Overdue Chameleon Egg Laying Questions

_kale_//latd_

New Member
I have a (~18 mo. old) female veiled chameleon who is getting ready to lay eggs. I don't believe my chameleon is egg bound, and she has laid eggs in the past without any issues.
However, I hear horror stories about egg bound chameleons and I am always super anxious any time she gets ready to lay eggs. I am also aware chameleons are really great at hiding illness, and it seems like every site I go to lists very general symptoms of egg binding, but aren't very specific. (Idk it could just be me.)

So I was hoping someone could provide some more clarification on egg laying for me?
  • How much time should I give her to lay?
Is it different for every chameleon? How long should the whole process ideally take?
  • Privacy vs checking progress?
I give her lots of privacy, usually trying to leave her alone for a few days so she can dig in peace, and once she seems like she's done digging I remove her bin. But, how much should I be checking on her while she's digging? I don't want to stress her out and risk her not feeling comfortable or safe enough to lay. At the same time I want to make sure she's doing ok and not in any trouble.
  • I hear a lot: "If she tries to lay eggs and is not successful, then she may be egg bound." How do I tell if she is unsuccessful in egg laying?
But what does unsuccessful look like? Is it just a lack of eggs after a certain amount of time? Is it different for every chameleon? My chameleon has reabsorbed eggs in the past, which I know is unusual for veileds, so how do I know if she's egg bound or has just reabsorbed them? How long do I let her try to lay before I take her to a vet? What specific things (behaviors, colors, activity, etc. ) should I keep an eye out for that might indicate she might need help? what are the first signs she might be egg bound? How can I differentiate this from other more normal behaviors?
  • What is the main reason behind egg binding?
I've heard lots of thing can cause egg binding, but what is the biggest cause? Is it more about stress, and not feeling comfortable enough to lay? Or is it about physical health, like calcium intake? Or is it all of it put together in equal parts?
  • Chameleons are notorious for hiding illness, so how can I catch egg binding early?
Some of the symptoms of egg binding and needing to lay eggs are the same, like not eating, or restlessness. But I feel like by the time some of the other physical symptoms show (like lethargy, closed eyes, open mouth breathing) up to this extent there's not much time to help them. For physical symptoms of illness such as difficulty breathing, open mouth breathing, refusal to eat, inability or unwillingness to climb within her enclosure, lethargy and sunken or closed eyes. Feel your chameleon's sides and belly to see if you can feel eggs.

Other (more individual) Questions:
  • Is it normal for a chameleon who needs to lay eggs to not immediately go to the bin? My chameleon has a bin full of cocohusk soil, background blend, and a little bit of calcium sand. Its 18" tall, covered by her largest plant, and kept moist. But, she doesn't show a ton of interest in it when she initially needs to lay. She'll dig around the cage but not in the bin. Then a week later she'll start digging in the bin. She's done this her last 2 lays, is that normal? Or am I doing something wrong with her bin?
  • I mentioned my chameleon has absorbed eggs before (twice actually). What is the likelihood of her doing it again? At the time she had a lay bin, so why were eggs reabsorbed? What does it mean if she reabsorbs eggs? Is that due to her own genetics? or is it environmental factors? Both Neither?

PLEASE!!! feel free to add any helpful tips you might've learned to best ensure a non stressful egg laying! Add any questions too, they might be things I should be asking too!
 
How many times has she laid eggs in the past? How many eggs each time? Did she lay them properly...in the normal manner chameleons lay them in?

How do you know she reabsorbed the eggs? In all the time I've kept chameleons, I've only seen one instance of a documented egg resorption in a veiled female.

Did you make the changes to your husbandry that were suggested in other threads you posted?
 
You said..."I have a (~18 mo. old) female veiled chameleon who is getting ready to lay eggs. I don't believe my chameleon is egg bound, and she has laid eggs in the past without any issues"...see my questions in my previous post...

You said..."However, I hear horror stories about egg bound chameleons and I am always super anxious any time she gets ready to lay eggs. I am also aware chameleons are really great at hiding illness, and it seems like every site I go to lists very general symptoms of egg binding, but aren't very specific. (Idk it could just be me.)"...the symptoms listed are likely as specific as they can be. It's hard to know for sure when the eggbinding starts because they are good at hiding it for a time. By the time the symptoms are obvious, it's usually/often too late to help the female.

You said..."So I was hoping someone could provide some more clarification on egg laying for me?"... This is the way it should go...
She will become plump showing that she is producing eggs. As the time to lay them approaches, she will become restless, roam the cage looking for a proper place to lay them. (For many years I've used a washed playsand produced by Kings for egglaying bin substrate.) She should dig a hole ...she may dig some test holes first but should pick one and dig it until she's satisfied with it. She'll turn around, butt in the hole, often in the evening...lay the eggs...fill in the hole and tamp it down and return to the branches...thin, thirsty, hungry.

You said..."How much time should I give her to lay?"...as long as it takes her. Some do it quickly, some take a day once they are butt down in the hole.

You said..."Is it different for every chameleon? How long should the whole process ideally take?"... It varies from chameleon to chameleon.

You said..."Privacy vs checking progress?"... Always privacy...never let her see you watching her.

You said..."I give her lots of privacy, usually trying to leave her alone for a few days so she can dig in peace, and once she seems like she's done digging I remove her bin"...do you dig up the eggs and count them?

You said..."But, how much should I be checking on her while she's digging? I don't want to stress her out and risk her not feeling comfortable or safe enough to lay. At the same time I want to make sure she's doing ok and not in any trouble"...you can check on her once in a while....but do not let her see you checking.

You said..."I hear a lot: "If she tries to lay eggs and is not successful, then she may be egg bound." How do I tell if she is unsuccessful in egg laying?"...if she's laid the eggs she'll be thinner...but it's hard to be sure she laid them all just by looking at her. Digging up the eggs will let you know that she at least laid some. The only way to know for sure that she laid them all is to have an xray done.

You said..."But what does unsuccessful look like? Is it just a lack of eggs after a certain amount of time? Is it different for every chameleon?"...she will still be fat if she hasn't laid them and will eventually start going downhill...be leth,Argie, sit low in the cage, sleep during the day, etc.

You said..."My chameleon has reabsorbed eggs in the past, which I know is unusual for veileds, so how do I know if she's egg bound or has just reabsorbed them?"....if she's eggbound she will still be fat.

You said..."How long do I let her try to lay before I take her to a vet? What specific things (behaviors, colors, activity, etc. ) should I keep an eye out for that might indicate she might need help? what are the first signs she might be egg bound? How can I differentiate this from other more normal behaviours?"....not sure what to say here that I haven't already said.

You said.."What is the main reason behind egg binding? "... The main reason for egg binding is husbandry related. Once in a while there will be deformed eggs or a reproductive tract abnormality that is the reason.

You said..."I've heard lots of thing can cause egg binding, but what is the biggest cause? Is it more about stress, and not feeling comfortable enough to lay? Or is it about physical health, like calcium intake? Or is it all of it put together in equal parts?"...all of the things can contribute.

You said ..."Chameleons are notorious for hiding illness, so how can I catch egg binding early?"... Best thing is to provide proper husbandry and a proper egg laying site....and privacy at egg laying time.

You said..."Is it normal for a chameleon who needs to lay eggs to not immediately go to the bin? My chameleon has a bin full of cocohusk soil, background blend, and a little bit of calcium sand. Its 18" tall, covered by her largest plant, and kept moist. But, she doesn't show a ton of interest in it when she initially needs to lay. She'll dig around the cage but not in the bin. Then a week later she'll start digging in the bin. She's done this her last 2 lays, is that normal? Or am I doing something wrong with her bin?"... Sounds like she doesn't like the substrate...or bin.


You said..."I mentioned my chameleon has absorbed eggs before (twice actually). What is the likelihood of her doing it again? At the time she had a lay bin, so why were eggs reabsorbed? What does it mean if she reabsorbs eggs? Is that due to her own genetics? or is it environmental factors? Both Neither?"...It's not usual for the eggs to be resorbed.
 
How many times has she laid eggs in the past? How many eggs each time? Did she lay them properly...in the normal manner chameleons lay them in?

How do you know she reabsorbed the eggs? In all the time I've kept chameleons, I've only seen one instance of a documented egg resorption in a veiled female.

Did you make the changes to your husbandry that were suggested in other threads you posted?
My chameleon (Pam) has laid 4 times total(counting the reabsorption), and she's getting ready to lay right now.

I'm not sure what prompt is in this case, that was one of my big questions.
She usually ignores the lay bin for the first week, and is just really restless for a few days, going up and down in her cage. After that she starts digging holes. She's usually digging for like maybe 3 days. Then after that she goes back to normal. When she needs to lay I noticed she loses her appetite (normally she's always very interested in food and is pretty quick to eat). She digs really deep, usually all the way don to the bottom of her bucket (about 18"). So I think she's pretty usual in laying process. Me and Pam usually get along great, but when she's getting ready her personality flips; doesn't want me anywhere near her, side eyeing me when I'm putting out food, a lot puffier than normal, which I have just been attributing to the stress of laying.

About 40 ish eggs each time. (I think I have a picture of one of her lays if that helps?)

I took her to a vet. The very first time she was supposed to lay eggs but didn't and I got worried she might be egg bound. The vet said she reabsorbed them, and he told me that it wasn't common but was more likely to occur in young chameleons.

Yep, all changes have been made.
 
Do you know the dates she laid and reabsorbed the eggs?

40 is a little high...you might want to cut back on how much you feed her after she lays this batch of eggs and make sure her basking temperature is 80F.
 
Do you know the dates she laid and reabsorbed the eggs?

40 is a little high...you might want to cut back on how much you feed her after she lays this batch of eggs and make sure her basking temperature is 80F.
She lays usually early December, and in mid May. Reabsorption was January.
 
I feed her a little more when she needs to lay. Should I not be doing that?
Once they're already working on the eggs they need he nutrients to produce good eggs even youth they will be infertile IMHO.
The time to put them on the diet to decrease/stop egg production is a couple of days after they lay the clutch IMHO.
 
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