ChameleonMom
New Member
So on October 31st my hubby finished the custom cages he made for my chams and we moved both my 4 year old male veiled Camo and my 1 year old female veiled Isis into their respective cages. All seemed great and everyone was happy!
Note her tummy: flat
A couple days later , I posted a thread with pictures of Isis(https://www.chameleonforums.com/isis-wont-outdone-96355/) and talked about how my chameleon's moods had changed since moving into their new cages. They both had become a bit more aggressive, they started hissing at me (Camo NEVER hisses at me!!) and they both puffed up whenever I tried to handle them. Of course I realised they both needed some time to get used to their new space and I was accomodating them as best I could! However in the thread, DavidBuchan mentioned that perhaps Isis was gravid as her behaviour was waaay off the charts. When I first moved her into her new cage she was a wonderful neon green/yellow color - what I call the "I'm a happy chameleon" color. David's comment got me thinking...I had noticed about 4 days after moving her into her new cage Isis had slowed, if not stopped eating and she had become dark and moody looking and even more cranky than she had been since moving. She became restless and wouldn't sit still for even a few minutes. I figured she MUST be gravid, even though she laid her first clutch on August 22, 2012 at 9 months of age. So soon already, I thought?
I checked Isis' weight records: (I have completely revamped everything to do with supplements, gutloading and feeders since the beginning of October, so these changes may have a bearing on her weight gain)
Oct 22nd - 118g
Nov 2nd - 124g
Nov 8th - 129g
Nov 10th - 130g
Nov 13th - 131g
Nov 14th - 133g (weighed her twice today: battery was dying in my scale, not sure if this was the cause of the weight change. Changed battery)
Nov 15th - 131g
On November 7th I prepped a laying bin (my 25 litre pasta pot!) and put it in her cage. I covered the front door to give her complete privacy (rest of cage is swathed in vinyl panels to help with humidity), she couldn't see anyone or anything. Upon checking randomly (and quietly) she had completely ignored the bin yet continued the food strike and the restless wandering. She never once went to the bottom of her cage or into the laying bin. She was spotted, dark and cranky looking, at the top of her cage.
Note tummy is now rounded and chubby looking:
Not quite sure what was going on, I began to doubt myself and my cham caring abilities. Could she be impacted or constipated? Upon further thought, I realised I hadn't seen any poop in a couple days. I took the cover off of her door however I left the laying bin inside in case she had the urge to explore. Two days later and with no erratic behavior in the meantime, I find Isis very dark in color, sitting on the bottom of her cage...just sitting. I watched from afar and not once did she dig, or reach up the sides of her new cage. I reached in and placed her into the laying bin, hoping that would trigger an urge. Nope. She climbed out and climbed up to her basking spot, hissed at me and turned away. I left her alone but later checked her when I noticed she was dark, and motly looking. Turns out she was having a poop w/urates which then ruled out consitpation. Only later did I notice she was extremely uptight, dark and spotted and her belly was HUGE. I put her in her laying bin and on went the door cover again.
Flash forward to November 13th. Nothing had been happening, and in order to water and feed Isis and to monitor her in case she is eggbound or has another medical problem, I took the door covering off again. She looked cranky but calm even though she appeared to be 'fired up'. You can clearly see her markings and blue spots all over her body. She is not her normal self at all! She spend the 13th with the door covering off her cage, but the bin inside. She ignored it but ate 3 crickets and 1 superworm.
(continued below....sorry for the long winded thread....*sigh*)
Note her tummy: flat
A couple days later , I posted a thread with pictures of Isis(https://www.chameleonforums.com/isis-wont-outdone-96355/) and talked about how my chameleon's moods had changed since moving into their new cages. They both had become a bit more aggressive, they started hissing at me (Camo NEVER hisses at me!!) and they both puffed up whenever I tried to handle them. Of course I realised they both needed some time to get used to their new space and I was accomodating them as best I could! However in the thread, DavidBuchan mentioned that perhaps Isis was gravid as her behaviour was waaay off the charts. When I first moved her into her new cage she was a wonderful neon green/yellow color - what I call the "I'm a happy chameleon" color. David's comment got me thinking...I had noticed about 4 days after moving her into her new cage Isis had slowed, if not stopped eating and she had become dark and moody looking and even more cranky than she had been since moving. She became restless and wouldn't sit still for even a few minutes. I figured she MUST be gravid, even though she laid her first clutch on August 22, 2012 at 9 months of age. So soon already, I thought?
I checked Isis' weight records: (I have completely revamped everything to do with supplements, gutloading and feeders since the beginning of October, so these changes may have a bearing on her weight gain)
Oct 22nd - 118g
Nov 2nd - 124g
Nov 8th - 129g
Nov 10th - 130g
Nov 13th - 131g
Nov 14th - 133g (weighed her twice today: battery was dying in my scale, not sure if this was the cause of the weight change. Changed battery)
Nov 15th - 131g
On November 7th I prepped a laying bin (my 25 litre pasta pot!) and put it in her cage. I covered the front door to give her complete privacy (rest of cage is swathed in vinyl panels to help with humidity), she couldn't see anyone or anything. Upon checking randomly (and quietly) she had completely ignored the bin yet continued the food strike and the restless wandering. She never once went to the bottom of her cage or into the laying bin. She was spotted, dark and cranky looking, at the top of her cage.
Note tummy is now rounded and chubby looking:
Not quite sure what was going on, I began to doubt myself and my cham caring abilities. Could she be impacted or constipated? Upon further thought, I realised I hadn't seen any poop in a couple days. I took the cover off of her door however I left the laying bin inside in case she had the urge to explore. Two days later and with no erratic behavior in the meantime, I find Isis very dark in color, sitting on the bottom of her cage...just sitting. I watched from afar and not once did she dig, or reach up the sides of her new cage. I reached in and placed her into the laying bin, hoping that would trigger an urge. Nope. She climbed out and climbed up to her basking spot, hissed at me and turned away. I left her alone but later checked her when I noticed she was dark, and motly looking. Turns out she was having a poop w/urates which then ruled out consitpation. Only later did I notice she was extremely uptight, dark and spotted and her belly was HUGE. I put her in her laying bin and on went the door cover again.
Flash forward to November 13th. Nothing had been happening, and in order to water and feed Isis and to monitor her in case she is eggbound or has another medical problem, I took the door covering off again. She looked cranky but calm even though she appeared to be 'fired up'. You can clearly see her markings and blue spots all over her body. She is not her normal self at all! She spend the 13th with the door covering off her cage, but the bin inside. She ignored it but ate 3 crickets and 1 superworm.
(continued below....sorry for the long winded thread....*sigh*)
