Gravid colours showing?

[Tinydino]

My Vada will be 4 months on the 24th
(Hatch date July 24th 2020)
Everything I've learned says that I dont have to worry about eggs for a little while yet. But my girl started with some yellow spots a while ago. And now has some pretty teal lines showing that are new (they dont show well on camera.)
She already has a laybin in her enclosure. (I wanted to be ready and give the plants a chance to grow a little before she needed it)
But are these gravid colours Im seeing and do I need to change anything with her diet or anything?
She currently eats 2 supers and all she can eat crickets daily(morning hours)I give her a couple silk worms and a horn worm as weekly treats. (Bug selection is limited in my area)

 

[MissSkittles]

She is a bit too young to be gravid and her coloring doesn’t suggest she is. She is a bit plump but I think it’s more being overweight than eggs. More on that in a bit. She is starting to mature though and in about the next month or so you’ll really see her colors come out and she’ll become very restless. This is when she’s receptive for mating...she gets all prettied up and goes trying to find a man. Anywhere from a few weeks after that she will be showing signs of being gravid and will lay her eggs.
Now about her weight and feeding...she is being overfed, which besides causing general health problems for any chameleon, it can cause large clutches of eggs and contribute to egg-binding. Superworms and hornworms should be only for treats and silkworms can be one of your staple feeders. You also want to start cutting back on the amount you’re feeding. By the time she becomes receptive, she should be getting around 4-5 feeders every other day. After she lays her first clutch, cut her back further to 3 feeders 3 times a week (plus occasional small treats). Along with this you’ll want to keep her basking temps around 80*. This will help not only reduce the amount of eggs she lays, but the frequency that she lays. Laying takes a great deal out of them and shortens their lives. This is what I do with my 2 ladies and they each have only laid once this year. Here is a great article which helps explain it.http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/keeping-female-veiled.html

 

[MissSkittles]

Also, if it helps, here’s pics of one of my girls when receptive and gravid. The difference is subtle with just their dots being more pronounced when gravid. Usually when gravid you can see little lumps at their back too. Hope I’ve been of some help.

 

[Tinydino]

She is a bit too young to be gravid and her coloring doesn’t suggest she is. She is a bit plump but I think it’s more being overweight than eggs. More on that in a bit. She is starting to mature though and in about the next month or so you’ll really see her colors come out and she’ll become very restless. This is when she’s receptive for mating...she gets all prettied up and goes trying to find a man. Anywhere from a few weeks after that she will be showing signs of being gravid and will lay her eggs.
Now about her weight and feeding...she is being overfed, which besides causing general health problems for any chameleon, it can cause large clutches of eggs and contribute to egg-binding. Superworms and hornworms should be only for treats and silkworms can be one of your staple feeders. You also want to start cutting back on the amount you’re feeding. By the time she becomes receptive, she should be getting around 4-5 feeders every other day. After she lays her first clutch, cut her back further to 3 feeders 3 times a week (plus occasional small treats). Along with this you’ll want to keep her basking temps around 80*. This will help not only reduce the amount of eggs she lays, but the frequency that she lays. Laying takes a great deal out of them and shortens their lives. This is what I do with my 2 ladies and they each have only laid once this year. Here is a great article which helps explain it.http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/keeping-female-veiled.html

I was sure i was supposed to feed as much as she would eat daily until 6 months. Then cut back. I didnt even know they could be overweight as juveniles ????
I wish I had silks available locally. But I need to drive an hour and a half to pick them up. So for the time being I can only offer them as treats.
The hornworms are strictly treats. She has had 4 in the last 5 weeks.
Today she ate 2 supers and 5 crickets i removed the rest at noon. She has only been eating supers for the last 2 weeks.
I was just really surprised to see new colour already. I thought there would be more time before she started showing changes.
I guess my little fatty is going on a diet starting tomorrow morning!

 

[Tinydino]

This is her full body.

 

[Tinydino]

Do colours show suddenly? Or do they appear over a period of time?
The yellow and lighter stripes are new. But they arent full colours like all the pictures I see. But did those pretty yellows just fully show one morning?

 

[MissSkittles]

I was sure i was supposed to feed as much as she would eat daily until 6 months. Then cut back. I didnt even know they could be overweight as juveniles ????
I wish I had silks available locally. But I need to drive an hour and a half to pick them up. So for the time being I can only offer them as treats.
The hornworms are strictly treats. She has had 4 in the last 5 weeks.
Today she ate 2 supers and 5 crickets i removed the rest at noon. She has only been eating supers for the last 2 weeks.
I was just really surprised to see new colour already. I thought there would be more time before she started showing changes.
I guess my little fatty is going on a diet starting tomorrow morning!

It’s when they’re under 3 months that they can eat all they want and then you’ll start counting feeders. I transitioned my male slowly once he reached about 4 months...12-15 for a few weeks, then 10 for a few more weeks, then 8 etc. He just turned 8 months and I have him on 4 feeders every other day. For the girls, they need to be cut back a bit quicker/sooner. Usually around 6 months old is when you’ll see them reach their maturity and cut her back to 4-5 feeders every other day.
Your girl isn’t obese...just a bit plump/well fed. In another current post, there’s the video by Petr Necas which covers weight.

 

[Tinydino]

It’s when they’re under 3 months that they can eat all they want and then you’ll start counting feeders. I transitioned my male slowly once he reached about 4 months...12-15 for a few weeks, then 10 for a few more weeks, then 8 etc. He just turned 8 months and I have him on 4 feeders every other day. For the girls, they need to be cut back a bit quicker/sooner. Usually around 6 months old is when you’ll see them reach their maturity and cut her back to 4-5 feeders every other day.
Your girl isn’t obese...just a bit plump/well fed. In another current post, there’s the video by Petr Necas which covers weight.

So is 5 crickets and 2 supers daily too much?
Should I cut that in half daily or switch to everyother day now?

 

[MissSkittles]

So is 5 crickets and 2 supers daily too much?
Should I cut that in half daily or switch to everyother day now?

If she’s not yet 4 months old, you can give her about 12+ feeders daily as she is still growing. After 4 months, you can start cutting back by let’s say 2 every 2 weeks. By the time she’s 6 months she’ll be starting to reach her maturity and will be getting 4-5 feeders daily. Then go to every other day.

 

[MissSkittles]

Do colours show suddenly? Or do they appear over a period of time?
The yellow and lighter stripes are new. But they arent full colours like all the pictures I see. But did those pretty yellows just fully show one morning?

I somehow missed this question. Sorry. My ladies colors showed up gradually. If ‘fired up’, you will see more colors but they will go away when calmed down.

 

[Tinydino]

If she’s not yet 4 months old, you can give her about 12+ feeders daily as she is still growing. After 4 months, you can start cutting back by let’s say 2 every 2 weeks. By the time she’s 6 months she’ll be starting to reach her maturity and will be getting 4-5 feeders daily. Then go to every other day.

I've been offering as many as she will eat daily(crickets) and 2 super worms.
I noticed in the last couple weeks that she has cut back on her own.
Last month she would eat an average of about 15 crickets a day.
Now its under 10 most days.

 

[Tinydino]

I have the benefit of knowing when she hatched. She will be 4 months old next week (the 24th)