Found out my veiled chameleon was gravid a little too late

Evasmomma

New Member
So I'm wondering that about a week after I got her, she got mean and defensive... Stayed like that, got real bland in color, then had a 3 egg clutch... A few days later, she laid 25-30, then I found 7 more a few days later in the same spot... I've researched and still can't seem to understand EXACTLY what I'm supposed to use for the eggs to incubate.... I read that unfertilized soil was ok to lay in as long as it was moist... Is this still ok for incubation? It's been one week since the first eggs we laid.... I don't want to lose very many (don't WANT to lose any of them but I understand it's expected) so anyone!! Please help... They're in a dog food dish (used for her laying box) in moist unfertilized soil with a manilla envelope covering it for now. Thanks
 
I got her at Petland already gravid although being told she was just really healthy and fat.

And unfortunately, I don't have experience with ANY SPECIES of hatchlings or even hatching eggs :-(

and she's a veiled.... I'm also noticing she's seeming dehydrated even though I spray her plants 5 times a day
 
Filling out the how to ask for help form will help us help you get your care spot on for her. Chances are she hasn't mated and those eggs are infertile but even if they weren't IMO it would be better to not let them hatch 1. Because she's a petstore cham and they would more than likely hatch with a health condition known as MBD and 2. Because you're inexperienced and hatchlings are extremely difficult to care for
 
ok..... I've been looking for the questions and I can't seem to navigate to where they are. can you help me please?

if it makes any difference, when I held a few up to the light, I could see the yolk in them.
 

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The how to ask for help form is in the top of health section. You can copy and paste it and answer the questions as throughly as possible please. You can even start a new thread if you want asking people to critique your care if you want.

There will be a yolk, just like in infertile chicken eggs. I understand your desire to want to hatch them if they were fertile but don't take just my advice. All the experienced breeders will tell you how difficult hatchlings are and that they will probably not be the healthiest since they came from a big box cham who's start in life wasn't the best.
 
They don't usually look good after laying. They need lots of extra food and water but it looks like there's nothing in there with her.
@Andee and @kinyonga can you help her out. I'm not going to be on here for much longer

I tagged a few experienced members that can give you excellent advice. It will be in your best interest to listen to what they have to say
 
If the eggs were infertile they will mold and shrivel and rot. If she was mated then the eggs will stay white, grow and hatch in about 240 days....if you incubate them properly. Soil is too hard to keep properly moist somthey need to be moved to a proper set up...it may be too late already. All you can do is try and also post a photo of the eggs so we can see them. Don't turn/rotate the eggs when you move them.

The proper set up is as follows...take a shoebox sized Tupperware type container with a lid. Get some coarse grained vermiculite and fill the container about half full with slightly moist vermiculite. To test the vermiculite for moisture...take a hand full and squeeze it...you should be able to only squeeze out a drop of two of water. Lay the eggs in dents you have made with your thumb in rows about an inch apart in all directions. Put the lid on and put the container in a dark place where the temperature is about 74F. Condensation will form on the inside of the lid and container walls.

Now...I assume you didn't provide her with an egglaying container and that's why the eggs were not laid all at once. Hopefully she laid them all. If she shows signs of decline...lethargy, sitting low in the cage, sleeping during the day, not eating or drinking...get her to the vet right away. She may be eggbound.

If the eggs are fertile then she may lay another clutch in about a month.

Now...concerning her health and your husbandry...please answer the questions in the how to ask for help thread at the top of the health forum so we can see if you have it right! Post some photos not her and the eggs please.
Good luck!
 
thanks for your help.... and thanks for letting me know about the difference. I don't want any of them having trouble due to my personal inexperience. and thank you for the references for additional help. also, in the pic, she's up at the top in the back of the enclosure
 
eggs and enclosure (probably isn't ok :-( )
 

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I love the size of the cage but it needs tons more climbing branches and foliage for her to hide in. Live plants are the best and it should be so much you have a hard time finding her in it. Making it look like a jungle is no exaggeration
 
all of her plants are live.... so I'm needing much more at the top for her.

I'm also doing the questions now
 
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