Gravid??? Egg bound??

[Erin Z]

Hello, I have a female chameleon and she seems to be doing well. She is my first and lately she's been eating less(usually give her 10-12 crickets and she's only eating a couple out of her normal amount.) I have a UVB and two heat lights as it is chilly in my house. Well I've noticed that she has gotten fatter. And it looks like her underbelly is lumpy(eggs???) She has never laid eggs before (she's about 9 months old). I got her a new cage about 2 months ago and she loves it(reptibreeze 18 x 18 x 24 i believe.) She has a ficus with recently started growing a lot more and lots of branches in her enclosure. She has never been one to be active but she's been more active than usual. She's also been pooping more than usual. But instead of it being bigger and a longer time the poop is smaller and it's more often. She's asleep right now so I don't want to bug her by taking pictures so I will post some tomorrow. I am very worried about her and I want to know if I need to take her to a vet. I don't have a ton of money so if I really need to go to the vet I will do it. I love her to pieces and would hate to see anything happen to her. Let the worrying begin :/ hope someone can help thanks so much in advance !!

 

[ferny123]

I am in the same situation. Everything you described sounds very similar to my chameleon. From what I've read (on this site and others) the only thing to do is make sure they are getting the proper vitamins and hydration. Also to make sure the laying bin is big enough and has the right type of sand, soil etc.

 

[kinyonga]

To Erin and ferny...does your female have a place IN the cage to dig to show you when she's ready to lay eggs?
Please post recent photos of your chameleon.

 

[carol5208]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/laying-bin-set-up-educational-video.77225/

 

[Erin Z]

To Erin and ferny...does your female have a place IN the cage to dig to show you when she's ready to lay eggs?
Please post recent photos of your chameleon.

Yes I have a 3 gallon (or 5 I'm not totally sure) trash can. But she has zero interest in it. She keeps wanting to go into a smaller one that hold my ficus (a 6inch planted pot). It has rocks on the top of it though. What should I do? She doesn't let me handle her.

 

[Erin Z]

I am in the same situation. Everything you described sounds very similar to my chameleon. From what I've read (on this site and others) the only thing to do is make sure they are getting the proper vitamins and hydration. Also to make sure the laying bin is big enough and has the right type of sand, soil etc.

I've mixed sand with soil and I'm keeping it damp. But as I said she has zero interest in it.

 

[Erin Z]

I know I can't make her lay her eggs but I feel like there's more I can do. She fell twice already(once today and once yesterday)

 

[Kristen Wilkins]

I know I can't make her lay her eggs but I feel like there's more I can do. She fell twice already(once today and once yesterday)

Hi there , my girl Frances layed her first clutch in feb . She dug up every pot in her enclosure , over several days . She slept in holes over night then would be digging new ones . Finally she did decide on the very first hole .