MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Can you post some pics of your entire enclosure?
Chameleon keeps going to the same spot
- Thread starter Isaiahht
- Start date
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
What substrate is in the lay bin? It looks like some sort of fibers. Best substrate to use is washed play sand moistened enough to hold a tunnel without collapsing. If she started to dig, but only for an hour, that wasn’t nearly enough time to lay eggs. I’d guess that she was just trying and testing out the lay bin but wasn’t satisfied with it. They can be very particular about where they lay their eggs. They don’t know about them being fertile or not and treat each clutch as precious. I’m not so sure if that bin is large enough either. My girls have made it clear that they prefer at least a 12” long and wide bin filled with 6” of sand. They also like it tall and opaque…very particular. Also, the bin is very exposed. She needs to feel that she is somewhat hidden and safe in order to lay her eggs. I cover the bottom half of the enclosure with a light sheet when my girls are ready to lay. If they see anyone while they are digging, they will stop. There is only a certain amount of time that they have the urge to dig and lay, so getting it all right quickly is essential so that your girl doesn’t become eggbound.
Aside from that, the enclosure is much too small for her. She needs at least a 2x2x4’ enclosure. She also needs much more branches and vines…little roads for her to travel. Replace the artificial plant with safe washed live ones too. Our veiled ladies like to nibble their plants and aren’t always able to know what is fake. One nibble of a fake leaf is all it takes to start a bowel obstruction.
I can’t say for certain that she is gravid and needing to lay, or if she is just unhappy with her enclosure. Often when unhappy, chams will try to dig their way to escaping. I would err on the side of caution and get her set up proper for egg laying. In the meantime, you need to upgrade her. For budget options, I much prefer the diy enclosure. https://www.diycages.com/collection...ducts/sc4-48x24x24-jumbo-vertical-screen-cage It’s about the same price as ReptiBreeze (maybe even less) but is a much better quality.
Aside from that, the enclosure is much too small for her. She needs at least a 2x2x4’ enclosure. She also needs much more branches and vines…little roads for her to travel. Replace the artificial plant with safe washed live ones too. Our veiled ladies like to nibble their plants and aren’t always able to know what is fake. One nibble of a fake leaf is all it takes to start a bowel obstruction.
I can’t say for certain that she is gravid and needing to lay, or if she is just unhappy with her enclosure. Often when unhappy, chams will try to dig their way to escaping. I would err on the side of caution and get her set up proper for egg laying. In the meantime, you need to upgrade her. For budget options, I much prefer the diy enclosure. https://www.diycages.com/collection...ducts/sc4-48x24x24-jumbo-vertical-screen-cage It’s about the same price as ReptiBreeze (maybe even less) but is a much better quality.
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Yes, it is one of the signs. However, that could also be a sign of any illness. It’s very often difficult to figure out what is going on with our chams and especially our girls. Naturally anytime they seem to show signs of illness, we automatically have to consider egg problems, but it could be anything. We make their homes and care as perfect as we can and then if they are still showing signs of something being wrong, we make certain everything is as perfect as possible. Then we make the vet appointment.
Gloriawood
Chameleon Enthusiast
I’m not sure if you already purchased it or not, but Amazon has the 2x2x4 reptibreeze on sale for $108 right now. I bought one today for my little guy.
Zoo Med ReptiBreeze Open Air Screen Cage, Extra Large, 24 x 24 x 48-Inches https://a.co/d/6cGg55B
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
That’s really not good at all. Do you have a good vet near you? Do you need help finding one? If so, just need to let us know what part of California you’re in.
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
This is what I’ve found from searching for vets at the cities nearest you. If none of these work, these two resources may help. It’s not easy finding a good exotics vet who has decent experience and knowledge of chameleons and often we need to make some long drives. Many exotics vets treat chams the same as other lizards which doesn’t usually work out.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/area-by-area-country-vet-list.32880/
https://arav.site-ym.com/search/custom.asp?id=3661
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Wishing you some good answers and resolution. Will be looking for your update.
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Not good at all. My fear is that she may be eggbound since you say she was digging the other day. Are you able to get her to the vet any sooner than the weekend?
