Digging female veiled chameleon

[pmdaggett79]

Hi ya'll,
I have had my female veiled for 1 week now. She is doing very well so far and I really only have one question that has a little concern of mine. I'm not really sure how old she is, you can view the pictures that I posted of her. She is approx. 6" tail extended. We temporarily set him up in a exo-terra terrarium that is for gecko's.

I have noticed that she has been digging in the substrate for about the past 4 days and seems to be more now than when I first noticed. I have read that substrate is not necessary. The exo-terra came with plantation substrate which we laid down during set up and I don't want to disturb her new environment. Is this an indication that she is attempting to lay eggs? If so, than is there a setup for some kind of vessel that I need to put down for her? Thank ya'll for your help.

 

[Pharaoh2015]

If it's digging it could be gravid. And the enclosure you mention doesn't sound real big. I'd get a larger enclosure. She will need one that is 2 ft wide, 2 ft deep and 4 ft tall when fully grown.

 

[pmdaggett79]

The enclosure that she is in is 12" L X 12" W X 18" H. I plan to move her into a medium repti-breeze by the end of this month.

 

[Pharaoh2015]

Awesome
Try and put a bin in there
Research an egg laying bin

 

[Thompson]

The enclosure that she is in is 12" L X 12" W X 18" H. I plan to move her into a medium repti-breeze by the end of this month.

If possible, can you move her into a screen cage preferably 30x18x18. She'll need this especially sooner if she's trying to lay eggs. In her enclosure she'll also need a laying bin filled with moist playing sand. Here's a great video on how to make one https://www.chameleonforums.com/laying-bin-set-up-educational-video-77225/. If she starts to dig allow her to dig in total peace. If she feels as if you're watching her she might stop digging and she won't lay her eggs.

 

[pmdaggett79]

I have viewed the video on the laying bin. How much time do I have before she absolutely needs to lay her eggs? Its been roughly 4 days since she started digging. I'll need a little bit of time before she's set up in her new cage. I don't want her to get egg bound. I think I can have everything ready by the end of this week. Thanks y'all for the help.

 

[Thompson]

If she stops digging and she hasn't laid her eggs this is a sign she's more than likely going to become egg bound. You could buy a trash bin, one like this http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rubbermaid-Roughneck-32-gal-Black-Trash-Can-1778013/100656030. I had to use this for my female because she wouldn't lay eggs in the laying bin in her cage. You'll just do the same thing you would do to make the laying bin you'd place in her cage, you'll just have to place a couple sticks inside the bin for her.

 

[pmdaggett79]

Thanks for the tip on a large trash receptacle. I think I will do that since I need to get her cage ready and financially it would be hard to get everything I need in a week. Should I put lights when I set up her laying bin?

 

[Thompson]

I put my uvb lamp across the top and covered the entire top of the bin with a sheet so she would feel secure. Glad I could help!

 

[kinyonga]

Please post a recent photo. I don't know where the pictures are you talked about in your post.
Is she digging a hole or is she just scratching at the surface?

 

[MelissaB]

Please post a recent photo. I don't know where the pictures are you talked about in your post.
Is she digging a hole or is she just scratching at the surface?

Here's a link to the Op's album:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/members/pmdaggett79-albums-my-first-veiled-chameleon.html

 

[pmdaggett79]

Here is a picture of her about 10 minutes ago. I just got home from work to see her digging again.

 

[MelissaB]

What size wattage bulb are you using as a basking light? Is it possible that it's too hot in there for her?

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

She is trying to lay eggs. If she is digging, she needs a lay bin immediately. I dont use a full size trash can, just a 10" deep bucket, that is 12" diameter. mix 50/50 clean dirt and sand. I usually damp the soil to make it easier to dig.

 

[pmdaggett79]

This pic was taken about 10 minutes after I placed her in the laying bin. I put her in a 32 gallon bin with 10" of 50/50 play sand/ top soil. She doesn't really seem to like her new environment. You can see that she has turned dark brown with darker brown stripes. I have not seen her color like this in the short time she has been with us.