Egg Laying

Zucchini Cham

New Member
Hey!
I have a female veiled cham named Zucchini coming up on seven months. I posted a thread on June 6th about her starting to get a belly meaning she had eggs. I set up a large bin of dirt with a pathos plant in her home. It's coming close to the end of July and she still has yet to lay any eggs. How long does it usually take to lay eggs? Is this normal or should I find an exotics vet to take her to? She hasn't shown any signs of discomfort or stress and she's acting normal when she eats and during handling so I'm not sure.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5754.JPG
    IMG_5754.JPG
    163.9 KB · Views: 93
  • IMG_5756.JPG
    IMG_5756.JPG
    103.8 KB · Views: 100
I do know many people recommend sand or dirt and sand mixed. This is so it’s able to hold a tunnel. Have you tried digging a tunnel yourself to see if it will hold?
 
Okay i will definitely check that out i appreciate it. And ya she hasn't eaten any dirt as far as i know but ill take her to the vet anyway just to be safe.
Yeah I mean... I am a firm believer in vet care. With these little guys things can go bad very quickly... I would be most concerned about the dirt and her eating it especially if it is the dirt that has the little white like foam pieces in it.

As long as your lighting and supplements are correct the only concern to me is where is she at in her egg production and has she been eating the dirt. Just make sure it is an experienced reptile vet. Regular vets are great but really do not have the knowledge needed for chams. Good luck to you. :)
 
As said above I would get a vet checkup on possible ingestion of dirt and the possibility of being egg bound too. They need privacy during egg laying have you tried putting a curtain up around her cage to give her privacy? I have read they will not lay if they see you or disturb them and this can lead to being egg bound. I’ve seen @JoXie411 egg laying bin setup pictures on here before but can’t find them at the moment. She had the laying bin sitting under the cage itself with a curtain around the cage. It was a pretty nifty setup.
 
Yeah I mean... I am a firm believer in vet care. With these little guys things can go bad very quickly... I would be most concerned about the dirt and her eating it especially if it is the dirt that has the little white like foam pieces in it.

As long as your lighting and supplements are correct the only concern to me is where is she at in her egg production and has she been eating the dirt. Just make sure it is an experienced reptile vet. Regular vets are great but really do not have the knowledge needed for chams. Good luck to you. :)
oh of course its not the kind with the little foam thingies i believe its the exo terra plantation soil.
also, i think the nearest vet that takes in exotics is three hours away so i wont be able to take her until saturday. do you think she'll be alright until then because i cant miss school
 
oh of course its not the kind with the little foam thingies i believe its the exo terra plantation soil.
also, i think the nearest vet that takes in exotics is three hours away so i wont be able to take her until saturday. do you think she'll be alright until then because i cant miss school
Well I would get the soil corrected... if she covered your hole then she is interested. I would be really concerned about the dirt caving in on her in the mean time should she try to dig and lay.

Others will chime in.. This is not my area of expertise... I just know what I have learned from others but do not have first hand experience with females.
 
Joxie hasn't weighed in yet I have a female and have gone through egg laying here is my two cents:

I sifted coconut fibers out and used 3/4 coconut substrate 1/4 play sand it stays constantly moist. Your cham will start hanging out more at the bottom of the cage and maybe start to leave a couple feeders behind. Cover the bottom half of the cage or put up a camera and leave her alone for a few days if she is pacing the bottom.

Breathe! If you've been giving her proper supplementation and husbandry she should have no problem laying. I was so scared (still kinda am TBH) about laying but honestly they've been doing it for a zillion years. Husbandry is the most important.

Oh -- and for the record, I spent HOURS sifting coconut fiber out of the substrate SO THAT IN CASE she accidentally snagged a feeder on it it could pass easier -- and both times she has layed it has not been in the carefully set up bin -- it's been in the pothos plant. :rolleyes:
 
She doesn’t look ready yet to me her coloring isn’t correct for gravid and she would be a lot bigger. She will be almost black with teal and yellow stripes/spots

6A13EDEC-AA4B-41A0-B1E4-50E99270835E.jpeg
4277D238-7944-4A3C-AF09-5345523B9FCD.jpeg
D24FF275-84FF-4FD6-A851-8F8A1F59B06F.jpeg


I want to say it took 5 months from the receptive colors to gravid colors.
DAFE7BDC-0BFF-494A-B223-AD46AAA5D5A3.jpeg


This was her showing me she’s ready to lay by digging at the screen
82A3840B-06A9-43D0-804E-562088706785.jpeg
 
Joxie hasn't weighed in yet I have a female and have gone through egg laying here is my two cents:

I sifted coconut fibers out and used 3/4 coconut substrate 1/4 play sand it stays constantly moist. Your cham will start hanging out more at the bottom of the cage and maybe start to leave a couple feeders behind. Cover the bottom half of the cage or put up a camera and leave her alone for a few days if she is pacing the bottom.

Breathe! If you've been giving her proper supplementation and husbandry she should have no problem laying. I was so scared (still kinda am TBH) about laying but honestly they've been doing it for a zillion years. Husbandry is the most important.

Oh -- and for the record, I spent HOURS sifting coconut fiber out of the substrate SO THAT IN CASE she accidentally snagged a feeder on it it could pass easier -- and both times she has layed it has not been in the carefully set up bin -- it's been in the pothos plant. :rolleyes:
Find all the pics took time lol

And I just woke from a nap
 
Back
Top Bottom