laying bin questions

serenitystarlite

Established Member
Halp! So I just moved Jasmine, my veiled, into her big girl cage because she is now at least 5 months old. I set her up a laying bin with half coco fiber and half sand. She isn't acting like she has eggs yet, so what should I do with the bin? So far she's been pooping in it. I thought I saw her flick her tongue at it once, but I think she actually caught a loose cricket. She's usually up in the top of her cage. I've been home pretty much all week with the flu, so I've been keeping an eye on her and the bin.

Should I cover it until she starts acting like she needs to lay eggs or is it better to leave it uncovered so she knows it's there when she needs it?

Here's what her cage looks like with the bin:

jasminecage2.jpg


I may try to move things around and put it in the back so it would give her more privacy because I'm sure she wouldn't want to be laying her eggs right in front of the door when the time comes. I have some more twisted stick things to add to her cage. The one that's in there now is only temporary while the others are drying (I sealed them with polyurethane a few weeks ago). Any suggestions for arranging the bin and plants? Thanks :)
 
My thoughts....

My thoughts...number one....congrats for thinking of this need in advance :) You get lots of points for that. I would change what you are using though. The wicker outer container will get wet from misting and can harbor mold and bacteria. The size looks fine. Just find something else. Like a big ceramic pot about the same size. Putting a branch into it so she can climb in and out would be good too. I would rearrange things so it is not right in front. Maybe between two plants so it has a plant canapy over it. You were right that she would want privacy. Add some water occassionally since it will dry out.

The first egg laying experience for a female can be frustrating for the keeper. The second time is usually easier. They seem to learn how to do things. She may dig lots of test holes and not actually lay for days. If she keeps doing this and gets in and out of her bin constantly for days (while looking obviously gravid) I would put her in a plastic trash can (like an office desk trash can) with the same substrate where she is basically trapped. You can put vines and branches in it. Now that I've had so many females lay eggs I know when they are getting close and just use the trash can method. I don't put things in their cages anymore. I have fake vines and plants in the trash can for drinking and basking. Its covered with a screen cover and a UVB fixture and heat bulb are placed on top of it. I can mist the female and even feed her in this set up for a week if needed. It rarely takes this long though. Usually a couple of days. The dark solid sides offer a lot of privacy.

I'm not saying you need to do that. That's just my method. Just be prepared to find something big like that to move her too if she gets real fussy. Hopefully she will just get down to business :)
 
The basket seems like it's sealed and might be waterproof but I'm not sure what it's made out of exactly. I could actually take it out and seal it with a coat of polyurethane but so far it doesn't seem to be getting very wet where it's at. The dripper and plants are dripping around it. I'll check and see how wet it ends up getting if I move it more to the back. Maybe I can place it so it's not getting dripped on otherwise I'll take it out and just use the plastic bin that's in it.

I'm hoping she doesn't have any issues when it's time for her to lay eggs. So far she's been the easiest chameleon to take care of. She always eats when I offer her food, eats out of a cup if I put her food in there, her poop and urates are always normal, she's always bright green, etc.

So is it ok to leave it uncovered?
 
I personally have nothing to add about the laying bin but that set up looks very nice! :)
 
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