You said..."Hi everyone. Vertigo has been sleeping on and off today. She is sleeping about 50% of the time. I'm wondering if anyone has had a gravid Cham sleep this much or whether it always signifies a problem (i.e., that she is likely eggbound)"...is she sitting low in the cage? Lethargic? Those can be signs of eggbinding. She should not be sleeping during the day.
Is my cham gravid?
- Thread starter Julia777
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CJ's Exotics
Chameleon Enthusiast
I will pray for her. Hopefully she will be okay.
Julia777
Established Member
I hope so too. She's still walking around, but a little slower. And she is still staying at the top of the cage nearly all the time. I am thinking of temporarily getting smaller crickets as I think she may be having a harder time catching them right now, and the littler ones can't get out of the food dish. I have seen people build those homemade cricket holders to keep the big ones accessible, but it looks complicated to me.
She is determined to keep those kids! Evidence of eggs buldging from her side is when I would:
"If she continues to ignore the laying bin and egg lumps are seen I conisder placing her in the laying bin with a lid over the top. She must have air so be certain to ventilate the lid. At this point I'm hopeful that she will begin to dig within 24 hours. If no digging takes place after about 36 hours I consider removing the lid, hydrating her and offering food."
This is a cut & paste from my comment on 10/24/17. Have you considered trying this?
Julia777
Established Member
Thank you so much for the idea.
I like your idea, but would have to modify it cuz she's been drinking a ton. So I would have to give her water every 6-8 hours at minimum. She's also by the basking light constantly. Perhaps I colud put her in the bin for 8 hours, then put her in cage for hydration, food, basking, and sleep. Then put her back in bin the next day for another 8 hours. I think they only dig between mid morning and mid to late afternoon. Do you think this modified approach could work?
They usually Finnish the digging g in the evening and lay the eggs when it's dark or almost dark. I do not recommend moving them back and forth. This is stressful an IMHO. It's a hormonal "thing" that tells them to lay or not IMHO so confining them shouldn't/wouldn't work unless the hormones are right. Just my opinion.
I agree, moving them back and forth can prolong the process. It creates a distraction. I really don't know if others resort to "confining them in the laying bin" but once I place them in I leave them alone and hope they complete the task. Limiting the confinement to 36 hours has never caused a problem with dehydration with my ladies. But, this isn't necessary with many females and it isn't a practice for every time eggs are to be layed.
Julia777
Established Member
I appreciate both of your replies and I am still unsure of whether there is anything I can do that will help, and yet not create stress.
Kinyonga, you said they often lay when it's dark or almost dark. How would she know when it's dark since the basking and other light are on for 12 hours? Am I supposed to turn them off earlier while she is gravid so that she knows when it's getting dark?
I don't want to create stress for her, but am concerned that I do not see her going to the laying bin at all. Do I just keep my fingers crossed, hope, and wait it out?
It's dark after the 12 hours if light are over...right??
Egg laying can be so easy if all goes the way it "should" but they/we can make it so difficult. It's hard to explain it all to people too. When you've seen it many times it's easier to know when there's something wrong and it's easier to figure out what's wrong...or at least what you need to do. When people who are new to it try to explain it to us its not easy to know what to tell them every time because we can't see the females subtle behaviors, etc to be sure what to do...and the newbies miss the subtle cues...we can just give our best "guess". Sometimes what's going on is straight forward and others are very hard to be sure. I wish we could do better with it all....but all we can do is the best we can.
Egg laying can be so easy if all goes the way it "should" but they/we can make it so difficult. It's hard to explain it all to people too. When you've seen it many times it's easier to know when there's something wrong and it's easier to figure out what's wrong...or at least what you need to do. When people who are new to it try to explain it to us its not easy to know what to tell them every time because we can't see the females subtle behaviors, etc to be sure what to do...and the newbies miss the subtle cues...we can just give our best "guess". Sometimes what's going on is straight forward and others are very hard to be sure. I wish we could do better with it all....but all we can do is the best we can.
Julia777
Established Member
Ah, thanks, I was confused cuz you said when it's dark or almost dark, implying a gradual perception in the change of light to dark. Thanks for clarifying. I guess I just have to wait it out.
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