New owner of (possibly) pregnant Fischer's Chameleon

[jungfernkus]

I NEED HELP ON THIS ASAP!!!!

I don't know if my chameleon's dying, but she's been burying herself a lot between the plants and digging- which i believe to be signs that she's building a nest.

But here's the problem, she looks extremely weak and is motionless. She did that before I got home yesterday and my boyfriend had trouble feeding her for the past 2 days. I decided to feed her last night and she ate 2 crickets and about 6 superworms. Woke up this morning, and yet again, motionless in between plants. I sprayed around her, so that the moss would keep her area moist while I'm gone all day.

P.S. There's a male in the cage with her. I texted my boyfriend this morning to seperate him from her in the mean time.

 

[Kittyrocc]

It sounds like you need an area where she can lay.... I am not too familiar with females but if you some of the previous threads people write on how to give them an area to lay...

She can become eggbound if you don't....

 

[Kittyrocc]

I found the thread....
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs...aying-bin.html

It explains how to set up her laying bin

 

[jungfernkus]

Thanks for the reply kittyrocc! I'll look for the link later since I'm having a hard time opening it.

She hasn't been moving....
Does anyone know if this normal for female Fischers?

I'm at work, so hopefully she's fine...

 

[Lovereps]

Here's a link that will open:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/345-egg-laying-laying-bin.html

I don't believe I've ever read of a female digging without her needing to lay eggs.

If a female doesn't find an appropriate spot to lay her eggs, she can become eggbound and then will die as a result.

I don't know how long she has been trying to dig, nor do I have the knowledge to tell you whether or not her behavior indicates a severe problem, but I suspect that she is in danger and would get a suitable laying bin in there today.

To quote JannB from the linked post:
"Once you have determined it’s time for them to lay eggs you must put them in the laying bin and give them complete privacy. If they see you looking they can abandon the hole and become egg bound. It will take hours for them to dig the hole and get it just the way they want it."

Hopefully, someone who knows much more about trouble signs will respond.

 

[Seeco]

If she is doing stuff like that you need to not disturb her or she will frighten and not lay the eggs and they will get stuck.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Get that male away from her asap. Make sure he is NOT in any way visible to her. Get an old plant bucket or small waste basket and fill it with at least 12" of play sand mixed with organic top soil. I do about 70% sand and 30% topsoil. The sand is able to absorb the water from misting the enclosure better than the topsoil. If you put too much topsoil in there when you mist the the laying bin will become a muddy mess.

Is she weak? How is her grip? Before I put the bin in with her I'd give an oppurtunity totake a long shower. She should be as hydrated as posible before she starts trying to dig and lay. Because she may not get an oppurtunity to drink again for a day or so because she may dig non-stop once being introduced to a laying bin with no interference from the other cham. I dont mist if they are in the bin digging. I do mist them if they leave the bin though. Trying to keep them hydrated during this time is paramount to their health and to their ability to recover after laying.

 

[jungfernkus]

Thank you for the bedding advice. I'm quite concerned- before I left the house @ 7:00AM she's between the plants and she's not moving. I didn't touch or move her and misted around her, assuming that there's a bug possibility she's pregnant. My boyfriend just checked a while ago, and still on the same spot, motionless. I'm scared. Is this normal - for them to be motionless for this long?

 

[Seeco]

Hopefully she is laying. Leave her alone for now then make all the changes suggested above in a few hours. If she is still in the same spot but not laying she is probably very ill or terminally ill.

How long have you had her?

 

[jungfernkus]

The good news is she's still moving - I came back from work at around 9PM and she dug a deeper hole. all I could see is her tail, so the "nest" kinda looked like an ant hill.

How long does the female stay there for? I've been misting the area, but I'm not sure if it matters since she's almost under ground.

 

[kinyonga]

Leave her alone...its important that she doesn't see you watching her when she's digging. Hopefully she will lay the eggs tonight. She has to turn around butt down to do it....and its important that she fills the hole in after and returns to the branches.

 

[jungfernkus]

Hopefully she is laying. Leave her alone for now then make all the changes suggested above in a few hours. If she is still in the same spot but not laying she is probably very ill or terminally ill.

How long have you had her?

I bought her about a month ago with her male companion. Didn't get much detail from the seller regarding where they're originally from. She just said a lady from California sold it to her.

 

[jungfernkus]

Leave her alone...its important that she doesn't see you watching her when she's digging. Hopefully she will lay the eggs tonight. She has to turn around butt down to do it....and its important that she fills the hole in after and returns to the branches.

Thanks! I'll check tomorrow morning to see if she left the hole yet. She's really under there, and can't really tell what's going on.

 

[Seeco]

So, what is the soil on the bottom like?

 

[jungfernkus]

So, what is the soil on the bottom like?

I don't know, I think I see an egg. Check out these pictures.

The first one is the actual cage. I covered her side with cardboard so that the male won't be able to cross over.

The second picture is what her side of the cage looks like.

The third is a close-up of what I can see from her "nest". It looks like an egg. right?!

Sorry, I know I sound way too excited about this! LOL

 

[jungfernkus]

So, what is the soil on the bottom like?

The soil is a bit damp from misting. She just moved and covered the egg that I took a picture of a while ago. Hope all goes well.

 

[nicholas]

I don't know, I think I see an egg. Check out these pictures.

The first one is the actual cage. I covered her side with cardboard so that the male won't be able to cross over.

The second picture is what her side of the cage looks like.

The third is a close-up of what I can see from her "nest". It looks like an egg. right?!

Sorry, I know I sound way too excited about this! LOL

That enclosure is not suitable for that species of chameleon. While glass can be a very nice choice for a montane chameleon, that enclosure looks as though it is setup for a terrestrial type of animal. Chameleons are tree, bush and shrub dwellers they need lots of branches to walk on and lots of plants to be able to hide in. Also those type of enclosures (Aquariums tend not to have the best ventilation. I would suggest that you use a exo-terra or comparable enclosure to house them if you are going to use a glass enclosure. Also I would remove the male from the enclosue rather than placing a piece of cardboard in there (Although if thats all you have it will have to do for now) All the cardboard is going to do is add another stress factor into her life and could cause her to egg bind. For the moment until she is done laying I would just leave the room and not go into it until she has left that spot on her own.

 

[kinyonga]

I don't think that cage is big enough for two fischer's chameleons....and I definitely wouldn't keep the male in the cage with the female.

I have kept fischer's in glass cages and they have done well.

 

[jungfernkus]

I don't think that cage is big enough for two fischer's chameleons....and I definitely wouldn't keep the male in the cage with the female.

I have kept fischer's in glass cages and they have done well.

I completely agree. I'm actually in the process of making a bigger, vertical, screen cage for these two and the new babies, but still saving up for it and looking for more plants too.


So far, I saw 3 eggs in the nest. When she's done, should I move the eggs or leave it be? I wasn't able to get a laying bin ready 'cause she already dug herself a nest and everyone kept saying to leave her be.

 

[Seeco]

Hey! Stop peeking!