I've had my chameleon for about 6 weeks now. She is 4 years old, and I am slightly concerned. The man I purchased her from tells me her behaviour is perfectly normal, but I'd like a second opinion.
Firstly, I can tell she's due to lay eggs, as she is wider, and the lumps are fairly noticeable around her rear legs. She started to dig a lot, for about a week, but did not lay eggs, and has now stopped digging. She simply sits on her branch and only retreats to the bottom of her enclosure for water out of her fountain, sometimes. After she stopped digging, I tried setting up an egg-laying area for her by purchasing some red, desert sand, and filling a small, plastic bin half-way with it. I placed it at an angle on the bottom of her enclosure with a branch leading in/out of it so that she has easy access to it. She ignored it completely, and hasn't done any digging whatsoever.
She is also uninterested in her food. She would previously eat large crickets the moment I'd put them in her enclosure. Sometimes, I wouldn't even have a chance to get them out the box before she'd snap them up! But now she ignores them, and hasn't eaten since the 6th! It is now the 15th. I have always made sure there is food available in this time.
She also seems a hell of a lot less energetic. She moves around a little, but not like she used to. She mainly stays positioned on her branch, usually close to the heat lamp. She seems weaker than usual. Her grip doesn't seem as strong, and she seems to find it more difficult to stay stable on her branches when climbing around. Her colours are dark, too. Not all the time, but the majority of the time. When she sleeps, she turns bright green again, but later in the day she is usually quite dark. It's a possibility she's cold? I may try upping her temps a bit tonight, but it is currently on 84, which should be sufficient?
My research tells me it is normal for chameleons to have less energy when due to lay, and to stop eating/eat less, but I am still concerned! I may try introducing a different food? I love her very much and just want to make sure that I am doing the best for her! So please, any suggestions would be HUGELY appreciated. Thank you!
Firstly, I can tell she's due to lay eggs, as she is wider, and the lumps are fairly noticeable around her rear legs. She started to dig a lot, for about a week, but did not lay eggs, and has now stopped digging. She simply sits on her branch and only retreats to the bottom of her enclosure for water out of her fountain, sometimes. After she stopped digging, I tried setting up an egg-laying area for her by purchasing some red, desert sand, and filling a small, plastic bin half-way with it. I placed it at an angle on the bottom of her enclosure with a branch leading in/out of it so that she has easy access to it. She ignored it completely, and hasn't done any digging whatsoever.
She is also uninterested in her food. She would previously eat large crickets the moment I'd put them in her enclosure. Sometimes, I wouldn't even have a chance to get them out the box before she'd snap them up! But now she ignores them, and hasn't eaten since the 6th! It is now the 15th. I have always made sure there is food available in this time.
She also seems a hell of a lot less energetic. She moves around a little, but not like she used to. She mainly stays positioned on her branch, usually close to the heat lamp. She seems weaker than usual. Her grip doesn't seem as strong, and she seems to find it more difficult to stay stable on her branches when climbing around. Her colours are dark, too. Not all the time, but the majority of the time. When she sleeps, she turns bright green again, but later in the day she is usually quite dark. It's a possibility she's cold? I may try upping her temps a bit tonight, but it is currently on 84, which should be sufficient?
My research tells me it is normal for chameleons to have less energy when due to lay, and to stop eating/eat less, but I am still concerned! I may try introducing a different food? I love her very much and just want to make sure that I am doing the best for her! So please, any suggestions would be HUGELY appreciated. Thank you!
I'm extremely worried for her. I will search the internet for a suitable vet right away...
