How do I know if she is eggbound?

dylaqn4567

New Member
I have a 5-6 month old veiled chameleon an she 6 to 7 inches long. When and how do i know when she becomes eggbound?
 
Well, she may become lethargic and close her eyes. She may also stop digging holes without laying the eggs. She may never dig at all when gravid and begins to act "sick."

Basically, you need to give her a laying bin, cut back on food, lower the basking temps, and leave her alone when she is digging and she should be fine. Hopefully, if ypu are really diligent she wont even lay eggs at all.
 
my chameleon didnt change colors at all. one day she just starting digging the only difference was she cut back on her food intake
 
you can tell if she if eggbound if-

1. she is very "fat"
2. if she doesnt eat.

(im not sure if this is right)
3. she will have little bumps on her belly

4. if she starts digging holes if you provide a laying bin.
 
The signs of being gravid or becoming eggbound include but are not limited to the following things....

Signs that your veiled female might be gravid...getting wider in the back half of the body, drinking more as she gets closer to laying the eggs, roams the cage, has mustard spots with bright blue dots and gets a dark background color at times. As she gets near the time to dig, she may slow down or stop eating...but then she might not too.

As she is almost ready to lay the eggs, she will dig in an egglaying container (I hope) you provide for her. She may dig several test holes but should settle on one and dig it until she's satisfied with it. She should then turn around, bum down and lay her eggs....likely in the evening. She should fill in the hole, tamp it down and return to the branches.ITS IMPORTANT NOT TO LET HER SEE YOU WATCHING HER WHEN SHE IS DIGGING.

If she passes the time when she should lay the eggs for some reason, she will become lethargic, likely sit low in the cage, may dig a hole and fill it in without laying her eggs, go down hill and eventually die if nothing is done.

If your husbandry has been good and she was/is healthy to begin with, then she shouldn't become eggbound unless there is a physical reason for it (fused eggs, misformed eggs, reproductive system issues, etc.).

Overfeeding constantly can play a part in producing big clutches, constipation, eggbinding, prolapses and even MBD.
 
Just for clarity: egg bound is a serious problem that happens when a "gravid" (carrying eggs) female cannot lay her eggs.

So....if she's just started digging in the corner, I'd say put a laying bin in there now. Jann's blog will tell you what you need to know.

If she's carrying eggs and gets the right environment to lay, she won't become eggbound.

In my opinion any egg laying female should have a bin in her cage "just in case" once she gets to be 5 or 6 months old.

Kinyonga posted a wonderful article on Brad Ramsey's blog on how to help your female have fewer, smaller clutches of eggs. It's something any owner of a female should bookmark.
 
Back
Top Bottom