gravid carpets chameleons

[Gazzatino]

hi my gravid female must be ready to explode and i can see her eggs bulging.
i have various laying pots with different substrates in as i want her to get these eggs out.
how ever she just dont seem interested one bit in digging let alone laying..
her heath is fine drinking etc but as normal low feeding level..
how long do they take to lay in general ?
would be great to hear ideas. regards

 

[Solid Snake]

You may want to try and contact Dooley1.
If he or others that work with them dont respond.

 

[Chase]

She is not interested because you probably go and disturb her.

This was taken from JannB's Blog- "For a regular laying bin I would not use anything smaller than a 12X12X12 and a 14X14X14 or a 16X16X16 would be even better.

You need to have 12 inches of substrate in the bottom of the can. I use washed play sand. It’s very important to have the sand moist so that it will hold a tunnel and not cave in on your female. I take a big spoon and dig a tunnel all the way to the bottom to make sure it’s going to hold the tunnel. If it’s too dry or too moist they will refuse to use it. Some females will dig several test holes before they finally get one they like. I usually leave my test hole and sometimes Camille will use it.

Once you have determined it’s time for them to lay eggs you must put them in the laying bin and give them complete privacy. If they see you looking they can abandon the hole and become egg bound. It will take hours for them to dig the hole and get it just the way they want it. Camille once spent all night in the laying bin. She did stop digging and went to sleep in the hole and early the next morning she was digging again. I was afraid to move her and just left her in the hole over night. The tunnel is usually slanted toward the side of the can and goes all the way to the bottom. I would not put more than 12 inches of sand in the bottom because they will dig to the bottom and it’s too hard on them to have to do so much digging.

While digging the hole they will be head first in the hole. Once they get the hole to their liking they will turn around and lay the eggs. Usually this doesn’t take nearly as long as digging the hole. Again, very important, DO NOT let your female see you looking. She needs complete privacy to lay these eggs. Once she’s finished laying the eggs she will start covering up the hole and then pat the sand down and return to the branch. Camille is always exhausted and once I see her covering the hole I get her out of the laying bin and return her to her tree. She is very weak and needs plenty of water and food. First I give her a really long misting to get all the sand off her and she takes several long drinks. Then I give her several feeders (silkworms are excellent at this time) heavily dusted in calcium with no D3. I would highly recommend buying some liquid calcium and keep it on hand for your female. Once I notice that Camille has eggs I give her a drop of liquid calcium once a week until she lays the eggs. After she lays the eggs I give her a drop or two every day for 3 to 4 days. If you don’t have liquid calcium, then heavily dust her feeders with plain calcium for 3 to 4 days after she’s laid eggs. I feed her very well the first fews days after laying and then after 3 or 4 days I put Camille back on her regular feeding and supplement schedule.

When your female comes out of the laying bin she should look very thin. If she’s still fat then you have a problem because she has not laid the eggs. I always weigh Camille after she's out of the laying bin and she's always 20 to 22 grams lighter. If your female didn't lay the eggs you can try leaving her in the laying bin for longer but I would take her to a good chameleon vet at the first sign of a problem. Many of the females die from egg problems and live a shorter life than the males. If you get her to the vet in time a vet can give oxytocin to induce egg laying before she becomes egg bound. Several injections of oxytocin over several days might be needed. If she still doesn’t lay the eggs surgery is the only other alternative. Surgery is very risky but at this point it’s the only choice. If your female is healthy and your husbandry is right she shouldn't become egg-bound unless she has a reproductive system deformity, deformed eggs, etc."


LPR08