female egg laying

[thedude]

i have both a male and female ambilobe panther chameleon. we got the female to mate with our male. shes 5 months old. i read alot about female chameleons before i purchased her but now i don't know if i was ready. shes got a great temperment but i'm afraid she will get egg bound and i won't recognize the signs in time. should i always keep a pot of organic soil in her cage to be safe? and if so since it should be damp soil, how often do i need to change it out? i would appreciate any input from anyone experienced with female care. thanks guys.

 

[Justin Ward]

i have both a male and female ambilobe panther chameleon. we got the female to mate with our male. shes 5 months old. i read alot about female chameleons before i purchased her but now i don't know if i was ready. shes got a great temperment but i'm afraid she will get egg bound and i won't recognize the signs in time. should i always keep a pot of organic soil in her cage to be safe? and if so since it should be damp soil, how often do i need to change it out? i would appreciate any input from anyone experienced with female care. thanks guys.

if you read a lot beforehand, you should know that most people dont breed until a 1 year of age to make sure the female has size on her, as the whole digging and laying process can take a tole on her...5 months sounds kinda young to lay eggs period, but it is possible...i keep laying bins in my female cages at all times, and they pretty much stay damp from regular misting and whatnot, just check every now and again if its looking dry to see if it will hold a tunnel...make sure that you give her privacy when you see signs of digging...best of luck to you

 

[thedude]

right i didnt think she would lay eggs till around 9 or 10 months but some of the caresheets on different websites said they can lay as early as 5 months. i agree 5 months would be too young to mate. i wasnt actually planning on mating till 15 months old but i was worried about egg laying. i guess worrying can be good since chameleons have specific needs but i wasn't certian about leaving a pot in the cage the majority of the time. i value your experience. and will probably keep a laying bin or pot in the cage for now on, just for piece of mind. do you change out the soil or dirt frequently?

 

[Justin Ward]

right i didnt think she would lay eggs till around 9 or 10 months but some of the caresheets on different websites said they can lay as early as 5 months. i agree 5 months would be too young to mate. i wasnt actually planning on mating till 15 months old but i was worried about egg laying. i guess worrying can be good since chameleons have specific needs but i wasn't certian about leaving a pot in the cage the majority of the time. i value your experience. and will probably keep a laying bin or pot in the cage for now on, just for piece of mind. do you change out the soil or dirt frequently?

ok, i read your original post wrong, it kinda sounded like you already mated them...you will see her start to show receptive colors (pinks, peaches, oranges) before she lays...i would get the bin in at that time, i used washed play sand instead of soil...jannb has a really good blog on egg laying and laying bins, ill find the link, but im sure she will post it here anyways

 

[Justin Ward]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/345-egg-laying-laying-bin.html
there ya go buddy, give that a read

 

[thedude]

thanks justin. appreciate your help.

 

[Justin Ward]

thanks justin. appreciate your help.

thats what we are here for, right?