HELP!! Is she egg bound??

[cleetus]

Had a chameleon now for about 2 months. She WAS feeding fine, enjoying herself in and out of the terra and defecating frequently. However since I had to move her into a different house for a week and then back again, her feeding has become less frequent, her pooing habits are almost non-existent, she is a dull dark colour, and she is really fat.

I tried putting her in a largeish box with sand in it for a day. Nothing happened except she constantly tried to escape. I wasn't constantly monitoring her, but everytime i went to check on her she was halfway through an escape attempt.

Is she eggbound?

If she is eggbound why did she not lay any eggs?

If she isn't eggbound why is she such a dark colour and so fat and why is she not eating?

Ive attached some photos of her looking particularly happy which is very rare. The pictures show just how fat she has got. Is this normal?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[jannb]

I'm on my phone and can't see the pictures very well at the moment but mean time you might like to check out my egg laying/laying bin blog.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/345-egg-laying-laying-bin.html

Se does look like she could have eggs. Try leaving her in the laying bin with complete privacy.

 

[sallyb]

She does look a little on the plump side. Can you see any egg shaped lumps just in front of her back legs ? Also what is her age now ?

Hopefully she will not have an egg problem, but it would be a good idea to discuss this with the vet with a view to possibly getting some meds if she does not have any success laying. I would pop her in the laying bin frequently and hopefully she will begin to dig - she will need privacy though for her to feel comfortable. Have you weighed her recently ? Perhaps that would give some indication. Is she displaying brighter colours ie blue and orange ? I have attached a pic of Gizzy just before her egg op - It should give you an some idea of the colouring I mean. I have my fingers crossed for you both

 

[kinyonga]

IMHO the best idea is to put an opaque container at least 12" deep x 12" x 8" filled almost full of washed play sand in the cage. Then she always has somewhere to dig to show you that she's ready to lay eggs. When/if she is digging, do not let her see you watching her or she will abandon the hole and if it happens often enough she could become eggbound. Moving a chameleon back and forth is not a good idea.

 

[Jakama]

My chameleon is pretty far gravid and this is my first time with a chameleon- do I need washed playsand? How much does that cost? Why couldn't I just go to the beach and fill up a trashcan with fine sand?

 

[Elizadolots]

Jakama, I really suggest you start a new thread and include the "how to ask for help" questions in your post.

Playsand is not expensive and is available at places like WalMart and Home Depot.

I suppose you could get beach sand, but it carries the risk of parasites as a minimum. I'd really suggest you go with something known to be clean.

 

[Jakama]

Mk, sorry, didn't mean to take over the thread. Greatly appreciate the advice.

 

[joeandsoph]

Jakama,

I don't mean to sound rude at all, but I'm not sure cost should be an issue. If it's her health that that's the most important thing right? Can you just leave the laying bin in her tank instead of putting her in it?