Tava won't lay her eggs!

[Benjaminx3]

Hello,
I posted here not to long ago about some problems with my chameleon. It was thought that she might be ready to lay her eggs soon. I started taking necessary measures, by getting her some play and and other supplies.

The main problems that have been concerning me are that she hasn't been eating a lot. She'll got a few days without eating. She's been doing this for over a month (on and off) by now I figure.

She also hasn't shed in a while.. Her last shed cycle was incomplete. She started on her head and tail but that's it, and even then, the skin was stuck to her for a good week or so.

The fact that she may be ready to lay eggs makes sense. She's been moving around a lot lately, and she's looking a lot more plump than usual. She's also been much more aggressive (Especially in the last few day)

I'll post a picture of her, her current enclosure, and her two bins here. I know it's not the best possible setup, but it is the best I can do at this time.

Here is Tava's current enclosure:
http://riseofthevulpes.tumblr.com/post/17683990746
I have a small container in there just in case she needs it.

Here's two pictures (For comparison) The first was taken roughly ten days ago
http://riseofthevulpes.tumblr.com/post/17442918043
This is from today:
http://riseofthevulpes.tumblr.com/private/17954300154/tumblr_lzpd047rqZ1qe6a34
It's hard to tell how she might look standing normally in the first one, but I'm sure you can see that there's a big difference in her size.

And finally, her larger egg bin:
http://riseofthevulpes.tumblr.com/private/17954405032/tumblr_lzpd39De661qe6a34
Excuse the mess.


My main concerns are the egg laying, and the shedding. If someone could please help me out on both, I'd greatly appreciate it. Also, I did read the blog post from jannb.

 

[Olimpia]

Well, she does look like she's carrying eggs - perhaps she is going to lay them some time in the coming few days if she's not eating as much and being more restless. My panther girl, Azura, is the same way when she's gravid. She won't eat as much, she's just not herself, but once she lays she'll start being the glutton she is again. So yours sounds fairly normal to me, in my experience.

Remember to give her lots of privacy in these days if she is going to lay. I might even tell you to take an old bed sheet or something like that and hang it around the cage so she feels more alone, and you can peep in on her every so often through a corner or a hole. I actually have an old broken laptop connected to a webcam that I use to spy on my female when she's at this stage lol So you can get creative.

 

[Benjaminx3]

Her enclosure is in my room.. so it's kind of hard. What would I do about the lamps if I use a sheet?
Also, do you think I should put her in the bigger bin and leave her there for a few hours?

 

[Bernie]

Some people start making the hole for their chams to lay. This could be worth a try

 

[Olimpia]

Just pin or tape it to the outer sides, not over the top. Just so she doesn't see you, you know? Especially if she's in your room, it'll give her the most amount of privacy without you having to stop being in your room for a few days.

You can try leaving her in the larger bin (I've done that with a couple girls) but there's no set time to do it, you'll have to use your best judgement. I knew mine needed to go in when she was super restless, she wouldn't stay still for a minute, as if she was looking for something - I put her in her bin, she fought to come out for 30 minutes and then spent 24 hours digging and laying eggs. But she if she'll use the bin in her cage first, that would be a good sign that she's ready.

 

[laurie]

I think you should be able to loosely wrap a sheet around just the sides she can see you from. Make a started hole for her in the small bin in her cage, give her 3 or 4 days if nothing happens, we will tell you how to fix the big bin and move her into it. She looks pretty close to laying to me. Fingers crossed. make sure she has water the whole time.

 

[kinyonga]

What ere the dimensions of the bin in her cage?

 

[Benjaminx3]

Her cage is 48x18x18 I believe.
Since she moved in, she seems much less restless, but still isn't laying.
Also, no one has answered about her shedding problem, which is also another concern.
Is it possible she has a nutrient problem?

I don't know if this means anything, but she seems to be laying her belly against everthing when she's moving. Like, every time she stops, she has to lay right against the stick. It wasn't always this bad, I odn't think.

 

[Zen Reptiles]

My girls are going through the same thing right now ISN'T IT STRESSFUL OMG!

They also don't shed right during gravid times, I assume it is because they are giving so many nutrients to the eggs. I give them one drop of liquid Vitamin A (Retinyl palmitate & halibut liver oil) on one feeder, it usually helps a bit.

They always stress me out when they are gravid, but that's cause I get overly concerned about the littlest things lol. They always end up being fine and laying and being little miss piggies immediately after.

Just keep her hydrated at least, I give mine showers every few days to make up for the lack of hydration they would get from the moisture in the food they refuse.

IF she is not looking good (dark dark black, laying on the ground and not moving for a few days), then go to the Vet and ask for Oxytocin. But in my experience, they always lay long after you think they should have.

Oh, and what I do is attach a black garbage bag to the front of the cage so they can't see me or anyone else during this time. Easier than attaching a sheet.

 

[Elizadolots]

But in my experience, they always lay long after you think they should have.

I think that's always true from the perspective of the mom...it seems to take way longer than it should.

But I've seen this comment from others. The fact is, it can be a time consuming process. If she's not hanging out at the bottom, it just might not be time yet.

It would probably be wise to locate a good reptile vet with chameleon experience just in case you decide she needs to be checked out. Do this now rather than later.