Greenie just layed eggs

[greenie]

i was wondering is it normal for a female veiled chameleon to lay eggs without a male in there? are they like how chickens are they can lay eggs but nothing is really gonna come out? cause my chameleon just layed about 4 eggs in the tank.....

 

[Lancecham]

If the female didn't mate, then yes, the eggs are not fertile. Females can lay eggs with out being with a male. This is more common with females who can see a male from a distant cage and by just seeing the male can iniiate female to lay eggs that are not fertile.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Yes they do cycle eggs without being mated.
4 eggs is not her whole clutch though. Do you have a proper laying bin set up for her?
She could become egg bound if not provided the right conditions. This is a life threatening situation.
Please read about females and breeding here:

http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/

The articles will help you set her up right. Also do a search re: veiled egg laying, laying containers, etc.

You need to act quickly.

-Brad

 

[greenie]

yeah i have a nice dirt bottom for her to dig and lay eggs, she might have layed more but i was scare to go looking for them might damage them or something

 

[NewOwner]

You said 'Tank' and 'Dirt bottom'

I hope she doesnt have substrate in the bottom of her cage, your supposed to have a bucket, otherwise it can cause impaction if she happens to eat any... everyone recomended to me a 5-8 galon bucket from walmart with playsand and coco husk, but substrate on the bottom is bad. and if shes in a tank, how old is she, and how big is the tank?

Tanks are not recommended because of bad air flow.

 

[Syn]

I think they may have meant dirt bottom for the laying bucket, hopefully.

 

[Docility]

now i have heard both sides of the argument saying that chams will/wont die egg bound. so what is it? lol

 

[kinyonga]

greenie...its important to know if she laid all the eggs or not. 4 is not a normal clutch and if she is dropping eggs and not digging a hole to lay them in that can be bad too.

Docility...generally a chameleon should be able to lay an infertile clutch without having to be mated and not die from it. Years ago it was said that they had to be mated or would die eggbound. Its not true that an unmated female will die eggbound...with the following exceptions.

Constant overfeeding can lead to egglaying problems (as well as constipation and possible prolapse). Other improper care (such as poor/imbalanced nutrients in the diet, lack of UVB, inappropriate temperatures, LACK OF AN APPROPRIATE PLACE TO DIG TO LAY THE EGGS, etc.) can lead to egglaying problems. Physical issues (fused/deformed eggs, reproductive system irregularities or deformities, eggs that have grown too large to lay, etc.) can also lead to eggbinding.

Follicular stasis is also a problem when it comes to reproduction. Its less understood than egg binding and the only solution for it seems to be spaying the chameleon. (Follicular stasis occurs when the follicles stop progressing towards ovulating so they never become eggs.)

Hope this helps to explain it all!

 

[Docility]

very informative thanks