HELP! think my female needs to lay eggs

[Dan]

Hey everyone!
Its been a while since I have been on here, nursing school has taken over my life!

Anyway....i have been keeping a small pot of sand in my female panthers cage incase she needs to start digging. So I heard her digging in it for the first time today. I quickly moved her to a larger container full of a mix of sand and water so she can dig. It has a few sticks in it, and i covered the top with screen and put a heat lamp on top. What else do I need to do. She is about three years old and hasnt laid any eggs before. She has not mated, so if there are eggs than they would be infertile. Am I taking the necessary steps? Any info would really help. Thanks!

 

[jannb]

Make sure the sand in not to moist but moist enough to hold a tunnel without caving in. I didn't use a heat light how cold does it get in your house at night?

 

[Dan]

It doesnt get too cold. ive changed the light from a heat to a UV light. She has dug around a little bit, but hasnt made and definite holes. Last I saw she was actually rubbing her snout in the sand. side of the bin. I was going to take her out of the laying bin and put her back in her cage an hour or so before the cage light goes out. The sand is moist but it doesnt seem too moist. ANything else I should know, do or pay attention to?

 

[joshdhensley]

I use a combination of moist sand, bark, top soil and vermiculite. Just top soil and sand will work too. If you can keep a large enough lay tub in her cage, do that. If you can't, leave her in the lay bin and leave he alone. She will lay when she is ready.
Good luck

 

[Dan]

are you saying I shouldnt take her out of the bin at night? If I do leave her in the bin over night, do I leave the UV light on, or turn it off?

 

[Dan]

SO, it seems that she has stopped digging for tonight. Should I continue to leave her in the bin, or take her out for the evening and put her back in her main cage to bask an warm up a little before the lights turn off?

 

[PantherVeileD]

bring her back into her cage for now and continur again tomorrow morning.

 

[Dan]

well, I just took her out of the bin, and put her back in her cage. She was covered in sand, so i washed her off with warm water. She I continue to not feed her? What about misting so she has water to drink?

 

[kinyonga]

If you want to make your female eggbound you are going about it the right way! Don't let her see you when she's digging or she will likely abandon the hole....and don't move her back and forth.

IMHO...You have two choices....
Put a suitable sized container of moistened washed playsand in her cage and leave her in there. DON'T LET HER SEE YOU WATCHING HER WHEN SHE'S DIGGING...and only feed and water her when she is up in the branches (not digging).

or

You can move her to the bin since she has been digging and LEAVE HER THERE AND DON'T LET HER SEE YOU WATCHING HER WHEN SHE'S DIGGING.

I use a 65 liter rubbermaid container that I have filled about half full of moist washed playsand. I cut a large hole in the lid and put screen over it. I put the female in the cage along with a branch for her to sit on. I put the lid on, put a light over the screen being careful not to overheat the container and leave her alone. Generally I don't take her out until she has laid the eggs. She can be fed and watered while in here.

Just remember that if you feed her once she has started digging in either set-up make sure you take out any uneaten insects so they won't bite her or chew on the eggs.

 

[Dan]

Thanks for the great advice!
I am going to try to put the bin in her cage tomorrow if it will fit. I felt her belly when I put her back in her cage, and as far as I can tell, it feels like there are eggs in there. If I dont keep and eye on her when she is digging, how do I know if she has laid the eggs or not? Will she look considerably smaller, cause she is a fatty right now! If I cant fit the bin in her cage, and have to move her into it in the AM, should I supply any drinking water in the bin, or just leave her in there all day, and dont disturb her untill I take her out in the PM? If she doesnt lay any time soon, at some point should I begin to feed her again, or refrain from feeding untill she lays. her cage is pretty big, so it would be difficult to take crickets out at the end of the night once they are loose in there.

 

[kinyonga]

You can peek in as long as you are sure she doesn't see you. I usually cover the front cage with a towel with a small hole in it so I can see her but she can't see me.

What I'm trying to impress upon you is not to keep moving her and not to disturb her when she is digging. The container I leave in the cage is about 12" x 8" x 10"deep...and I leave it in the cage at all times. Many of the veiled females will lay their eggs in this small container...however...I usually move them to the big one, set up as described in the last post...and leave her there until she lays her eggs..don't take her out at night.

Generally females dig a couple of test holes, then chose one and dig in it until they are satisfied that its "right". It may take a couple of days to dig the final hole. The female will eventually turn around, bum down, usually in the evening, and lay her eggs, bury them and tamp the sand down and return to the branches.

If there's no way to take the extra crickets out, then you could feed her silkworms...I don't think they would damage the eggs or her....especially if you put a bit of food in a container and put them in the container in the cage.

Good luck!

 

[Dan]

Hey everyone!
So, Lia finally laid 16 eggs today. Happy it all worked out well, thanks for all the help everyone!

 

[sandrachameleon]

Good news! thanks for the update - its nice to hear the results