Eggs? Helpppp first time ever

Asour89

Established Member
Okay, so I feel like we are at the stage of my Fanci having infertile eggs. I have never experienced this before, but from what I’ve read, she is looking like she is growing them. She has also been pacing the bottom of the cage, which is not her normal, just this past week. So, I’m now freaking out a bit. She has a lay bin in the bottom with a 50/50 mix of organic soil and play sand (13x11 inches). I have tested it and it holds holes to the bottom every which way, to corners and everything. I figured I would go ahead and fill out the help questionnaire just to assist.
Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Female, Veiled, about 1 year and 2 months. I have had her for 1 year.
Handling - She does not get held, she doesn’t like it. When deep cleaning her cage or taking her outside, she gets transferred by a stick she is on.
Feeding - She gets fed crickets as her staple, hornworms 2x per month, and Dubia about 2x per month when I can get them, I just incorporate those in with her crickets. She eats about 6-10 crickets every other day. When I have hornworms, about 2 small/med a day or 1 large per day for about 4 days (normally skip crickets when I have the hornworms or will give 2-3 smaller crickets every other day when feeding hornworms). When I have the Dubia, I will do 6-7 small Dubia & 4 med/large crickets every other day. Gutload- (crickets and Dubia) oranges, apples, zucchini, carrots, collards, cricket crack. Hornworms come with their own food.
Supplements - For a year I used zoo med vitamins alternated with calcium w/d3 every other week. Last week I got Repashy plus lod, but will still do the calcium with d3 every other week. Every feeding she gets calcium w/out d3.
Watering - Cage is misted 3x per day for 2-3 mins. She drinks off leaves.
Fecal Description - Brown & oval... they’ve always looked the same since I got her. The urates are more of an off- whiteish color.
History - She’s not had a problem history.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Screen/wood. The top, front and back are screened. The 2 sides are wooden. I have a trash bag attached to the back to help keep humidity up, top and front are open for air circulation. The cage is 3.9 x 1.8 x 1.9 (I built it myself, first time, so my measurements are a little funky )
Lighting- zoo med T5Ho, 5.0 &. 60w daylight bulb. 12 hours on/ 12 hours off. She also gets taken outside in the morning about 1-2 times a week, depending on season and temp. Right now she will go out 1-2 x for about 30 mins to an hour in the morning (8/9 until about 930-10 - temp is about 75-80 F then) the weather in N.C. tends to get really hot about 10. She also gets misted every 30 mins when outside.
Temperature - Basking- 85-90 F. Floor about 70 F. Lowest overnight temp - 70 F. Digital and analog thermometer.
Humidity - 60-70. I have a humidifier in the room for overall humidity and the cage is misted 3x daily for 2-3 minutes. Digital hygrometer.
Plants - a ficus tree (in lay bin) and pothos plants in various areas around cage) they were repotted in organic soil/sand.
Placement - living room. It is near fans, we don’t run the fans. The top of the cage is about 4 feet from the ground.
Location - North Carolina

Current problem - Egg laying (infertile). I tried to prevent it with research, but it’s inevitable. I’m freaking out.



Here are a few of my questions...

1. Is my conclusion correct? Does she look as if she is growing eggs? Is this the reason for the new colors and shapes of her belly? (first time ever seeing the gold and blue-ish coloring)

2. How will I know when she needs her privacy? Do I just need to go ahead and put up a curtain daily until the deed is done?

3. Do I need to start giving her extra calcium now?

4. Is there anything else I am missing that I need to know?

5. Should I go ahead and make her a starter hole (that was suggested on a Facebook page, but I haven’t done so)

6. Should I take a Xanax to calm my anxiety until it’s over & done with? I feel like I’m having my own baby!

I just want this to go as smoothly as possible for her with no extra stress or problems. So any and all advice is GREATLY appreciated. If it is not her egg laying time, does anyone have any advice on signs that it may be her time? I have read that they could have very subtle signs, so is it okay to just keep the lay bin in there at all times?
 

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6. Should I take a Xanax to calm my anxiety until it’s over & done with? I feel like I’m having my own baby!
You had be dying at this part lol it’s totally normal to be a hot mess around this time. So by her colors she looks like she’s now receptive. I would suggest starting to weigh her so you can keep track of her growth. My female was 146 grams the day she laid and 106 grams after laying. One she gets closer to laying she will start to eat less and I would also add to start feeding her smaller amounts to prevent one egg development and two to help prevent compaction. She will turn almost black and have blue and yellow dots around egg laying time. I would add the curtain now just so your not scrambling when time comes. I would give my female high rich calcium feeders around this time as well to help prevent calcium leeching.

gravid colors
928372CA-6F8F-4019-8063-7B590A5A5537.jpeg
 
You had be dying at this part lol it’s totally normal to be a hot mess around this time. So by her colors she looks like she’s now receptive. I would suggest starting to weigh her so you can keep track of her growth. My female was 146 grams the day she laid and 106 grams after laying. One she gets closer to laying she will start to eat less and I would also add to start feeding her smaller amounts to prevent one egg development and two to help prevent compaction. She will turn almost black and have blue and yellow dots around egg laying time. I would add the current now just so your not scrambling when time comes. I would give my female high rich calcium feeders around this time as well to help prevent calcium leeching.

gravid colorsView attachment 237849
So when you say feed her smaller amounts, how small are we talking? And do I do this until after she’s had her eggs? Is there a time frame after her being receptive to when she lays her eggs? And what about the extra calcium?
 
So when you say feed her smaller amounts, how small are we talking? And do I do this until after she’s had her eggs? Is there a time frame after her being receptive to when she lays her eggs? And what about the extra calcium?
So when my female was making eggs I would feed her maybe 4 small feeders or one larger feeder and that’s it. Yes do this till she lays her eggs. I think it took at least 4 months for my female to lay after she showed the receptive colors. Just make sure you dust like the roaches or crickets with calcium ever feeding as well

BSFL and silkworms are rich I’m calcium
 
1. Is my conclusion correct? Does she look as if she is growing eggs? Is this the reason for the new colors and shapes of her belly? (first time ever seeing the gold and blue-ish coloring)

B-Yes and no lol, she is very early in the reproductive cycle, not even gravid yet.

2. How will I know when she needs her privacy? Do I just need to go ahead and put up a curtain daily until the deed is done?

B- no privacy curtain for a good while. When she starts eating less and gets restless that’s the curtain goes up. The restlessness your seeing now is her looking for a mate, not a spot to lay.

3. Do I need to start giving her extra calcium now?

B- can you please explain what your doing and planning to do a bit better? I think your overdosing on D3...

4. Is there anything else I am missing that I need to know?

B- Always! That goes for all of us! Lol

5. Should I go ahead and make her a starter hole (that was suggested on a Facebook page, but I haven’t done so)

B- starter hole is optional, I personally don’t do it. Either way you won’t need it for months.

6. Should I take a Xanax to calm my anxiety until it’s over & done with? I feel like I’m having my own baby!

B- I’d lean more towards some smoke(legalized of course!) but hey, to each their own!

I just want this to go as smoothly as possible for her with no extra stress or problems. So any and all advice is GREATLY appreciated. If it is not her egg laying time, does anyone have any advice on signs that it may be her time? I have read that they could have very subtle signs, so is it okay to just keep the lay bin in there at all times?

B- she’s not going to lay anytime soon but yes, having a lay bin as a permanent part of her viv is by far the best option. This way she can access it anytime and your not stuck trying to guess when she needs it.

You sound like you’ve done your homework, keep asking questions and you’ll both do just fine! Feel free to PM me anytime.
 
1. Is my conclusion correct? Does she look as if she is growing eggs? Is this the reason for the new colors and shapes of her belly? (first time ever seeing the gold and blue-ish coloring)

B-Yes and no lol, she is very early in the reproductive cycle, not even gravid yet.

2. How will I know when she needs her privacy? Do I just need to go ahead and put up a curtain daily until the deed is done?

B- no privacy curtain for a good while. When she starts eating less and gets restless that’s the curtain goes up. The restlessness your seeing now is her looking for a mate, not a spot to lay.

3. Do I need to start giving her extra calcium now?

B- can you please explain what your doing and planning to do a bit better? I think your overdosing on D3...

4. Is there anything else I am missing that I need to know?

B- Always! That goes for all of us! Lol

5. Should I go ahead and make her a starter hole (that was suggested on a Facebook page, but I haven’t done so)

B- starter hole is optional, I personally don’t do it. Either way you won’t need it for months.

6. Should I take a Xanax to calm my anxiety until it’s over & done with? I feel like I’m having my own baby!

B- I’d lean more towards some smoke(legalized of course!) but hey, to each their own!

I just want this to go as smoothly as possible for her with no extra stress or problems. So any and all advice is GREATLY appreciated. If it is not her egg laying time, does anyone have any advice on signs that it may be her time? I have read that they could have very subtle signs, so is it okay to just keep the lay bin in there at all times?

B- she’s not going to lay anytime soon but yes, having a lay bin as a permanent part of her viv is by far the best option. This way she can access it anytime and your not stuck trying to guess when she needs it.

You sound like you’ve done your homework, keep asking questions and you’ll both do just fine! Feel free to PM me anytime.

Thank you! I am now somewhat relieved. and with the D3, I give her the calcium with d3 2x per month.
 
Forgot to add 85-90 is to hot for a female you want to take that down to 80f. Heat also can case high egg clutches you want to try to keep the amount as low as possible to prevent strain on her body. Veileds can lay up to 80 eggs
Up to 80 eggs my poor Fanci! I hope it does not come to that! Will be keeping the basking temp a little bit lower.
 
& just to be certain. I need to now start the calcium with d3 every feeding? With less feeders? Until she lays the eggs? She gets the calcium w/out d3 every feeding already... I know that is a very important part in this process.
 
& just to be certain. I need to now start the calcium with d3 every feeding? With less feeders? Until she lays the eggs? She gets the calcium w/out d3 every feeding already... I know that is a very important part in this process.
No, that’s exactly what I was trying to make sure you weren’t doing! I’d advise you to change nothing that’s working until this reproductive cycle is complete.

To make it clear, you will kill her if you start giving her that much D3 at every feeding.
 
No, that’s exactly what I was trying to make sure you weren’t doing! I’d advise you to change nothing that’s working until this reproductive cycle is complete.
Got it! Will not change a thing, except to feed less and lower basking temp. Thank you. Thank you. I am sure that the closer we get, the more questions I will have! & I will more than likely be posting updates as time goes on, just to make sure that everything is going well!
 
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