Acting / Looking Different

[Dori]

Well I first noticed that after being light green for a while, my chameleon has been dark lately (she used to do that all the time though).

She's been walking around in circles, climbing everywhere and doing it over and over. I've been feeding her more but she looks so skinny and strange, sunken in underneath her lungs kind of?

Oh and first thing - her neck swelled a bit recently, that was my first concern:

Pics I just took a few minutes ago:

(I was making it hiss a little.. lol)

 

[bradley]

she looks receptive to me she may be looking for a male

 

[Sang]

First off, the swelling under the neck is an edima probably from something in your husbandry, i do not know enough about herp medicine to properly inform you, but others will chime in soon.

 

[Dori]

Ahhh!
She isn't eating her food right away, and she is digging in the corner!
She's ready to lay eggs I'm guessing!

What to do what to do.. lol. *searches for a post about this*

 

[CHAMaDdIcT]

she looks gravid to me

 

[laurie]

Ahhh!
She isn't eating her food right away, and she is digging in the corner!
She's ready to lay eggs I'm guessing!

What to do what to do.. lol. *searches for a post about this*

If you think she is gravid put in a laying bin. Something at least 12" deep and with plenty of room for her to trun around easy. Some of us use moist play sand, some use potting soil and coconut fibers, that part is up to you. After you put the bin in leave her alone. If she sees you looking at her she may quit digging and then you may have real problems.

I also agree that her neck is a problem, but I also don't know enough to offer advice. Good Luck.

 

[Dori]

She won't lay her eggs and keeps escaping the bin. In the bin she doesn't do anything but in her cage she scratches on the ground.

 

[Dori]

I fixed her bin a little so she couldn't escape, and she finally started digging, but she didn't lay eggs! She dug a tunnel though, and is ALLLL sandy, but no eggs still? =/ Maybe I didn't have enough sand? Helppp

 

[Dori]

AND,
I also found an egg in her cage. Is that normal?

 

[Sang]

She needs to lay, she won't lay if you are watching her, if she see's you she will abandon her tunnel.

you may need to take her to the vet asap.

 

[Dori]

I gave her privacy all day, but after she was finished digging her tunnel, she escaped the bin. I thought she was done laying but she didn't lay at all.

Also, I don't keep her there at night, it's really cold. She sleeps in her cage at night.

OH and my parents like to go into the room when shes in the bin.. and I've told them plenty of times that they shouldn't and they just get mad at me and say that nothing's gonna happen to her. My parents are retarded.

 

[kinyonga]

Put a bin in her cage...it should be a minimum size that when empty she can fit into it with a couple of inches to spare on all sides including above and below. Fill it about 3/4 full of moistened washed playsand. Make it so she can get to this container.

A chameleon may dig several test holes before chosing the one she wants to lay her eggs in. She may take several days to dig the hole she choses before laying the eggs. Leave her alone during this time except to feed and water her. Only feed and water her when she is not digging and is up in her branches. Make sure you don't leave any uneaten insects in the cage during this time.

Cover the sides of the cage so she can't see anyone while she is digging. If she sees anyone watching her when she is digging she will likely abandon the hole and if it happens often enough she will more than likely DIE eggbound. Please show this to your parents...I've had over 25 years experience with chameleons and other reptiles.

Let her dig, lay the eggs and fill the hole in and return to the branches...and then dig the eggs up even if they are infertile so that you can count them.

Good luck! Hope you can keep your parents from disturbing her and that she will get through the egglaying.

 

[Dori]

Alright, I recently was working on fixing up a waaay bigger cage for my chameleon, so I decided to finish it and I did what you said - I put the sand IN the cage. I also gave her one vine so she can reach higher and bask so she doesn't get cold.

The problem is now that she's just sitting on top of the vine and not going digging at all! Should I take it out? If I do she'll probably climb the cage walls.

Should I wait maybe another day and see if she goes down? =/

 

[Dori]

Can someone tell me if it looks like she laid all her eggs?

 

[chambabysitter1]

Alright, I recently was working on fixing up a waaay bigger cage for my chameleon, so I decided to finish it and I did what you said - I put the sand IN the cage. I also gave her one vine so she can reach higher and bask so she doesn't get cold.

The problem is now that she's just sitting on top of the vine and not going digging at all! Should I take it out? If I do she'll probably climb the cage walls.

Should I wait maybe another day and see if she goes down? =/

Wouldn't sand in the cage cause drainage problems down the line? Not to mention substrate/impaction issues?
How deep is that sand? Doesn't look like much depth to work with.
What was wrong with just putting a laying bin in there? That is what I do. The advice given to you above was pretty sound, I wouldn't mess with the formula.

 

[Dori]

I didn't have enough sand to fill the whole thing - I bunched it all in one corner. And I can't put a bin in there, I made the cage out of an old dog cage so it doesn't have one entirely open side. =[

And, she already dug two tunnels. Does it look like she's going to lay anymore?

 

[Dori]

OH AND,
I only put sand for the egg-laying.
I never have anything on the bottom of her cage.

 

[Sang]

Sand with a mixture of soil is a better egg laying substrate, and you need to keep it damp enough for you/her to dig a small tunnel in it without collapsing.