is my 6 month veiled chameleon pregnant?

[zuzu]

i don't know how to tell if shes pregnant or did i just overfeed her? she gets about 8 5-week crickets a day and some meal worms once in a while. she has that strange lump on her stomach close to her back legs. She usually lays down on the branch (even puts her head down sometimes) and when i let her out on my bed she finds corners (folds in the blanket or by me usually in shadows and lays down with her tail curled up and stays there for long periods of time until i move her. Is she pregnant or sick or overfed?

 

[camimom]

She def looks like she has eggs.
and I dont think shes 6 months old. I think shes older than that. at least 9 months if not more.

 

[DavidBuchan]

Hello, welcome to the forum It's always a very difficult thing to judge from photos whether a cham is gravid or how old they are. They grow at different rates and it's not totally obvious with your girl.
I would tend to agree with camimom though.
She looks healthy and very pretty, is she your first chameleon?
I don't know if you've seen the excellent caresheets and resources on the forum yet, so here's a link to get you started - https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/veiled/

 

[zuzu]

yes this is my first chameleon. What do i need to know about her laying eggs? it says i should put dirt with play sand in a separate container and put her in it? how long until she lays them? should i keep the dirt moist while shes in there? (it said leave her alone but keep it moist). Do i put food in the tank while shes there? when should i take her out? i really have no idea how to take care of her while she lays them

 

[camimom]

you should put the lay bin in her cage. not her in the bin.

The bucket neds to be at least 12 inches deep, I use dirt, and it has to be wet enough it can handle a tunnel, but not so wet it wil collapse.

by putting it in her cage, she will lay when shes ready, since you cant know for sure when shes ready.
as for food, you can keep feeding her, and watering her, but make sure you leave her alone if you see her digging.

 

[Olimpia]

It's always hard to tell from just looking at photos but if you gently palpate her abdomen you may be able to feel small hard little eggs if she is carrying them. If she is, then don't freak out too much, chameleons have been laying eggs without human intervention for eons so she'll know what to do. I wouldn't move her at all, just do this:

1. Make her a laying bin - https://www.chameleonforums.com/laying-bin-set-up-educational-video-77225/
Follow the instructions in the video, it'll tell you everything you need to know. It's going to be way better if you can put the laying bin IN her cage vs. moving her to a different container or cage.

2. Take care of her normally until you see her go into her laying bin. At that point give her lots of privacy to see if she'll dig and lay but otherwise keep feeding and watering as usual. Don't be alarmed if she refuses to eat the few days prior to laying, some girls stop eating right before.

3. Make sure she's getting calcium. Keep dusting her food daily with plain calcium, so she has enough to make the eggs, lay them, and keep herself healthy.

4. Once you do see her digging leave her alone. Hang up a sheet or something but she cannot see you and she cannot see you watching her at all costs, females that feel nervous will abandon the tunnel and may hold in the eggs, which can be very serious. It's easily avoided if you just leave her alone while she's digging.

5. Once she's done (you're allowed to peek in very inconspicuously) she will be thin, hungry, and thirsty. So feed her as much as she wants, water her as much as she wants, and let her bask to regain her strength. At that point you can dig up the eggs, she won't have any attachment to them.

 

[zuzu]

can i use dirt bought from a store used for plants or will that harm her? i cant use dirt from my backyard because it is currently covered in 50cm of snow :/ should i keep wetting the dirt? and how long until she lays her eggs?

 

[zuzu]

that helps so much! thank you! what plant is safe to put in the bin? shes been crawling to the bottom of her cage a lot so i think shes ready.

 

[Olimpia]

Yea, I've used organic top soil with success (I say organic because females will eat soil to test it, so I don't want fertilizers or other things in it) and you can find a big bag of it at any Home Depot/Lowes for $3 or so.

You don't need to keep wetting it, make sure that it is evenly moist, dig a test tunnel, and leave her to it. It shouldn't dry out before she's had a chance to use it if she's really close.

 

[zuzu]

okay thanks anything else i should know that's important about this? something i need to do?

 

[Olimpia]

I think we've given you all the important bits... Oh, typically the whole process takes several hours, but don't be surprised if she takes 24+ hours to finish from starting to dig to covering up the tunnel. If she's digging or in her tunnel, that's a good thing.

If you have any additional questions definitely come and ask, but most of the time girls know how to do this flawlessly. As long as they have where to lay privately, they take care of everything very well.

 

[zuzu]

should i keep the light on all night while shes digging?

 

[DavidBuchan]

should i keep the light on all night while shes digging?

No need for that. She will have a pretty good idea how much time she has. If she decides to sleep then she will probably just wake up and carry on. Usually they will get it all done in one day once they are ready though.