Are my chameleons eggs going to be fertile?

[Eking086]

Hi, I purchased a year old female chameleon 2 days ago and was told that she has never laid eggs yet, but has been living with a male for the past four months or so. Are her eggs most likely going to be fertile whenever she lays them? Also do I need a large, deep container full of sand in her cage for her to lay the eggs or can I just use a large show box filled with substrate? This is my first time owning a chameleon and I've done a lot of research but I'm still inexperienced so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

-Thank you

 

[Dez]

If she was with a male there is a high chance she mated with him and will lay fertile eggs

Here is how to set up a laying bin

https://www.chameleonforums.com/laying-bin-set-up-educational-video-77225/

You can use sand or soil or a mixture of both. The idea is you want to be able to make a tunnle without it falling in.

 

[gavriel]

Depends, but its always best to plan ahead just incase. When you say she was living with a male for the last 4 months. Does that mean in the same enclosure, or same room?
Also, what species is she?
Does she look gravid in color and/or a little chunky around the waist? This could help determine your next steps.

 

[sarahlynne]

could you post a picture? xx

 

[Eking086]

Dez- Thank you for the video, that was very helpful!

Gavriel- She was living in the same enclosure with the male for four months, maybe longer. She is a veiled chameleon and her previous owner said that she has never laid eggs yet and shes a little over a year. I read that she should have laid by now, or is that false? She does not appear chunky around the waist at all but she is dark in color, the only time I've seen her light green is last night while she was asleep. I'm not sure if the dark coloring could be because she's still scared from the move and all the changes though as I've only had her three days. She also hasn't been eating hardly at all which is starting to concern me.

 

[Lathelia]

Pictures are very small. I'm sure that cat isn't helping her relax though. If she is gravid she needs peace and quiet. If she isn't, her dark colors means she is very stressed out.

 

[gavriel]

I second what mat3o said. She needs to be left alone for a bit to adjust to her new enclosure and settle down. Maybe a quiet room with no cat around as a cat is a predatory animal and will stress her out more. She doesn't look chunky but the pictures are small so you have time.

Also, I would get a laying bin down for her, being with a male for 4 months definitely increases her chances of being pregnant. With a bin down, she'll recognize it and even if she isn't pregnant, she could still produce eggs that need to be laid and would be good to have down. Along with the laying bin, make sure you have a good UVB bulb and make sure you are calcium dusting your feeder insects with calcium daily. Calcium plus D3 one day every other week. I use a dusting vitamin once a week and on off weeks of the D3. So first and third will be D3, Vitamins on 2 and 4th weeks.

 

[pssh]

Does she have yellow spots on her? I cant tell from the pictures you posted, but females gain yellow spots when they become sexually mature (usually 5-7 months old.) They can become gravid before those spots appear, but it is less likely to happen.

 

[djfishygillz]

Hi, I purchased a year old female chameleon 2 days ago and was told that she has never laid eggs yet, but has been living with a male for the past four months or so. Are her eggs most likely going to be fertile whenever she lays them? Also do I need a large, deep container full of sand in her cage for her to lay the eggs or can I just use a large show box filled with substrate? This is my first time owning a chameleon and I've done a lot of research but I'm still inexperienced so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

-Thank you

If you are diving into the mix with a gravid female there is a lot of extra research and reading to do. It sounds like you are on the right track though.

If the female was housed with a male chameleon for that long she was probably stressed out of her mind and wouldn't lay the eggs. I would suggest a vet visit just to make sure she is actually gravid and to check her bones and overall health.

 

[Eking086]

Thank you all so much for your advice. I have moved her cage into a room that nobody goes in and put her cage on a stand high enough that the cat can't get to it to disturb her. I just got a laying bin full of wet sand and put that in there for her. She ate well today (finally!) but her belly seems a lot bigger today than before. Does she look gravid in this picture or normal?