Hi and welcome!
What a little beauty! You’re off to a great start and if husbandry is correct, the egg laying process should be no problem at all. Yes, we still get anxious about it and that’s ok.
Your little sweetheart is a bit young for laying, but they do grow fast! Although each chameleon is different, usually they can be mature enough to lay as early as 5-6 months old.
First she’ll start becoming restless...roaming thru her enclosure almost constantly, climbing the screen, circling endlessly on her vines, going up then down, etc. Around this time you’ll also start seeing her big girl colors starting to show...teal, yellow/orange and maybe some spots and patterns. She is receptive. She’s gotten all dressed up and pretty and is searching for a man! This can last anywhere from a week to a few weeks. This is when you want to get your lay bin ready and put it in her enclosure. Get at least a 12x12” (long and wide) plastic container and fill it to about 6-7” with moist washed play sand. I drill a few tiny holes in the bottom of the bin so it can drain excess water. You want the sand to be moist enough to hold a tunnel without collapsing. Keep in mind that while they do dig down, they can also dig across a bit. At this time I also get my sheet ready. I pin it to one side of the enclosure so when lay day comes, all I need do is pull it across and pin it in place.
Anywhere from a few weeks on after being receptive, you’ll see she’s getting plump, maybe a bit lumpy and she may be slowing down on her appetite a little. You may also notice a change to her colors or patterns. On my girls, their dots get darker, but it’s subtle. One day you’ll find she’s in her bin and has started digging. Cover up the visible parts of her enclosure and don’t disturb her. I cut peek holes in my sheet so I can monitor progress. You don’t need to worry about feeding her. If you have an automatic mister, you’re all set. If you don’t, you can place a dripper so she has access to hydration without needing to disturb her. She may dig several tunnels until she’s happy with one. When she’s got her tunnel, she’ll turn around and lay her eggs. She may sleep in her bin or tunnel. The whole process can take 1-2 days. You’ll know she’s done when she’s in her basking spot, looking much thinner and quite dirty. Give her a good long misting and feed her very well for 2-3 days. I like to give hornworms and silkworms to help hydrate my girls.
Now, after you’ve let her recover for a few days, you’ll want to cut back on her feedings. I give my girls 3-4 feeders, 3 days a week (plus occasional treats). You’ll also want to keep her basking temps no higher than 80. This should help reduce not only the number of eggs she produces, but the frequency as well. My one girl hasn’t laid since February 2020 and the other went almost a full year without laying. I suspect she wouldn’t have laid if she hadn’t discovered my boy‘s enclosure next to her and snuck peeks at him. Both did have at least 2 receptive periods during the year, but they weren’t as strong/pronounced as their first. It’s always a good idea to keep the lay bin as a permanent part of her enclosure so you don’t have to guess when she needs it.
So, this is it...egg laying in the veiled from start to finish and then some.
If it makes you feel any less anxious, I got my first cham when she was maybe around 5 months old and she had all incorrect husbandry. I not only knew nothing about caring for a chameleon and made some serious mistakes, but I had all wrong stuff for her. Thankfully I learned and got everything changed just in time for her to have an uneventful first laying 2-3 months after I got her. Whatever I know I learned from the incredible and experienced members here...and still have so much more to learn. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
