Well.. i need help.

ChameleonNerd

New Member
For the past two days i have noticed my Veiled chameleon is digging holes. I'm assuming it is a female. There has also been a decrease in the amount of waste, and she/he has been eating a bit less. Help??
 

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Well first thing I would do is get rid of that substrate you have. Then put in a bucket of washed playsand for your cham to dig in to lay her eggs. I would get a bucket at least about 8 to 10 inches deep and big enough around that she can some wlaking around room. Has she been with a male?
 
she does not have to mate with a male to lay eggs! they can lay infertile clutches. how old is she? She looks pretty plump to me. If there are no spurs on the back heals then you have a female!
 
She or he is between 5 and 8 months I am unsure of the exact age. I am at a budged hearing now but on my way home in about an hour I will get the sand. There are things on the back of the hind feet that resemble spurs however they are unpronounced to the point that I can not tell if it is male or female. I will try the sand and will also book a trip to the vet asap.
 
just post some pics of the back feet if you are unsure. No sense in going through all that if it is a male but I think you have a female there and she looks pretty fat to me! If you get her the laying bin and do everything properly she probably will lay. I don't think you need to take her to the vet unless you put out the bin and she keeps rejecting it and becomes eggbound. I mean you do what you want but you might be spending needless money if you don't have to!
 
Thank you very much for the help. I will, however, make an appointment tomorrow because the vet near me usually takes at least 5 days before he is available. I will get the laying bin tonight and weigh her. Can I leave her in over night or just throughout the day?
 
Thank you for your input Alexbrock but I have had this chameleon in glass for months with no problem. I will try getting her to excrete her eggs in the bin, if no luck but no decline in health I will probably get a screen cage but humidity might become a problem here in jersey. In the event of a health decline I will bring her or him to a vet. Also, I will try to get pictures of the hind feet some time tonight. However, thank all of you for your very helpful input
 
Thank you for your input Alexbrock but I have had this chameleon in glass for months with no problem. I will try getting her to excrete her eggs in the bin, if no luck but no decline in health I will probably get a screen cage but humidity might become a problem here in jersey. In the event of a health decline I will bring her or him to a vet. Also, I will try to get pictures of the hind feet some time tonight. However, thank all of you for your very helpful input

sounds good. also be careful with fungal and respiratory problems. the substrate, if not cleaned or removed, can cause some nasty stuff.
 
Hello ChameleonNerd - I love the name,:cool:. Now on the problem at hand, a close up of your chameleon we tell us if it is male or female. As for the substrate - it is a knee jerk reaction for everyone to tell you to get rid of the substrate. What part of the world are you in? Not everyone has to keep chameleons the same, and not even everyone here in the US has to keep them the same way. How long have you had your chameleon? Just tell me about the size terrarium, depth of substrate, temps & humidity and we can go from there.


Thank you for your input Alexbrock but I have had this chameleon in glass for months with no problem. I will try getting her to excrete her eggs in the bin, if no luck but no decline in health I will probably get a screen cage but humidity might become a problem here in jersey. In the event of a health decline I will bring her or him to a vet. Also, I will try to get pictures of the hind feet some time tonight. However, thank all of you for your very helpful input
 
Hello ChameleonNerd - I love the name,:cool:. Now on the problem at hand, a close up of your chameleon we tell us if it is male or female. As for the substrate - it is a knee jerk reaction for everyone to tell you to get rid of the substrate. What part of the world are you in? Not everyone has to keep chameleons the same, and not even everyone here in the US has to keep them the same way. How long have you had your chameleon? Just tell me about the size terrarium, depth of substrate, temps & humidity and we can go from there.

No, everyone doesn't have to keep chams the same way, but why take the chance of impaction. Maybe it might not happen, say a 1 in 10 chance, but are you willing to take that chance! Not me! I think the best advice is not to have a substrate, and I think most would agree.
 
No, everyone doesn't have to keep chams the same way, but why take the chance of impaction. Maybe it might not happen, say a 1 in 10 chance, but are you willing to take that chance! Not me! I think the best advice is not to have a substrate, and I think most would agree.

Because not all substrates are bad and if properly used very beneficial.

OP. First thing is first. Get her a place to lay. You want to give her at least a 12x12x12 inch container to lay in. Get some play sand from a place like lowes, use a pump sprayer to moisten it to the point it will hold a tunnel but not a soupy mess, place it in her cage, put something around the sides of the cage so she cannot see you and give her peace for the next few days. If you put the bin in, in the morning tomorrow just come back and check in at night. Give her a good drink in the morning before or right when you put the bin in and then let her be. If she sees you she might abandon the hole and start the whole process over. To many times will cause her to get weak and become egg bound and die. If your picture is of today I wouldnt worry about her having gone too long without digging. I also wouldnt contact a vet right off. She probably couldnt dig down far enough to feel good about depositing the eggs.
 
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so i kept seeing new posts and didn't realize it went to page 2 so i was wondering where all the posts went.. anyway, i reviewed pictures and i would post them, but my chameleon is currently camped out on my foot. after getting a closer look for myself and reviewing a couple pictures no doubt, female. next step is the egg laying. i got a giant laying bin and 100 lbs of playing sand. tomorrow as soon as i get a chance i will set that up. unfortunately, i could not find anything to accomidate the enclosure i have so i got a huge bin. does she need other materials besides the moist sand in the bin? or can i just leave her in there? (i was expecting a male as the pet store owner told me it was, because he tells his breeders only to ship him males) so i am thrown into this whole female situation almost blind, however, all of your help is no doubt helping immensely. Chameleon is moving off my foot so i think i can post the pictures momentarily...
 
Read through Jann's blog. There are pictures of the laying bin (and she uses a big trash can so it's a good comparison for you). While I don't think you need to provide anything else in the bin, if you can give her a little greenery it might make her more comfortable. Maybe trim a vine off a pothos or something.
 
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