jack77772010
New Member
hey , i was at my local reptile store today and i asked the lady what size tub is good for laying eggs , she said get a large butter tub a fill it with play sand so thats what i done , is this ok ?
egg laying tub ?
- Thread starter jack77772010
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camimom
New Member
From what I've read on this forum,most use a 5 gallon bucket, or a even a trash can. the deeper the better.
jack77772010
New Member
thanks but i dont want a trash can in there taking up most of the cage !
camimom
New Member
Haha, just try to go as deep as possible for her.
jdog1027
Avid Member
You need something a little bigger than a butter tub. If you are refering to a tub to place in the cage, I would use something about the size of a large shoebox or even 2 of them placed side to side. Use one that is about 10-12" long by about 6-8" wide, something that creates more surface area of sand than the 6 inches a butter tub would provide. This should only be used as an indicator though. If you see her digging, exploring or if you see test holes dug, you need to take her put of her cage, and place her in a large container for her to lay in that offers lots of privacy. I use a big black 32 gallon garbage can filled about 12-16" of dampened sand.
jack77772010
New Member
thanks , but now she is coming down and eating the sand she wont stop doing it , what should i do ?
jdog1027
Avid Member
REMOVE IT!!!!! I had a female die this past January from eating sand and becoming completely blocked with it. She has been the only female I've ever had that would eat copious amounts of sand. When she died, I did a necropsy and the last 3 or so inches of her intestine was as big around as my middle finger and hard as a rock. I opened it up and it was almost pure sand. Very dangerous. You might try using some type of soil. Are you sure she is gravid? I would wait until it is quite apparent before placing a bin with her, and since she is one of the 'strange sand eater' chameleons, when you do place a tub in with her, keep an eye on her.
jack77772010
New Member
i have took it out of the cage , when should i put it back in , and what should i use instead of sand ?
jdog1027
Avid Member
Usually when a female is gravid and ready to drop eggs, she will start to pace the bottom of the cage and she will also stop eating 2-3 days prior to laying her eggs. These are the 2 main things to watch for in the latter part of her gravid period. The first obvious indicator is weight gain and the appearance of eggs in her sides right in front of her rear legs. Are you sure she is gravid, or is this just a precautionary move just in case? Instead of sand, I would use some type of organic soil- nothing with anykind of fertilizers, plant food Miracle-Gro etc. You may also try using some all natural peat moss. I've even used a 50/50 mix of peat moss and sand, because sand adds some stability to the mixture to allow for better tunneling with out the danger of a tunnel collapsing on her. Also, this way if she eats some of it, my assumption is that it won't be so likely to block her intestines as straight sand would be. You can find a BIG bag of peat moss in the outdoor section of Lowes for about $10-12. It will probablly last you forever, it weighs like 50+ pounds. Just be sure that whatever type of soil you use, it is natural and doesn't have any chemicals or additives in it.
jack77772010
New Member
she is always hanging around the bottom of the cage she is 7 months old , i have live sphagnum moss for my red eyed tree frogs and leopard geckos moist hide could i use 50/50 of live sphagnum moss and coco fibre ?
jdog1027
Avid Member
I was going to suggest the live moss in my last post. I've used it before as well, but I refrained from mentioning it because the female I had that died also dined on it as well. I have no experience with using the coco fiber. Sphagnum moss can work, just whatever you use, keep an eye on her for awhile since she has shown a tendency to eat material.
jack77772010
New Member
ok , thanks very much !
I have used washed playsand for over 20 years and never had a chameleon die from ingesting it. I use the one produced by King's that comes in a white bag with red, yellow and blue sand toys on the front of it. I know it hasn't caused a blockage because the body of every chameleon that has died here for years
has gone to the vets for necropsy.
IMHO you are more likely to miss the sometimes subtle signs that she is ready to lay than have her die from ingesting washed playsand.
has gone to the vets for necropsy.
IMHO you are more likely to miss the sometimes subtle signs that she is ready to lay than have her die from ingesting washed playsand.
