Pearl is digging

Dankmeleon

Dankmeleon

New Member
hi guys, my female panther has been pretty swole the past few weeks so a few days ago i got a laying container in there and set her cage up with a bit more cover.

This morning when i went to water and turn her lights on, i found she had starting digging two tunnels

this startled me because when she started digging it was a lil bit dryer than i expected. so I misted good and she came up real quick for a nice drink.

hopefully she goes back down soon, as i tried to not get the container too wet as i didn't want her to get her nasals clogged up with mud.

anyways this is my first attempt at getting a chameleon to dig and lay eggs, so far so good, but i feel my mix isn't perfect.

if for some reason she keeps digging test tunnels, it may be a sign that my mix is not good enough, i could not find play sand so i used top soil and thouroughly washed bagged leveling sand....
i pray this isn't going to be a problem

all input appreciated
 
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I find the mix of play sand and coconut fiber works great, digs easier, and holds a tunnel better. Just because she is digging test holes does not mean she is not happy, some just dig test holes, especially if this is her first time laying. The Home Depot and Lowes on 19 both have play sand.
 
The main issue with the moisture is to insure that its wet enough not to collapse on her while she is digging. IMO I'd leave her alone and let her do her thing, it should only take throughout the day.... Then get ready she'll be ready to MUNCH!
 
If her test holes are not collapsing , she should be OK. Just give her peace and don't let her see you peeking . Where she eventually lays those eggs is supposed to be a secret ...LOL... only she knows where they will be.

Good Luck
 
after digging several holes it seems she is dissatisfied with the fill and depth of my laying container, she has come back up and is looking good. I'm going to get her a better container and a better mix and quick swap them out when she is up basking as to not disturb her. thank you julirs, i happen to have a whole block of profit disks(coco fiber) and hadn't even considered to use that before leaving the home to purchase something else i am very grateful you mentioned that

where exactly inside homedepot is that sand located, i searched all over garden and found both pool filter silica sand and also leveling sand. leveling seemed like the best choice as the texture is very close to playground sand, but then again u never know
 
If I remember it is in a weird place. In Lowes it is inside I think where the concrete is and in Home Depot it is not where the concrete is-maybe call and ask them...
 
Julirs said:
If I remember it is in a weird place. In Lowes it is inside I think where the concrete is and in Home Depot it is not where the concrete is-maybe call and ask them...
Click to expand...

I always soaked about 2-3 of those disks and mixed in with the sand, using a flower pot that is 11" tall and 10" wide.
 
i did it, she now has more room to dig, as her other holes, she was stopping when she got to the bottom.

thanks for everyones input.

I will def have some crix for her to munch when she is done. the mix feels much better with the coco in it, softer but still compact, will make for much better digging.

i feel terrible that i made her do all that work this morning for nothing, but she at least now has her routine down. after i made the swap she has been a bit weary of her new laying container, however i see her eyeballing it, and i know once things cool down she'll be right back down there.

she really is a beautiful girl. I have curtained her off now to give her the most privacy and i'm resisting the urge to peek

this morning when i found her i thought she was dead, i called flchams to ask if i should take her out of her hole, and he told me to just pretend shes not there and let her do her thing, the fact that she is digging is a good sign. I think i got the new laying chamber in just fast enough, waiting any longer such as waiting til she falls asleep tonight to switch it would have been extremely risky in my opinion. she is insanely cool with me as i'm always around with plants, i may certainly be a stress factor to her but she has learned to cope, and her life as an adult will be much better now that i've learned how to take care of females

i have 2 more gravid females and this is a great experience for me, as I will be setting them up quite shortly.

in my pursuit of knowledge i wish to learn whether its common that chameleons lay infertile clutches as soon as they reach maturity, or perhaps its the fact that they could see each other and the male thats caused it.

I broke my own rule about purchasing before doing all my research, but the deal was too good to pass up and the chameleons have been amazing to work with.

I hope to learn as much as possible and take this all in, so that when i decide to do it next time, it will be simple, and so that others can easily learn from my mistakes so they don't have to make the same ones.

thank you everyone.
 
hey everyone, since i switched her tubs out, she has not gone back down, sucks.


she has come up to where she sleeps and has curled her tail up.

i'm considering turning her lights out as they go out pretty soon any, i just don't want her to start digging as soon as i do.

should i start her lights up an hour early tommorow so she can get a good start?
 
I wouldn't worry too much-some females will spend days digging. If she is ready for bed, just let her start tomorrow.
 
my worry is that i got her container in too late, and the days she would have been spending digging are already past. she seemed very weak after digging i feel terrible for making her do all that work when she is that gravid, she is going to spit out a TON of eggs
 
Dankmeleon said:
my worry is that i got her container in too late, and the days she would have been spending digging are already past. she seemed very weak after digging i feel terrible for making her do all that work when she is that gravid, she is going to spit out a TON of eggs
Click to expand...

I would let her sleep if that is what she is intending to do now-it will help her get her strength up. Water her when she is out of the hold now and then, if she is digging, just let her dig. If it has not been too long since her last meal I think she will be fine.
 
i thought about starting her hole for her, but i know in the wild that would never happen. I'm sure she will be fine, but in a contingency plan, if she doesn't lay tommorow undisturbed, what should be my next step to action? give her the next morning to finish and get her to the vet?
 
Dank-did you breed her or is this an infertile clutch? If it is infertile than it is hard to tell if she is past due. Go back and read about Carla cham and all my panic when she laid her first clutch-it all came out fine-and now I am feeding 69 babies!

https://www.chameleonforums.com/egg-watch-day-26-a-6494/

Really-give her privacy and see what she does tomorrow.
 
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Dankmeleon said:
i thought about starting her hole for her, but i know in the wild that would never happen. I'm sure she will be fine, but in a contingency plan, if she doesn't lay tommorow undisturbed, what should be my next step to action? give her the next morning to finish and get her to the vet?
Click to expand...
It wouldnt happen in the wild but for the best interest of your female and her health i would start a hole for her.
 
It doesn't sound too bad. Just give her time and a lot of dirt, plants and vines. I thought that my dirt was too dry before, but what I noticed that only the top would be dry, so I kept adding water. So my female had dug 2 holes and abandoned them. I thought that there wasn't enough dirt, so I decided to stick my hand in the hole and see how far it goes, when I did, I felt a puddle of water. All the water I added would go straight down. Just in case check down there, but I doubt you will be in the same situation as me. Try giving her topsoil only (worked best for me) and give her a nice and long misting in the morning and maybe give her a cricket or two and leave her for the whole day. As hard as it is not to take a peek in there, just leave the house and give her time you will be fine. Hope it helps.

David Messri
 
I use a big rectangular rubbermade bin. Best to select one made with a non offensive colour. Yellows and reds are possible problem environments for the female to feel comfortable in . Placing a plant , by burying its pot in the bin is really helpful to make the female comfy . They seek plants to utilise the roots in the wild. By burying their eggs within the root system, they ensure a constant wicking effect to keep the eggs hydration regulated, so the female is looking for such an opportunistic lay site . I also start a hole in each corner of the bin. With luck , the female usually will select one and when she is done, you simply dig up the 1 hole of the 4 that has been fill back in. Sometimes the sneaky girls will start a 5th hole, leaving you a bit of work to find the eggs.

My mix is 60/40, organic soil / sand. Keep it damp enough to bind .

Remember.. no peeking...

good luck
 
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