female ready to Lay eggs?

[Dan]

hey everyone! Sorry I havent been around much, nursing school is taking over my life! figured Id give ya all a little update on my two and maybe get a few questions answered along the way.

Both my chams seem to be doing well, they are both a little over a year old. They have been having a vitamin A deficiency so I have been working on fixing that, but it seems to be a slow process. Other than that they both are active, sleeping, drinking and eating well.

My female got what I am thinking is a burn on her side about 2 months ago, it healed a little bit, but it hasnt been getting much better lately. Also, she looks like she may be ready to lay eggs, or so I was told. I have spotted her trying to move the rocks on the tops of the soil of the plants in her cage, I am guessing that she is looking for a place to dig. How do I know when sheis ready? She can lay eggs even if she hasnt mated, right? I know that I am supposed to supply an area for her to dig and lay the eggs, but what exactly should I be setting up for her, and how do I know when to put her in it? Lastly, if I were to try and mate them should I introduce them to each other and then let her lay, or how do I go about doing that?

I will try and get some decent pictures of them and post them.


Thanks everyone!

 

[Dan]

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I just took these, i tried to get some good pictures of my female of her burn mark but she makes it very difficult to take pictures of her, I hope you can get the gist.

 

[Dan]

 

[kinyonga]

You asked..."How do I know when sheis ready?''...she will roam the cage looking for a place to lay them, she may stop eating a few days before she is ready to lay (some don't) and she will likely drink more. Sometimes these indications are very subtle...so I provide an opaque container of sand in all egglaying females' cages once they are old enough to produce eggs so that they have a place to dig. The container only needs to be big enough when empty for the chameleon to fit into with a couple of inches on all sides of her including above and below her. Some of the females will even lay the eggs in this container.

When the female starts digging in this container and is intent about it I move her to a modified 65 liter rubbermaid bin with a lid. Modification...I cut away most of the lid and replace it with screen.

I fill the container about half full of moist washed playsand and add a branch for her to climb on. I put the chameleon in when she starts to dig in the small container in her cage. I put the lid on and add a light over the screen part. Remember that this is a closed in container....don't "bake" her! You can feed and water her while she is in here as long as she is up in the branches when you do it....and as long as you remove any uneaten insects so they won't eat the eggs or bite the chameleon. Do not let her see you watching her when she is digging or she will abandon the hole. If it happens often enough she could become eggbound.

You asked..." She can lay eggs even if she hasnt mated, right?"...yes.

You asked..."if I were to try and mate them should I introduce them to each other and then let her lay, or how do I go about doing that?"...I hold the female outside the male's cage so they can see each other but they can't attack each other. If the female shows that she is not receptive/gravid by turning dark brown with bright peachy markings, hisses, sways back and forth, etc. then I put her back in her cage. If she shows receptive by remaining calm and keeping her paler background color, etc. and the male recognizes her as a receptive female, then I put the female in the cage with the male. I watch for a bit to make sure that everything is okay. I remove her when she starts to repel the male.

In about a month she should lay her eggs...depending on where she is in her cycle when she is mated. Sometimes they will lay earlier (infertile) eggs and then a couple of weeks later lay the fertile ones. Sometimes the first clutch will consist of some fertile and some infertile eggs. Nothing is written in stone.

Hope this helps!

 

[Dan]

thanks! That is def a start for me. I am gonna put a container in her cage for her to dig in and see if she is ready. She is very shy so it is hard for me to tell how much she is drinking or roaming her cage. Whenever she sees me watching her she stops whatever she is doing, so i never really see her drink, roam or eat, although I do catch her in the act every now and then. IS there a way to tell if she has eggs in her?

 

[kinyonga]

You can palpate if you know what to feel for. An x-ray will also show them. I have never done either...I just let nature take its course so I don't stress the female out by handling her more than necessary.

 

[jannb]

What are you doing for the burn?

 

[Dan]

I took her to a vet and was told not to worry about it too much. She said it would heal with time. Any recommendations to promote the healing process?

 

[Dan]

So I put a container of moist sand in her cage to see if she is ready to lay. She hasnt gone near it or dug in it. Does it take time for them to get used to it and dig, or if they are ready will they begin digging right away? She saw my male today and she turned dark, puffed up and began hissing, that would mean she is not receptive right?