Egg bound trouble - female veiled/Yemen

[DavePope]

I have a female veiled/Yemen chameleon who is a little over a year old (hatched in February 2009). When she was about 9 or 10 months i noticed she was getting bulges around her waste and was moving up and down the cage a lot more than usual. Her overall colour did not change but she got some blue and orange patterns all over her body. After a little research on the internet i decided it was probably eggs so I installed a laying container which is about 6 inches deep filled with a moist soil-like substrate. Here is the problem though - she wouldn't use the container, instead she would search the floor and squeeze down the side of the laying box. Nothing i did could make her use it and eventually she just stopped going down so much, but the egg 'pouches' didn't go down at all. But she has survived until now so what was that about?

I would be grateful for ANY information or experience on the matter.

I am a new user so sorry if i wrote too much.

 

[DavePope]

Here she is btw - not a good picture to see egg bulges

Meet Amelia

 

[jannb]

You need a much bigger laying bin.....at least 10 to 12 inches deep. My female veiled would never use any kind of smaller bin I have to fix her a large trash the kind with wheels.....like you'd put on the side of the road for the trash man.....see link to pictures below. It sounds as though your girl may be past a normal laying. I would get her to the vet ASAP the vet can give her a shot to hopefully make her lay.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/camilles-eggs-43-them-they-fertile-28568/

 

[Miss Lily]

Welcome to CF! I am also in the UK. With my first female, I had two laying tubs - one with damp play sand and the other with a soil/sand mix, but she still tried to dig through the bottom of the viv next to them. I used empty crix tubs and cardboard to build up a false floor so that the top of the tubs was the lowest she could go. It worked for me, but as Jann said, she maybe past the point of being able to lay and a vet visit would set your mind at rest. They will give her a shot of oxytocin to induce her to lay them. It usually works pretty quickly it it is going to work!

My current female has a tub of soil/sand mix which she is ignoring, although I am sure she is gravid. I am also thinking of switching it to sand to see of she shows more interest in that!

 

[DavePope]

See this is the thing all i could find on the internet is stuff saying 6" deep. The trouble is my vet knows next to nothing about reptiles. And there are no specialists nearby. i am currently planning a new cage for her which is much bigger. Her current cage is the second largest in the flexarium family thing. Its just ive seen videos of them digging down about 3-4 inches and laying. I wish i had a male now coz she is causing me so much worry.

 

[Miss Lily]

Do you have a large bucket/tub that you could fill about 2 thirds with damp play sand or soil? You could cover the top with wire to place her heat/UV lamps on top, but a stick in for her to perch on and just leave her to it for a while. My first female laid in a tub that was 6 inches deep and also in the 7-8inch deep one. Maybe she isn't happy with the consistency of the soil you are using? Is it damp enough to hold a tunnel?

 

[DavePope]

Yeah it can hold a tunnel. its that substrate stuff that comes in bricks which you put in water. Its what was on the floor that she was trying to dig in but it was only like an inch deep. That is why i dont understand why she wont even try.

 

[Miss Lily]

I have that mixed with sand in a tub for my girl, it's supposed to be lighter for them to dig through. It may be worth switching it to damp sand to see if she prefers that. If she becomes lethargic and stops eating and drinking and her eyes look sunken in, then I would suggest a vets visit - maybe they could do xrays to see if she has an obstruction. Sometimes infertiles can be unusally large or a few can stick together making it impossible for them to lay.

 

[ChromaChameleons]

Are you sure she is carrying eggs and not just a big girl in search of a mate? In my experience , a healthy female , that can not find a suitable lay site , will eventually drop the eggs on the cage floor. Egg binding is , IMO, usually associated with fused eggs , obstructions or sickly chams that can not physically pass the eggs.

Have you palpated her? can you feel the eggs in her side?

 

[DavePope]

I just tried palpating her and cant feel anything sort of ..hard!? To be honest though im not exactly sure what im feeling for. the bulges can only be seen when she is in certain positions though. Im just especially worried now as she hasnt eaten for about 2 days. I really need to get her new enclosure done. Thank you everyone for your advice and any further help.

 

[BocaJan]

Eggs can be elusive to feel since they roll around so much inside her. The best way is to carefully look at her skin and see if you see bumps, especially above her back legs. My girls all like to lay in their bathroom garbage cans with very wet sand. If it is too dry they won't lay. If I see they have been in the bin but left I will take about an 8oz cup of water and put it in the laying bin. It works for me.

I just tried palpating her and cant feel anything sort of ..hard!? To be honest though im not exactly sure what im feeling for. the bulges can only be seen when she is in certain positions though. Im just especially worried now as she hasnt eaten for about 2 days. I really need to get her new enclosure done. Thank you everyone for your advice and any further help.

 

[tkilgour]

Are you sure she is carrying eggs and not just a big girl in search of a mate? In my experience , a healthy female , that can not find a suitable lay site , will eventually drop the eggs on the cage floor. Egg binding is , IMO, usually associated with fused eggs , obstructions or sickly chams that can not physically pass the eggs.

Have you palpated her? can you feel the eggs in her side?

Chroma makes a good point. In the past I had a female that wouldn't lay because of some type of blockage that appeared in the xray. A shot of oxytocin and calcium and 2 hrs. later the fertile eggs dropped out. Another thing is if she is digging don't let her see you or she may leave the nest. If this happens to many times she could start egg binding.

 

[Bug1]

I am having similar problem with my female Cham. The Dr. Did xray & just looked like fluid in her lower abdomen. Then ultrasound showed eggs. She has never been with a male. Has laid one clutch. Her former owners didnt even realize it. I found them. She won't eat. I've been giving her Critical care solution with syringe & antibiotics. Any advice? Could she have needed more calcium or a linear UVB light? Should I leave her alone? Her name is Bug. About 1.5 years old

 

[AnamCara]

I am having similar problem with my female Cham. The Dr. Did xray & just looked like fluid in her lower abdomen. Then ultrasound showed eggs. She has never been with a male. Has laid one clutch. Her former owners didnt even realize it. I found them. She won't eat. I've been giving her Critical care solution with syringe & antibiotics. Any advice? Could she have needed more calcium or a linear UVB light? Should I leave her alone? Her name is Bug. About 1.5 years old

This is a very old thread and you may not get a response from the poster. Best to create your own thread and ask for advice there.

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum!

Pleases post some photos of her from today as well.