Laid eggs

reb28

New Member
About 4 weeks ago I posted a thread asking about my veiled chameleon. It came to my attention that my cham was a female, so I put a lay bin in. Sunday morning, she started to dig her hole to lay her eggs. Then Monday afternoon she came up from her hole, so I took the bin out to look for eggs. I found 45 little jellybean eggs. I know 45 is kind of on the larger side of clutches so I was wondering if anyone had other tips to bring that number down. Her previous owner had no idea she was female so she was eating way too much. My new feeding schedule will be 3-4 large feeder 2-3 times a week. Twice a week the feeders will be supplemented with calcium without d3, and then on the third day, it will switch between multivitamin and calcium with d3. I am also planning on making her a much larger cage that is going to be somewhere around 16 inches deep, 30 inches wide, and 48 inches tall. I will be putting a ton of live plants in and making a more permenant lay bin. I have a good idea of which filler plants I wanted to use but I was also wondering if anyone had any suggestions on smaller plants with a pop of color. I love the wandering jew and I wanted to find plants like that one with color.
 
Also, I forgot to ask my last question. Since I want to make my own cage, what kind of screen should I use? I am almost set on an aluminum screen from Lowe's, but I just wanted to check and make sure it is safe before I buy it. Another question about the cage is, can I paint the wood, or will that be toxic? I was pretty sure I could paint the wood but now I am not entirely sure and I don't want to make Karma sick or possibly kill her. I feel like painting the wood would be safer than exposed wood that has been in a store, but I have no idea.
 
I'm a big fan of Transcadentia species; T. zebrina is metallic purple/green striped, T. pallida is an almost fuschia purple, T. fluminensis comes in dark green and variegated (white patches) varieties, and they're all easy to keep alive, tolerant of clumsy chameleons tugging on them, forgiving of drought and overwatering, and do fine in dimmer light than most plants prefer (though colors won't be as vibrant without intense light). They grow pretty fast and are non-toxic to reptiles, though they may cause dermatitis and oral irritation in dogs and cats if eaten
 
Also, I forgot to ask my last question. Since I want to make my own cage, what kind of screen should I use? I am almost set on an aluminum screen from Lowe's, but I just wanted to check and make sure it is safe before I buy it.

Aluminum screen should be fine; I prefer it over the usual fiberglass, since crickets occasionally chew through that 🙃 In my experience, it's usually easier to see in if you use a dark colored screen than a light/shiny one, FYI

Another question about the cage is, can I paint the wood, or will that be toxic? I was pretty sure I could paint the wood but now I am not entirely sure and I don't want to make Karma sick or possibly kill her. I feel like painting the wood would be safer than exposed wood that has been in a store, but I have no idea.

Painting is fine, even preferable, with a few caveats.
1) The paint needs to be non-toxic when fully cured- flex seal is mentioned alot on here, but there are other less expensive options. I like to use a polyurethane varnish over a nice wood stain
2) You HAVE to let it cure completely- many paints/seals use thinners or aerosols that are toxic, and a chameleon trapped in a tiny area is very delicate. Even if the paint itself is non-toxic when cured, the curing process may release harmful fumes that could cause paralysis, kidney/liver damage, neurological issues, or death

That said, I prefer finished surfaces over plain wood. It reduces risk of mold, makes for easier cleaning, and will help the enclosures stay in good condition longer.
 
Aluminum screen should be fine; I prefer it over the usual fiberglass, since crickets occasionally chew through that 🙃 In my experience, it's usually easier to see in if you use a dark colored screen than a light/shiny one, FYI



Painting is fine, even preferable, with a few caveats.
1) The paint needs to be non-toxic when fully cured- flex seal is mentioned alot on here, but there are other less expensive options. I like to use a polyurethane varnish over a nice wood stain
2) You HAVE to let it cure completely- many paints/seals use thinners or aerosols that are toxic, and a chameleon trapped in a tiny area is very delicate. Even if the paint itself is non-toxic when cured, the curing process may release harmful fumes that could cause paralysis, kidney/liver damage, neurological issues, or death

That said, I prefer finished surfaces over plain wood. It reduces risk of mold, makes for easier cleaning, and will help the enclosures stay in good condition longer.
Do you know if the heat bulb will burn through the aluminum? I’ve heard it happen with other screens but I’m not sure if it would happen with the one I want.
 
Hmm, hasn't happened with me. It would be WAY To warm for a cham if it's melting aluminum, though, as that's somewhere around 1200°F... I set my heat lamps w/incandescent bulbs right on the screen and haven't had issues yet. I wouldn't go using mercury vapor or anything, though
 
Aluminum screen should be fine; most of the mfrs. are using it.
best screen for reptile enclosures

Latex paint—when completely cured—should be non-toxic. Another option is water-based polyurethane—again, fully cured.
paints for reptile enclosures

Plants... I have Tradescantia pallid but by coincidence. Color is nice, but I think more in terms of diversity than color; each of the plants I chose look completely different from each other, which gives things a rainforest look. Bromeliads are another colorful choice but the blooms may not last and AFAIK they only bloom once.
plants for reptiles
Since you have a veiled, cross-check these with chameleon-safe plants.
chameleon safe plants
 
Also, I forgot to ask my last question. Since I want to make my own cage, what kind of screen should I use? I am almost set on an aluminum screen from Lowe's, but I just wanted to check and make sure it is safe before I buy it. Another question about the cage is, can I paint the wood, or will that be toxic? I was pretty sure I could paint the wood but now I am not entirely sure and I don't want to make Karma sick or possibly kill her. I feel like painting the wood would be safer than exposed wood that has been in a store, but I have no idea.
I made my cage with regular screen since my heat bulb is a few inches higher up. I used window screen and put them together to make the cage like if you’d buy one from somewhere and then I used wood to make homemade dragon strands and support for my other plants and branches. I don’t know if you understand what I meant by window screens but yeah that’s how I made mine :)
 
You said..." I know 45 is kind of on the larger side of clutches so I was wondering if anyone had other tips to bring that number down"...the decrease in th diet to what you suggested in the same post along with keeping the basking temperature at 80F should work....but she will likely lay one or two more clutches before it does.
 
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