Veiled Chameleon Laying

[ChameleonTime00]

Hello my veiled chameleon is laying right now, she wasn’t showing signs of laying but she’s digging. The only issue is she’s not digging in her lay bin she’s digging her her potted plant, which might be difficult for her but I’m not sure. There are some leaves that fell off the plant laying in her lay bin that’s covering it so that might be why she isn’t laying there and because she might not know it’s a lay bin or she might just prefer the dirt. I’ve covered her up and left her alone but I’d really like to move those leaves in case she decides to lay there instead. What should I do? Because I want to help but i don’t wanna disturb her.

 

[kinyonga]

I'd leave her be and don't let her see you watching her while she's digging.

 

[ChameleonTime00]

So for about 5 hours she dug and then she came up and got some water and then went back down for about 30 minutes and then came back up to bask, then back down to dig, and now she’s up basking again. Do you think she’s done? I just don’t wanna do anything just yet because she keeps going back down there, but I’ve always read when you see them basking again they’re usually done. Plus it didn’t take nearly as long as I thought it would. She also doesn’t look much smaller.

 

[MissSkittles]

So for about 5 hours she dug and then she came up and got some water and then went back down for about 30 minutes and then came back up to bask, then back down to dig, and now she’s up basking again. Do you think she’s done? I just don’t wanna do anything just yet because she keeps going back down there, but I’ve always read when you see them basking again they’re usually done. Plus it didn’t take nearly as long as I thought it would. She also doesn’t look much smaller.

Doesn’t sound like she’s done.

 

[kinyonga]

If she's done she should fill the hole in and return to the branches and not go down again. All the eggs are laid at the same time, one after the other and she stays in the hole the whole time she is laying.

Don't let her see you watching her while she's digging.

 

[ChameleonTime00]

She hasn’t gone back down for a while, but her hole isn’t filled up. Hoping she goes back down again Tommorow.

 

[kinyonga]

I hope so.

 

[ChameleonTime00]

I got the leaves that were in her big lay bin while she was sleeping out of there. However she keeps trying to dig in her potted play which definitely isn’t gonna make that great of a hole. Do you think she’ll eventually realize that and move to the lay bin? Because so far she just keeps going up and down and up and down to the potted plant soil.

 

[kinyonga]

If she's digging in the plant soil I'd leave her. If you try to make her change spots, you might make her stop digging and become eggbound. Just my opinion.

 

[ChameleonTime00]

If she's digging in the plant soil I'd leave her. If you try to make her change spots, you might make her stop digging and become eggbound. Just my opinion.

Oh I wasn’t gonna make her change spots. It’s just that soil is kinda dry and definitely won’t hold well, but her lay bin with washed play sand will. I’m just wondering if she’ll move over there or not.

 

[kinyonga]

Hard to say.

 

[ChameleonTime00]

So today while she wasn’t digging, I setup a cage in the corner of the room with a heat lamp a cover plant, and a lay bin. I moved her over there and she dug a huge tunnel for about 4-5 hours and now she is turned around in the tunnel and has been pushing out eggs for about an hour. Any idea on how long this part of the process takes? Any estimate is okay, I just work a lot this week and I wanna make sure I’m home once she’s done and ready to go back to her real cage.

 

[kinyonga]

It can be as little as a couple of hours or it might take overnight. Often they will sleep in the hole.
Can you post a photo of the new setup without disturbing her or letting her see you??

 

[ChameleonTime00]

One of the photos is from my ring camera on top of the cage so I can keep an eye on her. She’s covered up on all sides except one but that just faces the wall so it’s not an issue. I had that little fake plant in the sand to give her a little bit of cover, however she ended up trying to climb on it and it fell over but it worked out because she decided to make her tunnel right under that. You can’t see her that well but she’s the dark blob under the purple part of the plant.

 

[kinyonga]

She should be ok in there for a short time...as long as she can't get out...and as long as the temperatures aren't too warm. You can turn the lights off at the regular time. They can work/sleep in the dark!

 

[ChameleonTime00]

47 Eggs!!! So just a few questions now, I moistened up the hatchrite so it’s damp but not soaking wet. Do I need to poke holes in the lid? Do I need to wash the sand off? Are the eggs too close together?

 

[MissSkittles]

I’ve never incubated or hatched eggs, but according to this https://reptilesmagazine.com/how-to-breed-veiled-chameleons/ you want the eggs spaced about 1/2” between them, no holes in the container and it doesn’t say anything about cleaning the sand off, but I’d leave them as they are.

 

[ChameleonTime00]

I’ve never incubated or hatched eggs, but according to this https://reptilesmagazine.com/how-to-breed-veiled-chameleons/ you want the eggs spaced about 1/2” between them, no holes in the container and it doesn’t say anything about cleaning the sand off, but I’d leave them as they are.

Dang I read I was supposed to have a ventilation hole so I poked one in each lid

 

[MissSkittles]

Dang I read I was supposed to have a ventilation hole so I poked one in each lid

It makes sense to me to have some sort of small ventilation hole, but the article said none. You can always cover it up with something. Let’s wait and see what @kinyonga says.

 

[kinyonga]

47 Eggs!!! So just a few questions now, I moistened up the hatchrite so it’s damp but not soaking wet. Do I need to poke holes in the lid? Do I need to wash the sand off? Are the eggs too close together?

That's a lot of eggs...you may want to put her on the diet and keep her temperatures at 80F to hopefully make the next clutch smallerto help her avoid reproductive issues.
So if you do, feed her well for about two feedings and then cut hr back.

I've never used hatch rite so I can't tell you how moist to make it. I hope others will chime in and let you know.

I have used containers with one or two very small holes poked in them and others that have had no holes poked in them and it didn't seem to matter.

Do not wash off the sand. It's said that the eggs have an "antibacterial" coating and you don't want to wash it off.
If you have to add water to the containers during the incubation, add it away from the eggs not on them.

I usually put the eggs a little further apart...but it should be fine like you have them. I wouldn't disturb them to change it now.

I space the eggs apart for several reasons. I feel that if one starts to die, moulds over, etc. it hopefully won't affect the neighbouring eggs. It also makes them hatch more individually so to me the babies are the best they can be that way.

What temperature are you keeping them at?
Are the containers in the dark?