Gravid problems

[bethbuck72]

First time owner of a cham. I have a 6 mo old fem. veiled that has been gravid for over a week and a half. We have had her since she was a month old. My roomies and I tried filling a pot like the chamelot video recommended and putting it in the cage when she started to search around the cage frantically and wanting to get out every time we came near the cage. However, she ignored the pot completely and still circled bottom of the cage refusing to go in the pot (it was filled 3/4 of the way with top soil and sand mix). I continued to try encouraging her to eat throughout this period and was only able to get her to take a couple meal worms here and a cricket there. Not much compared to her previous habits.

So today my roommate and I set up a situation where she has little choice in the matter and has a more privacy by putting her in a separate laying bin in a kitchen sized trash bin. She has a branch in there to be able to get off the dirt, a water drip from the top (usually she gets misted so I dont know if she actually is noticing the water drip) and I suspended her lights over the top.

I simply don't know what to do at this point. Do I put crickets in the cage and see if she eats them? Do I just leave her for a few days without trying to feed her? What is the best way to handle her during her stay in the separate container? Any feedback would help.

 

[jannb]

Are you sure that she has eggs? Please post a photo of her. They often show this same behavior when receptive. I often use the trash can method and I only put them in a few hours in the late afternoon and evening because that is normally when they start digging to lay. If no signs of digging I return my girls to their trees at night. You might find my egg laying blog helpful. They most important thing is complete privacy.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/345-egg-laying-laying-bin.html

 

[kinyonga]

How do you know she has been gravid for that length of time? Was she mated??

 

[bethbuck72]

We moved her back to her cage with sand at the bottom still same behavior.





Makes sense to just put her in the trash bin for a short period of time. My roommate put her back in a her cage with a different setup, having a kitty box below and the bottom removed so she can access the sand below.

She is still pacing the cage doesn't have any interest in scratching in the medium below and isn't keen on eating. Was able to get her to eat 3 crickets last night and a few meal worms.

It is not my intention to breed her. She has not been with a male.

Any ideas on what could be the issue?

 

[jajeanpierre]

I've found some of mine will be really restless for many days before laying. The last female who laid eggs really worried me. No appetite for a week and up and down continually for days. She was covered in dirt many days but still no real digging. (I use coco fiber for my quads so it can stick on them easily.) My bin is the whole bottom of the cage.

I think she is probably okay if she isn't trying to lay eggs. They often dig a few holes over a few days before they get down to laying eggs. It's hard not to panic but I think she is okay. Really keep an eye on her. The female I was so worried about, who was so restless for I think a week, took longer than i expected to recover. I don't know if it was because of her week of not eating and probably not drinking enough or her large clutch. Offer her hydrating food like homework or silkworm. Good luck.

 

[bethbuck72]

Thank you for the reassurance. Where is a good place to get silkworms and the hornworms? Petsmart and Petco dont carry them I think.