Gravid Female Still Has Not Laid

Banderson

Member
Hello guys!

It has been about a month now since my veiled chameleon got her gravid colors and she still has not laid her eggs. I got a husbandry review and all the feedback was positive other than the fact I did not have enough branches and I went ahead and added more afterwards. Here we are today and she still has yet to even start to dig.

The most i've seen her in her lay bin is when she just walks across is to get to other parts of her enclosure (She does not even do this now that there are a lot of branches).

How long do I wait before taking her to the vet?
 
Can you post some current pics of her?
In my limited experience, there is no simple answer as to when she will lay or even if she will lay. Looking back at your husbandry form, you have been limiting feeding and basking temps, which is great for reducing number of eggs produced and frequency of laying. Both of my ladies laid one year ago, had at least 2 receptive periods since and only one has laid eggs again (a couple of weeks ago) and the other may be getting close to laying. I was alarmed at first that they weren’t laying, but they weren’t showing any signs of illness or distress so I just remained watchful. I do monitor their weights which does offer me some idea of if/when they may be gravid or nearing laying. My girl who did recently lay had a routine wellness visit at the vet a few weeks prior and I did request an x ray to see if she had any eggs. IMO a vet visit never is a bad idea, if for nothing more than peace of mind.
 
Can you post some current pics of her?
In my limited experience, there is no simple answer as to when she will lay or even if she will lay. Looking back at your husbandry form, you have been limiting feeding and basking temps, which is great for reducing number of eggs produced and frequency of laying. Both of my ladies laid one year ago, had at least 2 receptive periods since and only one has laid eggs again (a couple of weeks ago) and the other may be getting close to laying. I was alarmed at first that they weren’t laying, but they weren’t showing any signs of illness or distress so I just remained watchful. I do monitor their weights which does offer me some idea of if/when they may be gravid or nearing laying. My girl who did recently lay had a routine wellness visit at the vet a few weeks prior and I did request an x ray to see if she had any eggs. IMO a vet visit never is a bad idea, if for nothing more than peace of mind.
Yeah she seems completely healthy and alert, so I guess the waiting game is just getting to me haha! I'll be so happy once she finally lays it will take so much stress off my shoulders so I don't have to worry so much about it anymore..
 
Yeah she seems completely healthy and alert, so I guess the waiting game is just getting to me haha! I'll be so happy once she finally lays it will take so much stress off my shoulders so I don't have to worry so much about it anymore..
I am in the same boat as you. She seemed to be receptive for about 2 weeks but only got her big girl colors last week. She hasn’t started digging at all and it is so stressful playing the waiting game because if it’s the first time you just want to make sure it goes okay and know you did well with the lay bin. Crossing my fingers for your girl!
 
I am in the same boat as you. She seemed to be receptive for about 2 weeks but only got her big girl colors last week. She hasn’t started digging at all and it is so stressful playing the waiting game because if it’s the first time you just want to make sure it goes okay and know you did well with the lay bin. Crossing my fingers for your girl!
Right back at ya! Just changed her UVB I found out I was using a 10.0 not a 5.0 tropical. I hope it isn’t too late and doesn’t effect her. She seems healthy
 
Like @MissSkittles , I'm waiting for some photos of the gravid girl.
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Have you tried leaving a mint on her pillow? 😁

Hyperbole to ease some of the tension, but half-serious from the chameleon's POV.
I'm assuming that a lay bin should be inviting as well as technically correct, though I have no idea what would or wouldn't be inviting to a lady chameleon (never having dated one. 🤷‍♂️ )

I'm also curious what the average/recommended time interval would be before seeking veterinary intervention.
 
I wasn't going by the profile photo...I was going by the photos in this thread. Are they old?
As I said...some of them can fool you...so she might be gravid...and I could be wrong.
 
Her coloring is dark and she is plump, but I’m not seeing obvious patterns/colors which would indicate being gravid either. However, as Kinyonga (who has more experience than most here) has said, they can fool you. The only sure way to tell if she’s got eggs or not is with a vet taking x rays.
 
I wasn't going by the profile photo...I was going by the photos in this thread. Are they old?
As I said...some of them can fool you...so she might be gravid...and I could be wrong.
I know for a fact that she is gravid, she has been gravid for over a month now. That isn't my worry anymore sorry to confuse you, the question is if she is egg-bound.
 
Her coloring is dark and she is plump, but I’m not seeing obvious patterns/colors which would indicate being gravid either. However, as Kinyonga (who has more experience than most here) has said, they can fool you. The only sure way to tell if she’s got eggs or not is with a vet taking x rays.
She has yellow spots since i got back from Florida in late february. They are splotchy like mustard but sometimes when shes under her uvb light she just overall gets darker. I assure you she had gravid coloration to her. She is very plump let me upload another photo x
 
I know for a fact that she is gravid, she has been gravid for over a month now. That isn't my worry anymore sorry to confuse you, the question is if she is egg-bound.
The first photo in this link shows gravid coloration...
https://www.mostphotos.com/en-us/504547/gravid-veiled-chameleon

As for knowing if the chameleon is eggbound, by the time she starts showing signs like lethargy, sitting low in he cage, eyes closed during the day, phantom laying, etc it's often too late to have them spayed. You can't be sure just by looking at her.
 
If I have her spayed will she not produce eggs anymore?
Any surgery for chameleons is quite risky I believe. Routine spaying would not be as easy as it is for our cats and dogs and I would reserve that for an egg bound emergency only. Yes, it is anxiety-inducing with our ladies and their laying, but as long as your husbandry is correct and especially if you are taking measures to reduce laying, it shouldn’t cause any problems in a healthy cham. One of my girls hasn’t laid in over a year now and I’m still not sure if she will lay anytime soon or not. She’s active, basks, eats, sheds and poops just fine so I don’t worry. When and if she lays, everything is ready for her. If anything changes and causes me concern, she’ll get rushed off to the vet.
 
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