Female Veiled Change In Behavior

[SteveInFL]

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Female Veiled Chameleon had her for 8 months she is approx 9 months old.
Handling - Very rarely only when needing to clean cage.

Feeding - Crickets dusted with calcium or vitamin supp. also mealsworms. Gut loaded before being feed. Usually 8 crickets once a day.

Supplements - Reptical and Reptivite. Calcium everyday the vitamin supp once a week.
Watering - Mist once too twice a day for at least one full minute. I always make sure I see her drink after the misting or I do it again.

Fecal Description -Brown and white
History -

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Reptibreeze aluminum frame cage with screen mesh. 16"x16"x20"

Lighting - Reptisun 25 watt UVB Bulb and heat lamp. Turn on UVB bulb when I go to work at 5am and basking lamp when I got home at 5pm
Plants - Hibscus (leaves fell off a week ago need new one) and store bought branches.

Placement - In small alcove by my bedroom. Not vents or fans. Low traffice area (it's mostly just me)

Current Problem - I've noticed a change in my female Veiled Chameleon's behavior. She likes to spend most of her time hanging on the cage screen not on the branches liked she used too. She doesn't hunt her feeder crickets like she used. She was a very aggressive hunter going after them and eating them in less then 10 minutes now she eats one or two right away and may take up to 30 mintues to eat more. She does eat meal worms I give her very quickly. I have noticed her go to the bottom of the cage briefly several times but she comes back up. Is she needing to lay eggs? She's never been mated so I'm sure if she has to great rid of some eggs. Here's a photo of her

 

[SteveInFL]

Here's the photo

 

[jannb]

She may very well have egg and the laying bin looks small for her. You need to change a few things in the way you are keeping her to keep her healthy. She needs a bigger cage, lighting and supplement changes you'll find in my blog. I'm attaching a couple of my blogs for you below. The first is general care and there's a section for females. I'm also attaching my egg laying/laying bin blog.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...-keepers-young-veiled-panther-chameleons.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/345-egg-laying-laying-bin.html#comment824

 

[Elizadolots]

In my opinion, any female over 5 months should have a laying bin just in case. To me, she looks like she's in the early stages of being gravid (they'll produce eggs even if not mated). The orange bars on her sides seem pronounced and her belly has a bit of a pooch.

I don't keep veileds, so can't say I'm an expert, but I stand by the belief you should get a laying bin in there for her, regardless if this is the time or not.

**edited to add**

Oh, is that a laying bin?

 

[SteveInFL]

Thanks for the info. I plan on getting her a bigger cage in the near future. I have bought a five gallon bucket and filled it with sand that is for burrowing reptiles. I'm not sure if I should try to place her in the bucket and see if she wants to start looking for a place to dig or should I wait for her behavior to become more pronounced?