Female Veiled problem?

[dj special k]

I'm unsure if my female is sick or gravid. She is about 7 months old and I introduced her to a 1 year old male about 2 weeks ago. I kept the in the same cage for 3 days and I wouldn't know if they mated or not. I separated them into their own cages. I have the temperature and humidity in control as well as feeding and watering. Just last night I noticed she was on the floor of her cage lying there. She didn't look sick or ill... Her eyes weren't sunken in, her color was still green. She was alert and didn't look like she was in pain. In fact, when I tried to pick her up thinking she fell and hurt herself, she gaped at me and slowly climbed up on the vines. This morning before I went to work, I found her at the bottom of the cage again. I watched her for a while until I had to go to work, and noticed she looked a little weak seeing as she was having trouble pulling herself up on the vines. I'm unsure if she is eggbound and was looking for a place to dig... or if I need to seek professional medical advice. I didn't have enough time to watch to see if she was looking for a spot to dig or not. Does anybody have any experience in this area?

 

[Dyesub Dave]

Hey DJ,

I'm certainly no expert but I would definitely put a pail in her enclosure with some moist sand/soil for her to dig. Also ... do you have any idea what the temps in her cage are? I just thought that perhaps she is going to the bottom to try and cool off.

There should be others on here with much more experience that will have some helpful suggestions for you!

GOOD LUCK!

Dyesub Dave.

 

[Smitty]

I would get a bucket in there right away as well. Note: they won't dig if they see you because they will think you are a predator and will eat their eggs.

Search the forums for the best ways to provide a place to lay.

7 months is really young to try and breed. You need to be sure you are giving plenty of supplements with your gutloaded feeders and a good source of UVB along with a lot of water. Creating eggs is a very difficult job for a cham, especially when they are still growing like that.

 

[dj special k]

Here's the followup:

I created a tank with a medium for her to dig; but before that, I turned off the basking lamp that I had directed to the middle of her cage and seemed to be doing a little better. I gave her a good 30-minute showering to make sure she was hydrated and she was drinking a little bit in there. I haven't seen her eat in a couple days and I'm hoping that today she will actually have the energy to eat; although, I won't be able to see because I'm at work from 8-5.
I'm thinking maybe she was feeling too hot from the basking lamp? But when I would have it on for a period of time during the day, she would come right up to the wall of the cage and just bask her underside. I'm still unsure of what could have been the problem.

 

[kinyonga]

dj special k said..."I wouldn't know if they mated or not"...how did she react to the male when you put her in the cage? Was she gaping, hissing, lunging in the male's direction, body inflated, almost black background color on her body...or was she clam, body slim, holding her body close to the branch, no hissing or gaping?

What color was she in the background when she was removed from the cage?

You said..."she looked a little weak seeing as she was having trouble pulling herself up on the vines"...what is the temperature in her basking area? What supplements do you dust the crickets with and how often? What UVB light do you provide for her? What do you gutload/feed the insects with? (Please be specific...brand names, etc.)

It would likely be a good idea to have her checked by a vet if you can't figure out the problem quickly.

 

[dj special k]

When I put them together, she was gaping at first, but her colors were still green. After an hour or so, she was approaching him. I'm assuming that they didn't mate because he's too big for her; She's half his size. When they try to mate, he'll go behind her and then after 10 minutes of trying... he walks away from her. I've kept them in the same cage for three days straight 2 weeks ago and had work for 2 of those days. Within that time, I wouldn't know if they successfully mated or not. She does display a different shading from time to time where her body is a little dark and she has spots that are the color of when she is not stressed. I have pictures that I need to upload to show you.
As for her set up. I'll post that in a little bit. I'm at work right now.

 

[dj special k]

Here's an update... Her hind legs are swollen and she doesn't like climbing very high. She stays on the floor of her cage and she's lost her appetite. I had to force feed her crickets as well as water too. Her eyes aren't sunken in. She still seems to be somewhat strong in terms of her eyes are active and when i come close to picking her up to feed her, she gapes and hisses at me. Her front legs appear to be normal as she appears to be using them to pull herself around and using her hind legs to do minimal movements.

 

[kinyonga]

I would get her to a vet ASAP while she still has some strength.