Worried about my Chameleon

[David Self]

My chameleon just laid 45 eggs about 4 days ago. She has never seen a male so they were definitely infertile. Anyways here we are 4 days later and I am concerned about a bulge by her tail. I am worried she might still have eggs inside of her. Looking for information.

 

[Kamikaze Chameleon]

Can you get better pics? Its hard to see

 

[Kamikaze Chameleon]

Also you should really stick with live plants, veileds are notorious nibblers and plastic is an impaction hazard

 

[David Self]

The darker spot within the white circle is a bump. When she walks and moves around it doesnt seem to be there. I did not know that plastic plants are bad for them. Everyone i know has plastic plants with theirs. The pet store said to use these.

 

[CBee7726]

How much do you feed her, and what supplements do you use/schedule?

 

[Shanar808]

Every chameleon is different but veileds and panthers have history of eating fake plants so it’s possible, and I wouldn’t follow the pet store associates advice unless they had real experience with numerous generations of the breed of chameleon you have. This forum is the epicenter for real experienced help, but the best way to give you accurate advice is for you to fill out that form so they can see what could be the problem. I hope your chameleon gets well soon!

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi and welcome! That little lump does look suspiciously like an egg, but without a vet taking X-rays, it’s truly hard to tell if she’s got any retained eggs. @kinyonga may have better insight than I. Has she been eating and basking as usual?
I don’t at all mean this in any way other than wanting to help, but I understand that you have been doing things as the pet store and friends have told you, but the forum and members can help you to do better for your sweet little lady. Unfortunately the majority of pet stores will give you advice that prompts you to buy more stuff from them, whether good for your animal or not. Also, many employees have very poor knowledge of care requirements. Adding to that is a great deal of misinformation on the web and it’s hard to tell which is right. I strongly suggest you check this site out. https://chameleonacademy.com/veiled-chameleon-care/ as well as Neptune the chameleon on YouTube.
While I can’t speak for all, I do know that many of us here love helping others make things perfect for their chameleons, ensuring many happy and healthy years together. If you are open to it, we can review your husbandry and make sure all is correct. We can also help guide you with things you can do to help reduce the frequency of egg laying as well as the number of eggs produced. Laying tends to shorten our ladies lives and larger clutches can cause laying issues. 45 eggs is a large clutch. Here is the husbandry review form if you are willing.

Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

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Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

 

[kinyonga]

First of all...I'm not a vet so I can only give you my best guess at things. That does look like it could be an egg bump but the only way to be sure is to get a good chameleon vet to do an X-ray of her....as was already mentioned.

Was she disturbed during her digging/laying did she see you watching her?

Can you post a couple of photos that you took of her just before she laid the eggs please.

Is she acting normally since she's laid the eggs...drinking, eating, etc?
If she starts to become lethargic, sleeps during the daytime, sits low in the cage, digs again soon, etc. Then you need to get her to a vet ASAP.

I know you were told that her clutch was a big one. It would be bertter for her if it was cut down or cut out completely. This can be done through the diet and temperature. The female should be well fed for a couple of days only after she lays and then cut her back to 3 or 4 crickets every second day. Keep her basking temperatures at 80F to slow her metabolism so she's not quite so hungry. It takes a while to get the clutches cut right down or cut out...so expect another clutch in about 120 days from the last one.

Please answer the questions @MissSkittles has given you so we can make sure everything else is ok in your husbandry.