Oh my gosh oh my gosh!!!! She’s digging she’s digging she’s digging! I’m freaking out. But she chose the dish that’s the most shallow!!! Ohhh why? I can’t look. I left the room I’m not going back in. Not even letting my little dog in. I don’t want her to see me. I was just going to turn out her lights and turn on the heat lamp. I don’t wanna disturb her! Oh my gosh!Great! Give me a bit of time and I’ll have a full review for you.
Egg laying
- Thread starter Frank J
- Start date
I thought I was replying to you but I guess I sent the pics to miss skittles of her back right leg. I’m sorry I’m still getting used to this forum. BUT NOW SHES DIGGING! I left the room. She chose the dish that is the most shallow though. I’m so scared. I can’t see her. I covered the whole cage except for view areas and I can’t see her. I’ll keep you all posted. Thanks
Wow! Thanks for this!!! I wish I had this advice many years ago with my Otis.
Wait y’all, she chose the deep sand bowl THANK GOD, but she is digging. I’m still learning to navigate this forum. I’m replying to @MissSkittles and @kinyonga. Thanks y’all for all the great advice. I’m so freaking out. She’s finally digging.
I just thought about this, when I bought her she was in a tiny cage with two males. Could this mean the eggs are fertile. Should I incubate the sand? What would I do with a bunch of babies?? I didn’t get her to breed her but I knew I would have to deal with the egg laying process but just not this soon. @kinyonga @MissSkittles
I just turned out her basking lights and turned on her night lamp. Not even going in the room. She’s all the way in the hole. All I see is her butt and tail. Just leaving her be
I always had night lamps for all my other veileds. No?
I threw the box away. It’s the only night light they had. It’s black. You’ve probably seen the exact same one in pet stores.
Thanks for being here for me. You and missskittles have really helped me out a lot. When I bought her I thought I would have more time to prepare for this day. Ufffff. I’m wondering if the eggs will be fertile. She was in a small cage with two males so….
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Often red or other colored lights are said to be for night use, but in actuality they do see the colored lights and it can disturb their sleep. At night, there should be no lights of any kind. Unless temps go below around 5, no heat is needed at night either. I have the dimmest of night lights scattered around my house so I can navigate without having to turn on lights, but most are away from my chameleons.
I’m so glad that she’s digging.
I have no idea if the eggs will be fertile or not. I would treat them with care as though they were until they prove not to be. I haven’t ever bred chameleons, but I have learned a little bit from here on how to set them up and incubate. You would want something like a large shallow Tupperware container filled with a couple of inches of perlite that has been moistened just enough so that if you squeeze a handful, it will just barely give a drop of water. I’m not 100%, but I believe you’ll want to put a tiny hole or two in the container for just the scantest of ventilation. Make divots in it with a finger and then place the eggs in it. Put a mark on the top of the eggs so in the event that they are jostled, you’ll know which side is up. After a couple of days, the eggs can’t be turned at all or the babies inside will drown. Place the lid on and put in a warm area where they are safe from being accidentally moved. Most put them in the closet or even under the bed. After this part, I can’t tell you how often to check them or anything else. I know infertile eggs will mold and rot, but not sure what that really looks like. I’m not 100% on how to raise babies. There are people here who are often looking for veileds and possibly some who could guide you on how to best find homes for them. It’s in the babies best interests not to be sent off to a new home until they are at least 3-4 months old.
I’m so glad that she’s digging.
I have no idea if the eggs will be fertile or not. I would treat them with care as though they were until they prove not to be. I haven’t ever bred chameleons, but I have learned a little bit from here on how to set them up and incubate. You would want something like a large shallow Tupperware container filled with a couple of inches of perlite that has been moistened just enough so that if you squeeze a handful, it will just barely give a drop of water. I’m not 100%, but I believe you’ll want to put a tiny hole or two in the container for just the scantest of ventilation. Make divots in it with a finger and then place the eggs in it. Put a mark on the top of the eggs so in the event that they are jostled, you’ll know which side is up. After a couple of days, the eggs can’t be turned at all or the babies inside will drown. Place the lid on and put in a warm area where they are safe from being accidentally moved. Most put them in the closet or even under the bed. After this part, I can’t tell you how often to check them or anything else. I know infertile eggs will mold and rot, but not sure what that really looks like. I’m not 100% on how to raise babies. There are people here who are often looking for veileds and possibly some who could guide you on how to best find homes for them. It’s in the babies best interests not to be sent off to a new home until they are at least 3-4 months old.No it’s totally cool. Talk a lot to me. You are really giving me much valued information and advice. It seems the chameleon community knowledge has coming a long way since I’ve had my arsenal of chameleons I guess back in 2012 when my Otis died after five years which was my fault and still hard to talk about to this day. Nobody had any advice except herpetologists at reptile shows and they were nothing other than knuckle dragging breeders back then. I took my guy to the show and a herp took him and tried to show me the reaction Otis would have by showing his own reflection and kept yanking him off his shirt when he tried to grab on. Anyway, I was shocked and it really made me mad he did that. My enclosure looks like a war zone bc I had taken down her (Calypso’s) vine and chill spot so it was all open. I’m also building another larger cage for a panther I plan on getting but this egg laying was so abrupt for me bc I was already nervous about getting a female. Also back between 2007-2012 chameleons were treated so bad by petco snd petsmart that I would buy them to rescue them bc they didn’t know how to care for them at all, like at all. They all died unless I took them in. I have future plans to build better cages than these janky screen cages but I like them better than any glass enclosure. Please stay in touch as I greatly appreciate you and kinyonga taking time out of your day to reply and give me such great advice. My girl is still digging. I feel helpless. Stay tunedNow to go over egg laying. @kinyonga is the best to help you determine if your girl is egg bound or not and guide you. I’m just going to give you info about setting up the lay bin and generic details.
Before becoming ‘with egg’ or gravid, our lovely girls will put on their best and brightest colors and become very restless in their hunt for a handsome boy. For up to a few weeks, this is their obsession. After they calm down and return to their normal activity levels, they begin to get plump and even lumpy as the eggs are developing. Their colors will change and usually darken. Often the changes can be subtle. This first girl only had her dots darken when gravid.
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This girl has usually got just patterns, but got all bright when sneaking a peek at my male. Then she darkens all over and her patterns start to merge when gravid. View attachment 348608View attachment 348609View attachment 348610
Anywhere from about 30 days after her receptive period ends, she can be ready to lay eggs. If you are following the regimen to reduce laying/egg production, she may go thru the entire process (even gaining weight) but never lay. You need to be prepared though and keep a lay bin in her enclosure all the time, periodically checking to make sure it’s in good shape. My girls and seemingly some others prefer larger bins of at least 12” long and wide…deep too if possible. This is what I use and I fill it to about 5-6” deep with washed play sand. It needs to be kept moist enough to hold a tunnel without collapsing. To prevent it from becoming a bin of mud, you’ll want to drill some tiny drain holes in the bottom. Once the bin is set in place, it won’t leak sand. Make sure to provide a couple of stable ways in and out of the bin.
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One morning you won’t see your girl in her usual spot and will find she’s in her bin and digging! Try to make sure she doesn’t see you. You’ll want to cover the bottom half of your enclosure with a light sheet. I use an old one that I make peek holes in so I can monitor my girls without them seeing me. Hopefully you’ve got an automatic mister. If not, you can set some ice cubes on top of the enclosure (just not over the bin). Honestly though, I don’t think they are taking drink breaks. She may dig a few areas until she likes one. Then it’s dig dig dig, all the way to the bottom and usually along one of the sides of the bin. Then she’ll turn around with her head sticking out of the hole and start laying her eggs. Often the whole thing can take a couple of days and she may sleep in her tunnel or may return to her usual sleeping branch. You’ll know she’s done when all of her holes have been fully covered and she’s sitting in her usual basking spot, looking much thinner and quite dirty.
You’ll want to feed and hydrate her very well for the next 2-3 days. Silkworms and hornworms are perfect at this time. Then you return (or start) feeding her 3-4 feeders, 3 days a week plus treats and continue to maintain a basking temp no higher than 80.
My one girl stopped all egg production and laying for three years (until she passed). My other girl has been laying one clutch every year, except she has skipped this past year. I believe it was her continuously sneaking peaks at her forbidden boyfriend that triggered her laying. He passed right around the time of year that she usually has laid. She got to share stares with my new male while I was getting things set up so that may test the theory.
Always be alert for signs that something is wrong. When I switched my girls to bioactive and figured they didn’t need lay bins anymore, my girl spent a week very restless and digging in everything (including her foam wall) but rejecting it all, including a smaller bin of sand. It wasn’t until I put her old big lay bin in that she got right to work. Signs of trouble include not basking/ staying low in the enclosure, lethargy, not eating or drinking (often appetite is reduced as the eggs take up belly space), dropping eggs randomly, blood from anywhere and anything hanging out of the cloaca/vent (prolapse). Always go with your gut feelings too. It helps to know who your exotics vet who has good experience with chameleons is before needing them. It also helps to have an emergency vet fund and even better, pet insurance. With correct husbandry, the risks for egg problems is greatly decreased, but unfortunately is never zero.
I hope all of this has been of some help. Sorry that I talk so much.
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Wow. I’ve always been a ‘cat lady’ until I discovered chameleons a few years ago and now I’m hooked. (Still love my fluffy kitties though). @kinyonga started keeping chameleons since I think before much was known about their needs and so she’s been a pioneer of sorts. So much of what I know, I’ve learned from her, as have many of us here.
If you had Otis for five years, then you were doing great, especially for that time. Even now with knowing more and having betters tools and such, it is an achievement to successfully keep a chameleon for that long. We are getting better, but sadly I think the majority are not able to achieve much beyond that. I see it as just because a being can achieve a certain longevity, the average majority won’t.
I’m not so sure that the chain pet stores have improved much. Many of us are still faced with the dilemma of to ‘rescue’ or not from chain pet stores.
I know too well the feeling of helplessness and anxiety of a laying girl. We just have to remind ourselves that she knows exactly what she’s doing.
Yes ma’am happy new year!Wow. I’ve always been a ‘cat lady’ until I discovered chameleons a few years ago and now I’m hooked. (Still love my fluffy kitties though). @kinyonga started keeping chameleons since I think before much was known about their needs and so she’s been a pioneer of sorts. So much of what I know, I’ve learned from her, as have many of us here.
If you had Otis for five years, then you were doing great, especially for that time. Even now with knowing more and having betters tools and such, it is an achievement to successfully keep a chameleon for that long. We are getting better, but sadly I think the majority are not able to achieve much beyond that. I see it as just because a being can achieve a certain longevity, the average majority won’t.
I’m not so sure that the chain pet stores have improved much. Many of us are still faced with the dilemma of to ‘rescue’ or not from chain pet stores.
I know too well the feeling of helplessness and anxiety of a laying girl. We just have to remind ourselves that she knows exactly what she’s doing.
You said…”when I bought her she was in a tiny cage with two males”…since we’re not sure of her age, it’s hard to say. Once the eggs are laid we might be able to tell you…so I would plan on incubating them until we see them.
You said…”Should I incubate the sand?”…no…sand will dry the eggs out. Moist coarse grained vermiculite is what I’ve always used. Moisten it just enough so that when you take a fistful of it you can’t squeeze out more than a drop or two of water. @MissSkittles has already given you some information about incubating the eggs.
You asked…”What would I do with a bunch of babies?? I didn’t get her to breed her but I knew I would have to deal with the egg laying process but just not this soon.”…you could raise them for several months and then sell them. You will have months to decide…takes time to hatch them! One step at a time!
You said…”It’s the only night light they had. It’s black”…a long tube light or a coloured incandescent bulb?
You said…”Should I incubate the sand?”…no…sand will dry the eggs out. Moist coarse grained vermiculite is what I’ve always used. Moisten it just enough so that when you take a fistful of it you can’t squeeze out more than a drop or two of water. @MissSkittles has already given you some information about incubating the eggs.
You asked…”What would I do with a bunch of babies?? I didn’t get her to breed her but I knew I would have to deal with the egg laying process but just not this soon.”…you could raise them for several months and then sell them. You will have months to decide…takes time to hatch them! One step at a time!
You said…”It’s the only night light they had. It’s black”…a long tube light or a coloured incandescent bulb?
I have bearded dragons and even though their both lizards, it sounds like the chameleon requires a little more privacy when laying, unless my birdie is just unusual because she don't mind me watching at all.
But I would be interested in a baby and my beardy laid eggs on Thanksgiving day so I put an incibator together really quickly and today she laid another clutch so I may be interested in some sort of trade or to just buy one. Im also trying to farm my own hornworms. I been farming mealworms but the hornworm is much more interesting. DOES ANYBODY KNOW IF THEY THE THE HAWKMOTH WILL LAY HER EGGS ON A BASIL PLANT? I bought a kit from Walmart for tomato plant and received basil so I'm hoping it will work because I'll be lucky to get the plant big enough in the next 6 weeks or so as it is.
But I would be interested in a baby and my beardy laid eggs on Thanksgiving day so I put an incibator together really quickly and today she laid another clutch so I may be interested in some sort of trade or to just buy one. Im also trying to farm my own hornworms. I been farming mealworms but the hornworm is much more interesting. DOES ANYBODY KNOW IF THEY THE THE HAWKMOTH WILL LAY HER EGGS ON A BASIL PLANT? I bought a kit from Walmart for tomato plant and received basil so I'm hoping it will work because I'll be lucky to get the plant big enough in the next 6 weeks or so as it is.
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Hi and welcome.
I have a female bearded dragon, but she’s never laid eggs with me. However, I would think that beardies would also desire some privacy so that they feel safe. I can give you some info in breeding hornworms though. A word of caution - if feeding them to a reptile, do NOT let the hornworms eat the tomato plant. There is a substance in the leaves that is toxic to reptiles. This may be helpful to you. https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/hornworm-adventure-aka-what-have-i-done.187201/Similar threads
