veiled digging but not laying

[CLP]

I have a female veiled that is just over 1 year old. I bred her with my male approximately 3 weeks ago. I realize it usually takes longer than that for her to lay her eggs, but as this is my first time, I'm a bit worried. She has a laying bin in her enclosure that is 18 x 12 x 12 filled with damp playsand. She started digging about 1.5 weeks ago. She did some scratching around at first and made a few small holes and one time she dug a hole right to the bottom of the bin, but she did not fill the hole in or lay any eggs. I filled all the holes back in (not sure if that was wrong to do). She dug around a bit again two days ago, but again, no eggs. She is very fat and I think I can see the outline of eggs in her abdomen.

Her colors are still quite bright. She spends quite a bit of time wandering the bottom of her enclosure. She is still eating and drinking well. She is left alone all day while I'm at work.

My question is, is her behavior normal? Do the generally dig around like that without laying and roam around on the bottom of the enclosure for so long before actually laying their eggs?

I'm getting worried about her. Any insight would be welcome!

 

[reefercheefer]

Try using a 50/50 sand and top soil mix instead. The holes she was digging in the sand probably just collapse.

 

[sandrachameleon]

sometimes they will dig test holes, yes. Though not usually right to the bottom.

what colour is the bin? is it opaque/dark? if she got to the bottom and sensed some light though the sides of the bin, that could easily put her off

I don't think you need to mix in soil, since obviously the tunnels are not collapsing since you say you filled them in. I often used only damp playsand (no soil) with total success. Unless there are a lot of holes, don't bother to fill them in.

if the sand is too wet at the bottom, it might have stopped her from finishing the job.

I wonder if she noticed you seeing her. They will sometimes abandon a hole if they are seen - it is important to give them privacy and to not disturb her in any way during any part of the laying process.

that said, if she doesn't lay soon, you may need vet assistance. how long since she dug the tunnel to the bottom ?

 

[CLP]

The bin is dark grey - not transparent, so the light would not be an issue. I don't think the sand is the bottom is too wet as I only allowed just enough water for it to clump nicely. I dug a test hole to make sure it would hold up and it worked well. No collapsing as mentioned because I did fill in the hole to the bottom. The tunnel to the bottom was dug about 4-5 days ago, but I did not disturb her while she was digging. She dug it while I was at work. I noticed it when I came home and she was up on her branches by then, so I definitely did not disturb her.

I'll keep an eye on her for the next few days and see how it goes. Do they always show gravid colors? Mine is still showing colors closer to receptive than gravid, but I really have no doubt she is carrying eggs given how fat her belly is and as mentioned, I'm fairly certain I see egg outlines in her belly near her back legs.

Is there some point or sign at which time I can be "certain" there is something wrong?

 

[camimom]

Weak back legs, dark discoloration of her hind quarters, sleeping, unable to walk properly.. these are signs its time for a vet.

 

[CLP]

Thanks for the responses. She seems to be doing OK and none of the signs camimon mentioned yet, so hopefully she's just not quite ready yet. I will keep a close eye on her and get her to the vet if I think she's going downhill. Hopefully I'll be able to post soon with some freshly laid eggs. Keep your fingers crossed. She's such a sweet and friendly girl, I would be devastated if something went wrong.