Gravid-ly Confused

MRogers1 · Jul 17, 2017

Hello, I have read many of the posts regarding veiled chameleons behavior when they are gravid, mine exhibited much of this behavior at first I placed her in a container she didn't lay, then I place the pothos in the deep container in her enclosure didn't lay then I filled the entire bottom with coconut husk and she hasn't laid. She is still eating away although she did stop for a few days. I'm at a loss as what to do. I've enclosed a few pics. Any thoughts?

jajeanpierre · Jul 17, 2017

Obviously you have never been pregnant before!

I get a chuckle out of many keepers who think that just because the chameleon is gravid and they can see and feel the eggs, that they should just lay on command. It doesn't work that way. And, yes, I do understand the stress involved because I feel it, too, everytime I'm waiting for a female to lay.

All joking aside, laying eggs (or delivering babies) does not happen just because you think it is time. There is a lot that goes into the timing of laying and in general, they lay when they are ready as long as you don't do things that muck it up.

Has she been restless? I've found that often--not always--my females will be restless for a few days before they lay. Sometimes they will be in and out of their nest box for many days before they lay. That can be normal.

Your cage set up could be problematic. I use coco fiber for my lay bins but I am not working with a species that lays fairly shallow. If you are going to use coco fiber, it needs to be a lot wetter and packed down.

Another breeder talked to me about using a garbage can rather than boxes in the cage. He finds they lay in the afternoon, so he will put females he thinks want to lay in a garbage can with plants and sticks and properly moist substrate early in the afternoon after they've had a chance to drink and warm up a bit. If they don't lay by the evening (or maybe late afternoon?) he puts them back in their cages and repeats the next day. I've done this a few times with females that didn't seem to want to lay in their cage.

If she is bright and alert and eating, I doubt she is quite ready to lay. They usually tell you if you pay close attention to them.

MRogers1 · Jul 17, 2017

Thank you for your reply, she went through a period of like 5 days scratching at the bottom and sides of the cage, during which time I put her in a bin with 70/30 mix of organic soil and washed sand. After she stopped being restless she became lethargic hangs out in certain spots. She likes to latch on to branches in the spread eagle pose for long periods. But as I said she eats and her colors look good to me but I'm not an expert.