2 weeks and still digging...

[solly]

Some of you may have read my previous posts regarding my female veiled's first infertile clutch...

So, everything seemed to have gone well - she laid 40 eggs with little problem. She buried her hole and returned to her branches. I removed the eggs and placed the laying bin back in her enclosure. Almost a week went by without her eating. She was drinking frequently - she was obviously dehydrated.

Now, another week has passed and she has eaten ONE silkworm. For the past four days, she has been constantly digging. Her tunnel is probably a foot in total, which puts her well into hiding. She is so far in her hole that I can't see her at all. She seems to be in her hole head first, unless there's enough room for her to turn around inside. She spends most of the day in there and I can hear her digging away. A couple nights, she has returned to her branches to get a drink. She has been outside of her hole for most of the day today, but has not buried her new hole, so I assume that she has not laid her remaining eggs - assuming there are some. I handled her to see if she had much grip, and although it's a little weaker than usual, she does not seem weak...

I really don't know what to make of this. From all my research, I should assume that her health is in great danger, but aside from being tired, she seems alright. She obviously needs some food and some supplementation, but I can't do much if she's uninterested in her food...

Help me out guys - any input is appreciated. I haven't had much response in my other threads, so I need some of you experienced chameleon owners to give me your two cents.

Thanks.

Solomon.

 

[jannb]

How deep is the laying bin? When's she's out keep offering the water and silkworms dusted in calcium. Do you have a recent picture of her?

 

[kinyonga]

You said you handled her....I assume it was when she was out of the hole?

 

[solly]

The laying bin is about 6 inches deep. She already laid her first clutch with no problems, so I don't think that's an issue. She's dug her new hole so that she is completely concealed, so I don't think she feels vulnerable there.

She was in her branches when I took her out of her enclosure.

The thing that kills me, is that I've done everything "by the book". I've done a lot of research and have taken just about every consideration to make her entire life as pleasant as possible - especially concerning egg laying.

I assume that this case is unique. Everybody that I have talked to has no answer for me.

 

[Courtney]

id seek vet help if she doesnt improve soon!!!

 

[solly]

id seek vet help if she doesnt improve soon!!!

It's Christmas, and I'm damn near broke. For me to be able to fork out a few hundred dollars for a vet is not likely at this time of year. That's what's really killing me. Any other time of year, she would have been to a vet already.

 

[Courtney]

i know exactly how that feels and hopefully your situation will be like mine and have worried for no reason. someone on here will have an idea or offer help in some way dont give up...all you really need is an x ray...do you have any friends that work in a hospital maybe they can pull a favor although you would have to get her in the right positions...

 

[kinyonga]

She laid her first clutch on Dec. 4th. Although its not normal to lay more eggs so soon its possible. The question is...did she lay all the eggs on Dec.4 and this is a new clutch or is this the rest of the clutch that was laid on Dec. 4 and for some reason she didn't lay them.

If these are eggs from a new clutch, then there might not be anything wrong....however, if they are leftover from the Dec. 4 clutch its more of a concern. She still could lay them and all will be well...or they might have grown too large for her to lay and she is going through a "phantom" laying of sorts. As long as she is acting normally...active, drinking, not sleeping during the day, etc. she might be alright. If she is sleeping during the day, eyes are sinking in, no drinking, etc. then you need to get her to the vets right away.

Please note that I'm not a vet and can't tell you for sure if the above is really true or not...its just my opinion from 20+ years of chameleon experience.

 

[solly]

She laid her first clutch on Dec. 4th. Although its not normal to lay more eggs so soon its possible. The question is...did she lay all the eggs on Dec.4 and this is a new clutch or is this the rest of the clutch that was laid on Dec. 4 and for some reason she didn't lay them.

If these are eggs from a new clutch, then there might not be anything wrong....however, if they are leftover from the Dec. 4 clutch its more of a concern. She still could lay them and all will be well...or they might have grown too large for her to lay and she is going through a "phantom" laying of sorts. As long as she is acting normally...active, drinking, not sleeping during the day, etc. she might be alright. If she is sleeping during the day, eyes are sinking in, no drinking, etc. then you need to get her to the vets right away.

Please note that I'm not a vet and can't tell you for sure if the above is really true or not...its just my opinion from 20+ years of chameleon experience.

Yeah, she seems fine other than the fact she still isn't eating. I'm going to go grab some silkworms since I can usually hand feed those to her and know for sure whether or not she is eating... all the crickets I have given her seem to still be there. Typically, when I put crickets in her enclosure, she starts hunting before I can get my hand out of it. We'll see...

I had an early day at work and just got home to find that she has been in her branches all day. She may have stopped digging. Her hole is still not buried, and if she stays out of her hole until tomorrow, I will take her laying bin out to check for more eggs.

Thanks for the input KINYONGA... you have given help right from start!

 

[kinyonga]

If she has stopped laying it would worry me that she is becoming eggbound. A visit to the vets for an z-ray should show you if she is still carrying eggs and how big they are...and a dose of calcium and oxytocin could be given to her if necessary.

 

[solly]

Camille seems to be doing much better now. I removed her laying bin yesterday and found no more eggs. I gave her enclosure a good cleaning and a little rearranging. Since yesterday she has been eating well, drinking well, and has not been lethargic at all. I just hope that she got all her eggs out!