Hello all! This is my first time posting, but I have been reading and learning from this site over the past year and would like thank you all for so many helpful postings. Please see my "How to Ask for Help" responses at the end of post.
Current Problem:
Our female veiled chameleon (named Demi) had eggs in her and was too weak to lay them. We discovered this on Monday of this past week by taking her to a reptile vet where she was given a sonogram and it was determined she had approximately 40 eggs. She had stopped eating and was barely drinking any water - only when dripped from a bottle into her mouth - and that was what prompted the vet visit.
As per vet instructions, we have been giving her 2.5ml of liquid calcium by dropper per day, feeding her Emeraid Carnivore food by dropper a couple times daily, and have been giving her a shot of antibiotic in her shoulder area once per day. We also give her water when she will take it, but she had little to no interest in food or water all week.
We set up a nesting/laying bucket for her, with 6 inches of sand/peat, and she finally was strong enough to dig a tunnel yesterday (Friday). Once it was to her satisfaction, she began laying eggs. We gave her privacy, but did leave her lights on since the sand was so cold and since it's cold in San Antonio this week.
She laid eggs - lots of them - then began covering up the tunnel/hole. The covering didn't begin until late in the evening - maybe 10 or 11 pm? We left her lights on bc we wanted her to finish the process and climb on her vine, so we could give her water and food. Everything we'd read on this board said she'd be exhausted, hungry, and thirsty.
By 2 am, the tunnel was completely covered and she was just crawling around on the sand, slowly pushing sand back and forth. She never climbed on a vine like she was finished. We gave her a little bit of water (which she took), then turned off her light. She slept in the bucket on top of the sand.
Awoke her this morning by turning on lights and removing towel, and she began pushing sand around again. She didn't climb on vine. We removed the laying bucket and put her in her habitat. The habitat has sand and substrate (coconut shell or something similar) at the bottom. She is digging in the substrate and has been doing so all morning. It's as if she is still trying to cover the eggs, but she isn't even in the laying bucket anymore? Could she possibly still have more eggs in her and is trying to dig another tunnel? It seems more like she is trying to cover something up than to dig a hole, but we just don't know. She must be exhausted, she is considerably smaller, and she appears dehydrated. She has taken a bit of water this morning, and she did swallow a small amount of food from her dropper when we (gently) forced her mouth open.
Does anyone have any ideas about what she could be doing? She seems obsessed with "covering" the ground and spreading the substrate around. Should we put her back in the laying bucket? Should we try to get more food/water into her? Any advice would be appreciated, or discussions if you have seen similar behavior. Thank you all so much for being so helpful!
Chameleon Info: **This info is for how she is typically cared for, NOT what we have been doing the past week while she has been sick. See those details above.
Your Chameleon - Veiled, Female, Approx. 1 year old. In my care for about 8 months.
Handling - Daily, although mainly just to let her walk out of habitat onto my hand so she can be transferred elsewhere. She likes to explore.
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? Crickets mainly, large mealworms, and waxworms. What amount? 3 crickets and a couple of worms. What is the schedule? Typically every other day. How are you gut-loading your feeders? Just with apples and lettuce, but will be changing that now that I have spoken with vet.
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Repti Calcium - Ultrafine Precipitated Calcium Carbonate Supplement With D3
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? Mister and by spritzing habitat with spray bottle of purified water. How often and how long to you mist? As needed according to her humidity gauge. Do you see your chameleon drinking? Yes. She is apparently a rarity in that she will "lap" from a bowl of fresh water (we have seen her do this many times). She will also tilt her head up and drink from a spray bottle from our hand. She also has a "dropper" in her cage (like what one would typically use to provide water to a hamster).
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Typically a half inch or so of solid brown and about the same amount of the off-whitish color. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? No
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. She was purchased from Petsmart, not from a breeder.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) Combo. Glass with one side screen and a screened top. What are the dimensions? Approx. 2' tall by 1.5' foot deep and wide.
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? Not sure of the brand, but one of each and we have replaced both bulbs one time each since we brought her home. What is your daily lighting schedule? On at 7:30 a.m. and off at 8:25 p.m.
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Temp stays around 75. Lowest overnight temp? 60's to 70 degrees. How do you measure these temps? Thermostat in habitat.
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? Btwn 45 - 65%. Higher after a fresh misting or spray of habitat. How are you creating and maintaining these levels? Mister & spray bottle. What do you use to measure humidity? Thermostat
Plants - Are you using live plants? Yes. If so, what kind? Pothos currently. Will get hibiscus again in summer when it is available.
Placement - Where is your cage located? In a bedroom. Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? No. At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? Top of cage about 5 feet off floor.
Location - Where are you geographically located? San Antonio, TX
Current Problem:
Our female veiled chameleon (named Demi) had eggs in her and was too weak to lay them. We discovered this on Monday of this past week by taking her to a reptile vet where she was given a sonogram and it was determined she had approximately 40 eggs. She had stopped eating and was barely drinking any water - only when dripped from a bottle into her mouth - and that was what prompted the vet visit.
As per vet instructions, we have been giving her 2.5ml of liquid calcium by dropper per day, feeding her Emeraid Carnivore food by dropper a couple times daily, and have been giving her a shot of antibiotic in her shoulder area once per day. We also give her water when she will take it, but she had little to no interest in food or water all week.
We set up a nesting/laying bucket for her, with 6 inches of sand/peat, and she finally was strong enough to dig a tunnel yesterday (Friday). Once it was to her satisfaction, she began laying eggs. We gave her privacy, but did leave her lights on since the sand was so cold and since it's cold in San Antonio this week.
She laid eggs - lots of them - then began covering up the tunnel/hole. The covering didn't begin until late in the evening - maybe 10 or 11 pm? We left her lights on bc we wanted her to finish the process and climb on her vine, so we could give her water and food. Everything we'd read on this board said she'd be exhausted, hungry, and thirsty.
By 2 am, the tunnel was completely covered and she was just crawling around on the sand, slowly pushing sand back and forth. She never climbed on a vine like she was finished. We gave her a little bit of water (which she took), then turned off her light. She slept in the bucket on top of the sand.
Awoke her this morning by turning on lights and removing towel, and she began pushing sand around again. She didn't climb on vine. We removed the laying bucket and put her in her habitat. The habitat has sand and substrate (coconut shell or something similar) at the bottom. She is digging in the substrate and has been doing so all morning. It's as if she is still trying to cover the eggs, but she isn't even in the laying bucket anymore? Could she possibly still have more eggs in her and is trying to dig another tunnel? It seems more like she is trying to cover something up than to dig a hole, but we just don't know. She must be exhausted, she is considerably smaller, and she appears dehydrated. She has taken a bit of water this morning, and she did swallow a small amount of food from her dropper when we (gently) forced her mouth open.
Does anyone have any ideas about what she could be doing? She seems obsessed with "covering" the ground and spreading the substrate around. Should we put her back in the laying bucket? Should we try to get more food/water into her? Any advice would be appreciated, or discussions if you have seen similar behavior. Thank you all so much for being so helpful!
Chameleon Info: **This info is for how she is typically cared for, NOT what we have been doing the past week while she has been sick. See those details above.
Your Chameleon - Veiled, Female, Approx. 1 year old. In my care for about 8 months.
Handling - Daily, although mainly just to let her walk out of habitat onto my hand so she can be transferred elsewhere. She likes to explore.
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? Crickets mainly, large mealworms, and waxworms. What amount? 3 crickets and a couple of worms. What is the schedule? Typically every other day. How are you gut-loading your feeders? Just with apples and lettuce, but will be changing that now that I have spoken with vet.
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Repti Calcium - Ultrafine Precipitated Calcium Carbonate Supplement With D3
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? Mister and by spritzing habitat with spray bottle of purified water. How often and how long to you mist? As needed according to her humidity gauge. Do you see your chameleon drinking? Yes. She is apparently a rarity in that she will "lap" from a bowl of fresh water (we have seen her do this many times). She will also tilt her head up and drink from a spray bottle from our hand. She also has a "dropper" in her cage (like what one would typically use to provide water to a hamster).
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Typically a half inch or so of solid brown and about the same amount of the off-whitish color. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? No
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you. She was purchased from Petsmart, not from a breeder.
Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) Combo. Glass with one side screen and a screened top. What are the dimensions? Approx. 2' tall by 1.5' foot deep and wide.
Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? Not sure of the brand, but one of each and we have replaced both bulbs one time each since we brought her home. What is your daily lighting schedule? On at 7:30 a.m. and off at 8:25 p.m.
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Temp stays around 75. Lowest overnight temp? 60's to 70 degrees. How do you measure these temps? Thermostat in habitat.
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? Btwn 45 - 65%. Higher after a fresh misting or spray of habitat. How are you creating and maintaining these levels? Mister & spray bottle. What do you use to measure humidity? Thermostat
Plants - Are you using live plants? Yes. If so, what kind? Pothos currently. Will get hibiscus again in summer when it is available.
Placement - Where is your cage located? In a bedroom. Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? No. At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? Top of cage about 5 feet off floor.
Location - Where are you geographically located? San Antonio, TX
