Our Veiled He is a SHE!!

Hello all,

First time posting. We rescued a wild veiled on September 13th. (She and another were procured from the Ft Meyers area.

Not new to the Cham world, we have two captive bred panthers. So their supplements are on point. We keep them outside, monitoring the heat of course and provide them with plenty to stay comfy. Crickets are the typical feeding but we also have silk worms we are breeding. Bottom line, her health has improved since being in our possession.

Flash forward to about three or four days ago, my oldest son points out she has spots and not bars, etc. and so we determined she’s not a fat male, but a very gravid female!!!

We immediately prepped a laying bin and placed it in her container. We filled it with cocoa fiber, as that is the only media we had on hand. Will plan for next round to mix with sand, but for the time being that should work.

Long story short, she has dug a bit, and seems rather restless. How do we know if we discovered she was a female in time? Our fear is that she has, or will, become egg bound. I’ve given her her for crickets for the morning not sure if they’re in her container still or not, and have a camera so we can monitor her activity. She seems to be climbing up the side of the netting quite frequently.
(Side note: The container is temporary, we are building her permanent container over the next couple of days where she will have plenty of room and privacy. We plan to move her after she has laid.

Any advice you can provide would be grateful, I’ve attached pictures as best as I could get them to show her condition. She seems otherwise healthy I just hope we got the laying been in there in time. We’ve covered her so she still gets sun and privacy to lay.

Thank you in advance for any help!
 

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Hi. She certainly is quite gravid! How long was she digging for? Was she disturbed at any time during that? How deep is the coco coir? The problem with that is that they tend to dig to the bottom and at an angle. Coco coir is too fluffy, even when wet, to hold a tunnel without collapsing. Although it is light enough that even if she were to get buried by it, she should be able to get herself out. Although it is 100% best to not disturb her for anything, if you absolutely have to, quickly swap out the coir for sand or even plain soil, moistened enough to hold a tunnel without collapsing and to a depth of around 6”. They like size, so width and length of the bin should be around 12” each side. Cover up the visible parts of her enclosure to give her privacy. If the top of her enclosure is open, maybe find a stray palm leaf to place over it loosely to make her feel safer from birds and predators. Make sure she still has plenty of good air circulation though.
Signs to watch for that could indicate a problem - lethargy, not basking/staying low in her enclosure, eyes closed during the day, gaping or signs of trouble breathing, not eating/drinking (although this is also a sign of being ready to lay) or anything else that just doesn’t seem ‘right’. Only a vet can tell with x rays how far along she is, if there’s too many eggs or the eggs are malformed.
I’m guessing you’re in Florida. What area? We are fortunate to have several good chameleon vets in the state.
 
Hi. She certainly is quite gravid! How long was she digging for? Was she disturbed at any time during that? How deep is the coco coir? The problem with that is that they tend to dig to the bottom and at an angle. Coco coir is too fluffy, even when wet, to hold a tunnel without collapsing. Although it is light enough that even if she were to get buried by it, she should be able to get herself out. Although it is 100% best to not disturb her for anything, if you absolutely have to, quickly swap out the coir for sand or even plain soil, moistened enough to hold a tunnel without collapsing and to a depth of around 6”. They like size, so width and length of the bin should be around 12” each side. Cover up the visible parts of her enclosure to give her privacy. If the top of her enclosure is open, maybe find a stray palm leaf to place over it loosely to make her feel safer from birds and predators. Make sure she still has plenty of good air circulation though.
Signs to watch for that could indicate a problem - lethargy, not basking/staying low in her enclosure, eyes closed during the day, gaping or signs of trouble breathing, not eating/drinking (although this is also a sign of being ready to lay) or anything else that just doesn’t seem ‘right’. Only a vet can tell with x rays how far along she is, if there’s too many eggs or the eggs are malformed.
I’m guessing you’re in Florida. What area? We are fortunate to have several good chameleon vets in the state.
She was maybe digging for a few mins? Unsure because we didn’t have the camera in there at that point. We were heading out to water her and noticed she had been digging. We have not intentionally disrupted her of course, but that is also a concern.

The media is about 10” deep, actually came to these forums to find out what to provide her. The bin is a decent size too but can def be bigger. Even planted a small pothos so she had a “rootball” to lay against. Will run to the HD to grab some sand and a new bin shortly.

Thanks fir the guidelines. We will continue to monitor her closely. Also will make sure she has more privacy. She has been roaming quite a bit, tends to be hanging low in the container where the sun hits. Not sure if she’s eating or drinking, but we have provided both for her. Will evaluate for signs and symptoms of decompensation.

We are in the Sarasota area, would love some recommendations. What is the typical $$ associated with a visit for this issue?
 
Thanks. It would be a tragedy to lose her.

Problem is the only exotic vet in my area is booked out past next week, and I don’t think she will last that long if she is bound. Guess we will monitor and adjust as we can.
Might have to do a drive .
 
She was maybe digging for a few mins? Unsure because we didn’t have the camera in there at that point. We were heading out to water her and noticed she had been digging. We have not intentionally disrupted her of course, but that is also a concern.

The media is about 10” deep, actually came to these forums to find out what to provide her. The bin is a decent size too but can def be bigger. Even planted a small pothos so she had a “rootball” to lay against. Will run to the HD to grab some sand and a new bin shortly.

Thanks fir the guidelines. We will continue to monitor her closely. Also will make sure she has more privacy. She has been roaming quite a bit, tends to be hanging low in the container where the sun hits. Not sure if she’s eating or drinking, but we have provided both for her. Will evaluate for signs and symptoms of decompensation.

We are in the Sarasota area, would love some recommendations. What is the typical $$ associated with a visit for this issue?
Vet costs vary widely, so I’ve no idea. Usually the office visit fee is pretty reasonable…I think I pay around $40-50. X rays will be an added charge and I can’t recall what I’ve paid in the past. There’s Dr Anderson in Clearwater, that’s been recommended by another member quite frequently. https://www.countrysideanimalhospitalfl.net/ I’m on the Space Coast and when I need a more skilled cham vet, I go to Dr Bogoslavsky in Orlando. https://myavho.com/
 
Seems that I only needed to post! She is actively digging in her lay container, although not ideal, I do hope this is successful! Thank you all for commenting so quickly! Will let you know how it goes!
 
Thank you for taking her and the other Cham in and doing you’re best for them! I hope she lays soon!

She is our 3rd rescue! We also have a rather large male: Sunset, a juvenile (?) female who we named Luna and the Cham of this post: Formerly known as Sol, now Sola. We have two panthers Eclipse (male) and Midnight (female). We just love these animals!!
 

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Ok but still excellent job! I hate the thought of them being killed! It’s not their fault they were released in Florida!
Wait, can you please explain. I know once you pick up a chameleon it's illegal to let it go. But what do you mean being killed, who where they released by? This topic confuses me. Just want to be more educated lol
 
The feral populations of chameleans in various places in the US were started when people released pets they couldn’t take care of into the wild or when importers released them or whatever way they got there and they mated and produced more and more. In the state of Florida invasive species are euthanized because they don’t want them there because it effects the ecosystems there. The same in Hawaii. You can search this on google.
 
The feral populations of chameleans in various places in the US were started when people released pets they couldn’t take care of into the wild or when importers released them or whatever way they got there and they mated and produced more and more. In the state of Florida invasive species are euthanized because they don’t want them there because it effects the ecosystems there. The same in Hawaii. You can search this on google.
So if they are found , they are killed ? :( that's so sad.
 
Wait, can you please explain. I know once you pick up a chameleon it's illegal to let it go. But what do you mean being killed, who where they released by? This topic confuses me. Just want to be more educated lol
I haven’t read the rest of the comments below this but correct me if I’m wrong if you touch a invasive species in Florida you have to kill it keep it or sell it you can’t release
 
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