Question please - Laying of eggs

[BocaJan]

All 3 of my females are gravid, 1 not mated. My question is, the unmated has been acting ready...she is roaming the bottom of her cage, scratching at the screen, not eating but drinking up a storm. For the last 3 days I have been putting her in the laying bin. It is a 13 gal. trash can filled with a mixture of dirt and sand, wet enough so I can dig a tunnel without it collapsing. The first day I put her in it she kept escaping by climbing up the stick I had in there. Fortunately I saw her do this and finally put her back into her enclosure. The second day I didn't put anything in the dirt, but I poked two holes in the dirt to encourage her to dig. Well, she covered in the holes, but didn't lay anything. I dug through all the dirt looking but nada. Plus, she doesn't look any thinner. Today, I weighed her first, then put her in with a pothos cutting I had been rooting. This gives her something to stand on. She has been there all day. (I peeked 2 times).

Should I take her out and put her back in her enclosure or leave her in the laying bin.

I know there have been a lot of questions about gravid females lately and I do hate to to ask more questions, but I have read everything I could and haven't answered my questions. Fortunately this is not a fertilized batch of eggs, but I don't want my female to become egg bound either.

Thanks

 

[BocaJan]

Well, while I was waiting, bedtime came and she is now sleeping in her laying bin. Hopefully she will start digging tomorrow.

Should I mist her? Should I try to feed her? Should I bother her to do these things?

 

[kinyonga]

At any time has she tried to dig?

IMHO...You should not keep moving her back and forth. You should not let her see you watching her when she is digging. You can mist her if she is not digging and you can feed her if she is not digging but be sure not to leave any uneaten insects in the container.

I certainly hope she will dig and lay the eggs for you.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

I agree with leaving her where she's at.
I wouldn't even try to feed her (she won't eat ... and if she does she's not ready to lay)
I wouldn't worry about misting either ... just let her be.
If she is not digging by tomorrow afternoon, I would water her.
Be patient .... she's just not ready yet.

This is why I put the big laying bin in the enclosure the female lives in at this point... no moving the chameleon back and forth.

-Brad

 

[Julirs]

I always have a laying bin in with the girls. My female Veiled won't do a thing if she thinks I am watching her. I cover all 4 sides of her cage with towels. She always stops eating before she digs, and she went for a week without eating for her first fertile clutch--scared me to death for days! i would peak in occassionally, and if she was up in the plants would water her, but in the last day of digging-she never came up. Yours just may not be ready, but I agree all of the moving may be dissuading her.

 

[BocaJan]

Saturday will be 28 days for one of my mated. She is still up in the enclosure but is not eating. The unmated was in the bottom of her enclosure for 4 days before I started putting her in the bin. She has been there this last time for almost 24 hours. There is a screen around her.

Her cage is not large enough to hold a laying bin the size I have her in currently (tall kitchen trash can). All 3 became receptive within 1 week of each other and gravid coloring after mating/not mated.

Since this is my first time dealing with eggs, I want everything to go smoothly. I will take her out of the bin later today so she can sleep in her own cage. I will be sure to water her well and leave some food in her dish if she wants anything, but she hasn't been eating. In fact, none of the 3 have been doing much eating at all. The one that isn't near to be ready (21 days tomorrow) took a super this morning but drank herself silly. I am being an overprotecting mother, I knokw.

 

[JoshCrane1]

im guessing she's not ready yet, mine was restless for weeks before she laid and kept running into her bin and walking around a week before she laid. she was soo fat and could barely get around, i watched for the stop in eating, but she ate the day before she laid so go figure. my female is very anti-social and moving her to separate container outside her cage wouldve been difficult. just saw her digging and left her alone for the day.

55 eggs buried 11 inches deep(bottom of tupperware container) and she must have laid them in less than 6 hours, she spent the following 12 hours covering them back up.

i had no signs she was going to lay besides restlessness, but it was that way for at least 2 weeks before she finally did. im really glad i had a egglaying bin in the cage with her.