptive/gravid.

If you provide her with a suitable place to dig in the cage, she should show you when she is ready to lay eggs. Once she starts digging, do not let her see you watching her or she will abandon the hole thinking that it is not a safe place to lay them...and if it happens often enough it can lead to eggbinding.

As I said in another post in this thread...

Signs that she is getting ready to lay eggs include but are not inclusive to these...roaming the cage, increased girth in the lower half of the body, increased thirst, grumpy, decreased appetite (if she is producing a large clutch), etc.

Signs of eggbinding include but are not limited to...sitting low in the cage, lethargic, digging a hole and filling it in without having laid eggs, sleeping during the day, etc.)

 

[tonyb441]

thanks for the advice

 

[Miss Lily]

I think Gary and Kinyonga pretty much summed it up, so I won't repeat what they have said. This is by far the best place to learn. I would also add that they can go off their food when receptive too - all they want to do is roam around on a 'man hunt'. Again, she may stop eating about a week to 10 days before she lays. She may also dig 'test' holes for several days before finding a spot that she is totally happy with and getting on with digging for real. It is possible that she may lay her first clutch from about 6 montsh of age. Having said that my first cham didn't lay a clutch until she was 14 months old and then she laid 2 massive clutches (I was guilty of overfeeding and will not make that mistake again)! Amy is now almost 16 months old and still is yet to lay.

 

[MurvinLeeHancockMom]

Pregnant Cham

I am going through the same thing right now (I think). Murvin has become VERY portly over the last couple days, and is also being pretty lethargic. I don't think she's constipated because there was fresh poop yesterday and she only goes once every couple days. Besides, she's WAY too big to just be constipated. However, she's not scratching at the walls of her cage (she's in a birdcage right now), nor has she been digging at the bottom. She has become a little darker in color, but not all the time. I have only just started to see a little bit of orange on her sides. I think she's about five or six months old. I put her in a big planter bucket, it's about two feet in diameter, and there is about eight inches of moist soil in the bucket as well. So far, she's just sitting in the exact place she was when she decided to let go of my fingers.
I'm pretty concerned, I don't know if she is pregnant or if she is sick. Unfortunately, I have called pretty much every vet in the greater Cleveland area and none of them treat reptiles, so I really don't know what else to do. Someone please help! You all seem so knowledgeable. The internet is confusing and scaring me, and all everyone seems to say is that Murv is going to die. Can't handle it....
Help!!!!!

 

[kinyonga]

Its hard for us to tell you if your chameleon is producing eggs or not.
If she is sitting lower in her cage, lethargic, etc. then I would take her to the vets...(I know you said you can't find one...but I still think its necessary).

 

[jord1]

How long does it take from carrying eggs to become egg bound

 

[kinyonga]

There is no way to tell. There are several reasons why they wont be able to lay the eggs and it's not always easy to know which one(s) might be the cause.

 

[Ashleynoble]

Miley has been digging and has dark yellow/brown spots that are new. However I cannot palpate or visualize any eggs. She is my first Cham so I’m not sure I am correct when I say I cannot see a clutch . I’m nervous about egg binding. Is it normal for a female to dig in the absence of a clutch? I have provided pictures in case the more experienced Cham owners see something I don’t. She has about 3” of coconut substrate and I placed a sheet over the side of the cage she has begun to dig on. There’s a “bridge “ piece she goes under to dig so I believe I have provided adequate privacy. Please help, I’m nervous.

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum!

The if she's actually digging a hole and not just digging at the front edge of the cage it could be that she's ready to lay eggs. Her size would depend quite a bit on the temperatures you've been keeping her at and the amount of food you've been feeding her.

Is your substrate moist enough to hold a tunnel when you try to dig a hole in it?

Also, of that topic...you should have real non toxic, well washed, both sides of the leaves plants in the cage. Veiled females in particular eat leaves...and plastic ones will lead to Impaction.

 

[Lindasjackson]

It would help to if we had more info about her. Would you like to fill out this form and we can make sure you have every thing dialed in perfectly for your sweet girl to get through this egg laying and give her a healthy life? The more details you can give us, the
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.

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Please Note: