Gravid cham sleeping during the day, stopped digging holes

Ther is definitely a lot to learn about them if you want to keep, raise and breed them successfully.

Don't forget...the one in the video has already laid her eggs and is still that big. I hope she didn't retain eggs.

I would have dug the eggs up more carefully.mid like to know if he damaged any of them with his rough handling of them.
Yeah that's almost how mine looked when she arrived, very thick in the middle but no defined bulge. I cringed watching him dig them out, I'm glad I mixed dirt in with my sand because I forgot just how solid wet sand is!
 
Yeah that's almost how mine looked when she arrived, very thick in the middle but no defined bulge. I cringed watching him dig them out, I'm glad I mixed dirt in with my sand because I forgot just how solid wet sand is!
If the eggs are just laid, they haven't developed to a point where you really need to be too careful. This is @Action Jackson's (Craig Durbin at Primo Chameleons) video. I bet good money that those eggs will hatch because he is the only guy to consistently breed and hatch out parson's chameleons and one of the few people to hatch out Furcifer bifidus. This man knows what he is doing.
 
If the eggs are just laid, they haven't developed to a point where you really need to be too careful. This is @Action Jackson's (Craig Durbin at Primo Chameleons) video. I bet good money that those eggs will hatch because he is the only guy to consistently breed and hatch out parson's chameleons and one of the few people to hatch out Furcifer bifidus. This man knows what he is doing.
Then I retract my statement! Good to know that. I'll be keeping a lookout for his babies down the line, I may get a couple of them to add to the project!
 
If the eggs are just laid, they haven't developed to a point where you really need to be too careful. This is @Action Jackson's (Craig Durbin at Primo Chameleons) video. I bet good money that those eggs will hatch because he is the only guy to consistently breed and hatch out parson's chameleons and one of the few people to hatch out Furcifer bifidus. This man knows what he is doing.
I've just always been very careful when digging up eggs. I always would rather err on the side of caution.
Sorry Craig....I guess I worry too much!
 
I've just always been very careful when digging up eggs. I always would rather err on the side of caution.
Sorry Craig....I guess I worry too much!
No worries. I’ve only ever damaged one egg and I’ve dug up a ton of them. These eggs were fine but last I checked they were going bad so apparently they were infertile. I need to check them again to see how they look.
 
I just checked my eggs and 5 have gone bad I the other eggs don’t look fertile either. You can see in the video the eggs aren’t bright white so I wasn’t holding out much hope for them anyways. Both females I received had issues and they are on antibiotics right now and showing improvement. I’m just glad she laid ok.
 
I just checked my eggs and 5 have gone bad I the other eggs don’t look fertile either. You can see in the video the eggs aren’t bright white so I wasn’t holding out much hope for them anyways. Both females I received had issues and they are on antibiotics right now and showing improvement. I’m just glad she laid ok.
Well at least the females are doing alright... Best of luck with them! I'm really loving my pair, maybe down the road we can trade babies! lol
 
No worries. I’ve only ever damaged one egg and I’ve dug up a ton of them. These eggs were fine but last I checked they were going bad so apparently they were infertile. I need to check them again to see how they look.
I just checked my eggs and 5 have gone bad I the other eggs don’t look fertile either. You can see in the video the eggs aren’t bright white so I wasn’t holding out much hope for them anyways. Both females I received had issues and they are on antibiotics right now and showing improvement. I’m just glad she laid ok.
Sorry to hear they are going bad.
Hope you can save the females.
 
Well, after I falsely thought she had laid and took her out, I decided to plant the plants I had bought in the age while I had her out. I filled the bottom with soil for a bioactive setup and, lo and behold, just minutes after I put her back in she has started digging a hole at the base of the syngonium! I'm hoping that she won't relocate since I saw her, however she seems to be ready.
 
Well, after I falsely thought she had laid and took her out, I decided to plant the plants I had bought in the age while I had her out. I filled the bottom with soil for a bioactive setup and, lo and behold, just minutes after I put her back in she has started digging a hole at the base of the syngonium! I'm hoping that she won't relocate since I saw her, however she seems to be ready.
That's great news that she started digging again! Sounds like you are on the right track!
 
I'm sure she'll try again and lay when she needs to. You said earlier that she got stressed out by the garbage bag visual barrier. What color was the garbage bag? If it's black, that could be the reason. Most of the time the can distinguish between living creatures and inanimate objects. If something is clearly inanimate, they won't be bothered by the color. If they think something may be alive, and hence communicating to them via color (the way chameleons communicate), then they will get stressed if something is black (stress colors) or some other random colors. And if the garbage bag isn't secured all the way and moving around a bit, then that can also stress them or give them the false idea that an inanimate object may be alive.

This is all just a theory based on my observations. And different chameleons respond to differently to different colors and to objects.

You could always try utilizing a different object to create a visual barrier such as corrugated plastic. It's cheap, rigid, and white. You could use a few screws to hold in place, some tape, or a couple of zip ties to secure it into place.

Or you can secure some fake plants to the outside of the screen to help block the view.

There are many alternatives out there for you to use if you like.

With that said, she's probably just testing the lay bin. She's most likely not abandoning her holes because she sees you. Just keep providing the care you have been giving her and she will most likely lay. You've got this!
 
Don't let her see you watching her when she's digging! You're going to push her towards eggbinding.
Yeah, it was not the plan. I dusted some roaches and set them in a cup in her cage about 10 minutes after I put her back, and she had already started digging by then! One of those things you just have to roll with, I guess.
 
I'm sure she'll try again and lay when she needs to. You said earlier that she got stressed out by the garbage bag visual barrier. What color was the garbage bag? If it's black, that could be the reason. Most of the time the can distinguish between living creatures and inanimate objects. If something is clearly inanimate, they won't be bothered by the color. If they think something may be alive, and hence communicating to them via color (the way chameleons communicate), then they will get stressed if something is black (stress colors) or some other random colors. And if the garbage bag isn't secured all the way and moving around a bit, then that can also stress them or give them the false idea that an inanimate object may be alive.

This is all just a theory based on my observations. And different chameleons respond to differently to different colors and to objects.

You could always try utilizing a different object to create a visual barrier such as corrugated plastic. It's cheap, rigid, and white. You could use a few screws to hold in place, some tape, or a couple of zip ties to secure it into place.

Or you can secure some fake plants to the outside of the screen to help block the view.

There are many alternatives out there for you to use if you like.

With that said, she's probably just testing the lay bin. She's most likely not abandoning her holes because she sees you. Just keep providing the care you have been giving her and she will most likely lay. You've got this!
It was an old towel that wasn't sitting flat against the front of the cage, it was dark blue. I'm still using the same thing and I don't think there's any issue, since she felt secure enough to begin digging.
Sorry for weird replies, today hasn't been particularly fulfilling.
 
It was an old towel that wasn't sitting flat against the front of the cage, it was dark blue. I'm still using the same thing and I don't think there's any issue, since she felt secure enough to begin digging.
Sorry for weird replies, today hasn't been particularly fulfilling.
No worries, 'tis the ebb and flow of chameleon keeping--especially with wild caughts but even for CB at times. Sometimes I get really stressed out when it should theoretically be a relaxing hobby. But the more experience you gain, the more that stress goes away. It is simply fearing the unknown. "Will see become egg bound?" or "Will she pass away?" You have to find a way to relax in the presence of these questions. If you are giving them your all, there is nothing more you can do. Just keep up to date on the latest info, take a deep breath, and relax.

Go enjoy some time outside or hangout with family and/or friends. This is how I cope with the rigors of chameleon keeping. Or exercise or do whatever to blow some steam off. Otherwise, you will eventually get burnt out.
 
Also, your replies haven't been weird so don't worry haha
Thankfully the chams aren't the issue today, but unluckily the problem is with my giant reef tank. Nitrates tanked overnight and dinoflagellates bloomed and suffocated the majority of my fish and coral, most of which I've been growing for 3 years. I lost my summer income through coral I was going to sell, so I'm kind of totally stuck at the moment. Luckily, the chams are peaceful right now, so that's really nice.
 
Sorry to hear about your reef tank. It's crazy how everything can go south in just one night with saltwater tanks. I'm not a reefer or saltwater hobbyist, but the hobby does intrigue me. One day I want to get some pipefish, but that's several years in the future.
 
Sorry to hear about your reef tank. It's crazy how everything can go south in just one night with saltwater tanks. I'm not a reefer or saltwater hobbyist, but the hobby does intrigue me. One day I want to get some pipefish, but that's several years in the future.
It's a really good hobby, don't get me wrong. I'm currently working to spawn some coral (in a separate tank, thank goodness) and it's been a joy to do. I just hadn't been paying my big tank enough attention to deal with pests and problems before it blew up in my face. They are like teens, you can let them go on their own for the most part but you still need to watch them until they mature xD
 
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