finally she lays eggs!

[barebones]

so after all my worry and concern about an egg laying bin my panther cham just dropped her eggs so far we have 15 and more to come. And she is letting me watch her drop them! It is very cool can't wait to see how many eggs she has

 

[CNorton]

She must not be doing very well if she's letting you watch. Did you ever think about the natural consequences of a predator watching you lay your eggs?

Chameleons are best left alone to lay their eggs. Most times, if they spot you while they are digging, they will abandon that spot and start digging elsewhere all over again. This is because in the wild, the eggs are a big meal for many animals and if the future generation is to survive, the chameleon must lay the eggs in secret so as not to be found.

 

[barebones]

actually she is doing really good! I am feeding her water in between her laying the eggs. i was giving her some water when i noticed and egg starting to come out its not like im watching her 24/7

 

[Texas Panther Man]

From your post it sounds like she's dropping them while moving about the cage? If so thats def not a good thing. How many days has she been gravid? If she is dropping eggs, you need to get her to a vet to be sure she didnt retain any. I would get an x-ray done I wouldnt trust just palpating her if shes been dropping eggs.

 

[barebones]

she isn't walking around dropping them she is still when this is happening, and she isn't done yet! and i have read on this site that if they are infertile eggs sometimes they just drop them instead of buring them

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Just because the eggs are infertile doesnt mean she will drop them. Generally when a cham drops eggs its because the enclosure and husbandry is wrong. (ie no laying bin or one that is not sufficent for the cham or the soil isnt too the chams liking) Thats why i ASKED if she was dropping them. Your op was a bit confusing. And if my cham were dropping eggs she would see the vet asap after i thought she was done to be sure she hadnt retained any.

 

[barebones]

i have tried about 4 different egg laying bins and she hasnt liked any, but she is sitting just above the bin dropping the eggs in there. there was a post on here saying that if they were infertile eggs they may just drop them. not sure she is my first cham ive had her for about 6 months and still learning. she is really good tho doesn't look stressed at all and i have been making sure she's getting lots of water. maybe this is what she does, not sure? but it seems all good! I can still see more eggs to come so far we have 17 .

 

[Texas Panther Man]

I wouldnt stress her any now by moving her. But in the future if you see her looking for a laying site I would make a bin out of a kitchen garbage can. You can put about 18-24" of soil and sand in it. Then just cut a piece of screen to cover the top. I put a few sticks for my females to perch on while in the bin. I use a 25 watt incandecent for a heat and light source and leave them alone as much as possible. Still mist on occasion if they arent digging. Ive had my females lay every time I put them in the can. Some just dont like laying bins. I believe they like the security they get by from the solid sides of the can.

 

[barebones]

I will try that in the future! thanks for the tip cause like i said I have tried many different bins and mixtures she didn't like any

 

[kinyonga]

You are not listening to good advice. Although your chameleon seems not to be stressed, you should not be letting her see you watching her when she is digging or laying her eggs.

She should have dug a hole....laid the eggs in it and filled it in.
Anything less that this with a panther chameleon means that there is a problem. I hope she will lay all the eggs and not retain any...and that she will recover from this...but the usual scenario is that the next time they lay eggs they have problems again unless the only reason for her doing it this time is because you have been watching her.

Did she dig any holes at all? What size container(s) did you provide for her and what did you use as a substrate in them?