keeping lay bin dry

[little leaf]

how do you guys keep your lay bins dry ? the mister is soaking them - egg layers are "new" to me- I have no shame saying this - I do not think anyone is ready to lay any time soon- but not being all that used to them ( except my carpet, who lived in a terrarium- so she always had a bin and I did know when she was ready) I do not want to take any chance if I miss any clues - I have 4 panther ladies I avoided female for just this reason, but now have them, and love them just want to take the best of care, and I think I will know when the time is right - but would rather keep bins in at all times just encase - just not soaking wet ones lol
any suggestions would be greatly appreciated thanks

 

[fluxlizard]

I usually remove the females to a seperate bin, though I have also let them lay in my wide pots where their plants grow (17" wide pots) or added a nesting box exactly like I use for my other "normal" lizards.

If I remove to a seperate bin- I time it by watching the female's behavior. Females who want to nest become restless and spend time walking the floor of the cage- which they almost never do otherwise. While in the bin (a 5 gallon bucket with a tube cage top that I built for such occasions or a 30 gallon garbage can with a foot or so of substrate on the bottom) I drip from a dixie cup 1x per day into a small 4" potted pothos vine with a pot that rests on top of the substrate or into a catch bowl ( small glass bowl that will hold the contents of the cup once they drip out).

If I let the female lay in the potted plant in her usual terrarium- I just make sure the pot drains really well and the roots aren't too thick from the ficus. I also usually provide some cover for the lizard such as a bit of bark laid on the soil, a flat large stone, piece of driftwood, dead leaves, etc. Usually females will begin their tunnels under items such as these. I do the same in the laying bins if I go that route.

If I put one of my "normal lizard" nest boxes into the terrarium with her- I make these out of a 2 gallon rubberrmaid storage container (or is it 3? can't remember the size but I know it when I see it- it isn't very big). It is mostly filled with earth and a small access hole (about 2" by 3" or maybe a tiny bit larger- I'm guestimating- it needs to be large enough to allow access and a slight view in) is cut in the lid, near the midline, a bit off center towards one end. I put a twig into the hole and down in the dirt and up to the tree in the terrarium so that the chameleon can go down the stick and into the hole and into the tub and start digging. A couple of inches for air and room to move earth and/or crawl around inside before digging are left free of substrate at the top of the tub, between lid and substrate. Placed strategically, this greatly reduces the amount of moisture into the nesting substrate from the mister (seems to be enough to maintain moisture but not soak) and believe it or not, most chameleons will readily use this sort of box (so will nearly every other lizard up to and including bearded dragon sized). The lid provides the added advantage of providing privacy.

All that said- I personally don't use a "constant" nesting box situation, unless you count laying in the potted plant. A nest box is a bother to maintain. You have to keep it clean and free of bacteria from fecal matter and insects. You have to keep the moisture level of the substrate in an acceptable range, and it takes up room and looks unnattractive. By waiting for the females behavior to guide me, the nesting situation is easy- I just dig up some dirt from a great mound I have in the back yard where the moisture level is always correct (where I live- unless it rained the day I dig, the soil is always a good moisture content just below the surface) and fresh soil smells good to the lizards and attracts them to lay- at least that is what I believe after using sand/peat for about 10 years before switching to normal soil the past 15. Because it is good moisture content for about a week after being placed in a nest box, I don't have to fool with adding water and stirring the mess until things are good and dealing with dusty sand and peat.

That's how I do it here anyway. You will probably find many opinions and as long as what you do works, that's the important thing.

 

[little leaf]

THANKS I like the idea of the covered one- I am pretty sure I will know- I could always tell when Bubble was going to lay - I just don't want to be wrong, and then get in trouble- and 2 of the 4 have never laid - 2 are older - and 2 are like a 1.5 yr old - just better safe than sorry - lol - do you have any pics/thread that show your boxes?