small panther trying to lay eggs

[Fate X]

i have a small sambava panther that is pacing the bottom of her cage,shes about 6-8 months and shes fat,she seems like shes trying to find a spot to lay eggs,she is not eating like she was,she is strong.i put a container of sand in her cage and she has not dug in it yet.

must the egg laying medium be warm? what should the temp be for her i have no experience with panthers laying eggs.these eggs will not be fertile.

 

[CleanLineChameleons]

No it shouldn't be warm...those are definately signs of a gravid female needing to lay. Just make a 1/2 organic potting soil 1/2 sand mixture in a pot that is fairly large (10" in diameter and about 12" deep). And place the pot in the enclosure. If the enclosure is too small then get a trashcan and fill it with the mixture, put some plants and a light and let her do her thing.

-chris

 

[ChromaChameleons]

The egg laying medium should be slightly cooler than the ambient air temp. It should be moist enough to support a tunnel, when the cham digs. If you are using a raised pot, this may create a problem for your cham , since they are looking for the lowest point in the cage. They also need to feel that no one knows where these eggs will be layed, so they need peace and seclusion . No peeking .

Personally, I have a pot of dirt in each females cage at all times. It is more for an indication of when a female is ready to lay , than for them to actually use, although a few have successfully layed eggs in these shallow, ( 8" deep), pots.

When a female shows signs of readiness to lay, ( i.e. pacing the ground, stopped eating , or scratching in the corner of their cage or pot), I move them to a laying bucket that has 15" of dirt, ( 3/4 soil and 1/4 sand mix), with a basking spot and uvb fixture overhead and a plant in the middle of the bucket , and I then give them peace and seclusion for 36 hours. If they havent laid by then, I remove them for 12 hours and try again the next day.

 

[Julirs]

Didn't you have a Veiled that laid eggs? Same way...

 

[Fate X]

yeah i had a veiled laggs but this is a panther ,i am using sand by itself,should i mix soil with the sand or can she lay her eggs in the sand?
i put her in the egg container last night and she didnt do anything.
the egg container is a used drum used to hold candy that manufacterers use its like 2 5 gallon buckets stacked on top each other then i put a screen across the top with a light.its filled with a ft. of sand and ive used it many time before.

 

[Julirs]

Why not just put something in her cage to lay in?

 

[Fate X]

she has not laid eggs and now her left shoulder blade is protruding.i would beleive its possibly dislocated.she must have fell off the top of the egg laying container about 1 ft. now i seen chams drop 3-5 ft and get back up with no harm. her vitamin D defiencency is affecting her calcium process so her bones must be weak and it explains why shes not digging.
i will post a pic.

 

[joefarah]

why are you grasping her by the mid-section?

 

[Fate X]

because its the only way i had to hold her while taking the pic.
she's not held much if at all.and she was wiggling around so i had to hold her still.

 

[kinyonga]

Are you giving her calcium?

Since her shoulder is like that perhaps you could dig a hole for her? I would put a container of washed playsand (moistened) in her cage and leave it there...and make sure she can get to it (and knows that its there).

 

[Fate X]

yeah i been giving her calcium i been giving em all calcium,i have been putting a container with damp playsand in her cage and she does nothing,she has gotten bigger ,shes still strong too.i beleive she has calcium but not enough vit D asimilate it.tomorow im starting her on liquid vit D. AND some liquid calcium.i am giving her a small dose,the package says reptiles big or small can get the same dose 1 droplet per week .i plan on giving her a half droplet of D And 1 drop of calcium.shes ok i mean i spraying her today and shes drinking,im making a appointment for her to go to the vet tomorow.