Help

[emersonc]

I woke up this morning and my chameleon was hiding at the bottom of the cage. I have some moss sitting on the bottom and she is currently tucked under the moss. Her colors are dark with black virtical stripes along her body. She may be trying to lay eggs, but i have a place for her to, but maybe she just wanteed to lay there. Is that sound common? Or does this sound more like she is sick, should i give her a emergancey shower please help, if she is laying eggs i dont want to bother her anymore. Please any suggestions.


Female Nosy Be Panther
Temp. 90-70F
Humidity: 60%
Cage:five feet tall X 2.5 feet wide and deep
Diet mainly on crickets, about three a day
Showered about 1-2 times a week

 

[ChameleonsTree]

She sounds sick...i would take her to the vet.

 

[emersonc]

HJas anyone heard of a chameleon hiding like that? She tucked herself under the moss, it was pretty strange?

 

[Scrappy]

Moss :-(

If I were you I'd get the moss out of there as soon as possible. If they ingest moss while shooting for food, it can kill them. No substrate is the best. Other than that, it sounds like a trip to the vet is in order.

 

[Jordan]

I guess it is possible that she was in the mist of roaming around on the ground and remained still because of your prescence. They are very vurnerable on the ground and she may have not wanted to catch your attention. If she is going to lay eggs soon it is not uncommon for them to roam at the bottom of the cage looking for a proper site to lay thier eggs. If you do not have an adiquite sight for her to lay her eggs then get one. They will almost always choose the designated spot. Sometimes they will go for a large flower pot if one is present in the cage. It is natural for them to burrow under the root ball of a plant and lay them thier. I still would suggest a pot with no plant as it will be easier for her to dig in then the plant roots.

 

[Sean]

I have seen this hiding behavior displayed by veileds on occasion, but never with panthers. Perhaps she is intimidated by something nearby. If you place her in a 5 gallon bucket of sand (moistened with warm water) she should start digging within half a day, if she is ready to lay. If neither of the former applies, it may be a health issue.

 

[emersonc]

I still cant figure out why she was hiding like that, but the good news is she laid her eggs at the base of the ficus tree in her cage. i checked today and ther were 24 eggs. Of course they are not fertile, but none the less i am so happy that is over. Does anyone know when i should be expecting her to lay next??