Gravid Cham/ 1st time owners

Chams are very strange, each one is very different, same as any female...one of my females laid a clutch last week just 2 days after showing receptive colors...I came home from work and she had sand all over her and her laybin was ruffled up... that was super fast!!....I don't keep veiled chams though
 
I would be thrilled if she started digging and laid her eggs.

Al I can say other than that is to watch for signs (that I already told you )that will indicate she is eggbound and get her to the vet at the first sign of it.
 
Well,since it almost took an accident in our feeding protocols to trigger her hunting instinct again, maybe placing her directly in the sand will prompt her to investigate it and we will have a successful resolution to this. Maybe our cham's just not too bright.
 
@Markpr73

Hey there happy Friday.

Kinyonga knows her stuff I would definitely listen to her. You mentioned not knowing what info to trust. Trust hers.

My two cents on the whole thing is this if it helps.

I would get a larger lay bin. It looks small enough to where she doesn’t have much choice of where to dig. Something that covers the bottom of the enclosure almost entirely that way if she goes to the bottom at all she’ll more than likely go into the bin. Dig a couple holes for her so she gets the idea. Looks like yours is a large deli container sort of thing. I’ve had females like the larger laying site. The depth you have looks good.

IDK what kind of laying medium your using, but I have females who prefer a mixture of 50/50 playsand to organic potting soil and another that prefers 100% playsand. I don’t think your cham is dumb. It’s in their genes to lay eggs it might just be her being picky.

As far as the lights go, to clarify, you use a T5 5.0 High Output (HO) strip light for uvb and the house bulb for heat. Both are at the top. The heat goes in a corner to create a heat gradient. I was unsure if you were understanding what was previously said so I just wanted to clear that up. Maybe I’m just projecting my own confusion with what I think I read lol

On a separate note, I would be weary of fogging with the heat lamp on. There’s a thread and a podcast about that danger of that if you’d like links. Essentially, heat and fog create a breeding sight for bacteria. Just fog at night and mist during the day and offer a dripper. That’s a whole other conversation tho unrelated to the eggs, but just thought it might help in case you keep your lovely lady. As was previously said, all the knowledge you need is on this site from the people here who have kept chameleons successfully for many years.

Let us know if you have any questions. Btw chameleon keeping is WAY more rewarding and fun than collecting square stickers. :)
 
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Ok, we replaced the single bucket with two square bins, of the same height, that covers a wider area at the base of the cage. I actually put her right in the sand this morning and she did not appear to have any desire to do anything but get back up on her vines. Don’t know if she’s just taking a long time to get to the point of delivery but she DOES appear that she might be starting to show some bumps/bulges. Have not yet contacted an animal rescue but that may be on tap soon. Don’t want her to suffer but we’re not rich and probably could not afford a pricey surgery at this time. She does seem to have established a rudimentary “bond” with us, and periodically appears to really enjoy coming out of her cage to sit on my arm ( not while she’s in her current condition, of course) and she gets very relaxed and her colors get very vibrant and pretty. She’s a pretty mellow girl.
 
And today, on the very day we were planning on returning to the vet to look at further testing, bloodwork, etc. , she has finally decided to start digging in her laying bin(s). Not just walking on the surface just to get to a vine or the other side of the cage, but actually digging. Her enclosure is covered on all sides except for a very small section at the bottom through which we can monitor things. Her appetite fell off again about three days ago and her roaming increased. Today seems to be the payoff. We’re gonna leave her be and not mess with her, and hopefully we’ll have good news soon.
 
Markpr73 said:
And today, on the very day we were planning on returning to the vet to look at further testing, bloodwork, etc. , she has finally decided to start digging in her laying bin(s). Not just walking on the surface just to get to a vine or the other side of the cage, but actually digging. Her enclosure is covered on all sides except for a very small section at the bottom through which we can monitor things. Her appetite fell off again about three days ago and her roaming increased. Today seems to be the payoff. We’re gonna leave her be and not mess with her, and hopefully we’ll have good news soon.
Click to expand...
Great news!
 
We’re on pins and needles. She’s been constantly digging in one of the bins, to the point where she dug down far enough that she met the wall of the bin and has now started digging in a circular “trajectory” back towards the opposite side where there is more sand. I’ve been very concerned that she still does not have enough room to get the job done (we could not locate any single bins of the proper dimensions and had to use two smaller bins to accommodate the amount of coverage needed at the bottom of the cage. Also, one larger bin is considerably more difficult to lift in or out of the cage due to the weight/dimensions). She has been digging at least once an hour, sometimes twice,for three days now, but no eggs yet. No appetite either, which we expected. I’m curious how large a diameter of continuous, uninterrupted sand would be the minimum amount we should provide for her? I want to add more to both bins but my wife wants me to stay out of the cage now that she’s clearly digging.
 
Markpr73 said:
We’re on pins and needles. She’s been constantly digging in one of the bins, to the point where she dug down far enough that she met the wall of the bin and has now started digging in a circular “trajectory” back towards the opposite side where there is more sand. I’ve been very concerned that she still does not have enough room to get the job done (we could not locate any single bins of the proper dimensions and had to use two smaller bins to accommodate the amount of coverage needed at the bottom of the cage. Also, one larger bin is considerably more difficult to lift in or out of the cage due to the weight/dimensions). She has been digging at least once an hour, sometimes twice,for three days now, but no eggs yet. No appetite either, which we expected. I’m curious how large a diameter of continuous, uninterrupted sand would be the minimum amount we should provide for her? I want to add more to both bins but my wife wants me to stay out of the cage now that she’s clearly digging.
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Yes she’s right, stay out and don’t let her see you see her digging.
 
kinyonga said:
Picture of the bins please...but be careful not to let her see you taking the photo.
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We have been trying to leave her be as much as possible but we had an issue just a few minutes ago, where the sand in her preferred bin collapsed on her. She got out with a bit of assistance and climbed back up to her favorite perch but is clearly exhausted. No eggs yet. I’m very concerned that there’s either not enough sand or that it’s not wet enough/too wet.
 

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Markpr73 said:
We have been trying to leave her be as much as possible but we had an issue just a few minutes ago, where the sand in her preferred bin collapsed on her. She got out with a bit of assistance and climbed back up to her favorite perch but is clearly exhausted. No eggs yet. I’m very concerned that there’s either not enough sand or that it’s not wet enough/too wet.
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It should be able to hold a tunnel that you make with your fingers
 
I understand that. What I am concerned about is the depth/width of uninterrupted media for her to dig through. We originally started out with a 3-gallon plastic bucket ( which was recommended by a cham owner’s YouTube vid) and then were advised to ditch the bucket in lieu of a larger bin, that would cover most of the area at the base of her cage. Local availability being what it was, we had to go with two bins placed side to side. They are approximately 16x10x9 inches each. We have tested the consistency of the media to confirm its ability to clump and it seems to be fine in that regard. The media is a mix of play sand and Eco Earth substrate. I’ve had it recommended to me by another poster that we need more potting soil, however my wife is adamant that we leave the bins alone. I’m tearing what little hair I have left out.
 
You’d think so, wouldn’t you? All the bins were either too long (lengthwise)or to short (heightwise). We did start out with a plastic bucket (3 gallon) and were chastised for that because it apparently didn’t cover enough of the open space at the bottom of the enclosure. It feels like every step we take to satisfy one person’s recommendations completely go against another person’s. So now, after practically begging my wife to “allow” me to add more media to the bin and getting shut down, I’m at a loss as to how to help this little creature.
 
IMHO...you need more depth....filling them fuller might work if the sand is moist enough to hold a tunnel.

BTW...there's a limited amount of time before a female won't be able to lay her eggs so it needs to be right ASAP.
 
kinyonga said:
IMHO...you need more depth....filling them fuller might work if the sand is moist enough to hold a tunnel.

BTW...there's a limited amount of time before a female won't be able to lay her eggs so it needs to be right ASAP.
Click to expand...
I agree with everything you’ve said. My wife wants me to butt out. I think there needs to be more potting soil mixed in too. My wife wants me to butt out. I’m afraid I’m going to be forced to watch my wife make some very bad choices and that the cham will pay for it with her life. This was my wife’s decision to get into this in the first place and she CLEARLY didn’t know what she was getting into. I offer my help and I report comments/suggestions from these forums and then sit back and watch her ignore the info. What can I do?!?
 
I believe that’s the exact same vid I watched on YouTube. And the same size bucket I eventually bought. And the same bucket I was admonished by somebody else NOT to use because it didn’t cover enough space at the floor of the cage. So, I TRIED!
 
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