Is my chameleon pregnant?

[Matt the man]

First time chameleon owner here! So I bought 2 veiled chameleons from a local petco store in my area. I was told that they were both male chameleons so I kept them in the same cage for a while until a good friend of mine with several years of experience handling veils told me that I had a male and female. Since than I’ve separated them from one another but I’m being told that she’s showing colors of being pregnant? Not sure if this is true but all the signs are there?! Her appetite has gone down a little and she wants nothing to do with the male when they are out for free time? Like I said first time owner here so any feedback is much appreciated!!

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Yes she’s a she. She will lay eggs every 90-120 days without a male.

 

[Matt the man]

Awesome thanks a lot!

 

[AnamCara]

Yes she’s a she. She will lay eggs every 90-120 days without a male.

That is a rate I was unaware of. Is it the same for panthers?

 

[Daesie11]

She may very well lay fertile eggs since you had her housed with a male. Also side note, whether it's a M/F or a M/M pair, chams should never be housed together. Just for your future reference!

 

[wandering_cham]

Definitely preggers, start preparing for eggs.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

That is a rate I was unaware of. Is it the same for panthers?

Ballpark, yes.

 

[Matt the man]

I set up a over sized flowering pot with about 9 inches of moist soil! Anything else I should be adding to the habitat?

 

[Reptofreak]

I don’t have a ton of experience but here is my female (Ivy) whom is definitely gravid displaying her don’t touch me colors to here boyfriend (Jungle Jim).

 

[Matt the man]

Looks like we have some twins lol

 

[Brodybreaux25]

I set up a over sized flowering pot with about 9 inches of moist soil! Anything else I should be adding to the habitat?

Yes, but let’s do this right from the start.

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[kinyonga]

Are you ready for fertile eggs? When did you separate them? (How many days ago?) Do you have a suitable egglaying bin in the female's cage? It's important that you have one in the cage all the time now. If she doesn't have a suitable place to lay the eggs she can become egg bound and die. Once she's digging don't let her see you watching her because she will abandon the hole..if it happens too often she can become eggbound.

Here's the way it should go...
As she approaches the time to lay she should roam the cage looking for a place to lay the eggs, may eat less, may drink more, may bask more, will get fatter in the back end especially.

She may dig one hole until she's content with it or she may dig several holes and settle on one in the end. This can take a day or a few days. When she's happy with it she will turn around butt down usually in the evening and lay the eggs. It may take a short time or she could even sleep in the hole overnight. When she's done she should fill in the hole and tamp it down and return to the branches tired, thirsty, thinner and hungry. At this point you can remove the egglaying container from the cage and dig up the eggs.

If it doesn't go the way I've described she will need to see s vet ASAP likely...so let us know.

If the eggs are fertile, dig carefully and then you can incubate them. (More about that later. Post again when she's laying them and I'll tell you about that.) If not fertile they can be tossed but count them first so we can tell you if you need to adjust your husbandry.

Hope this helps!

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Are you ready for fertile eggs? When did you separate them? (How many days ago?) Do you have a suitable egglaying bin in the female's cage? It's important that you have one in the cage all the time now. If she doesn't have a suitable place to lay the eggs she can become egg bound and die. Once she's digging don't let her see you watching her because she will abandon the hole..if it happens too often she can become eggbound.

Here's the way it should go...
As she approaches the time to lay she should roam the cage looking for a place to lay the eggs, may eat less, may drink more, may bask more, will get fatter in the back end especially.

She may dig one hole until she's content with it or she may dig several holes and settle on one in the end. This can take a day or a few days. When she's happy with it she will turn around butt down usually in the evening and lay the eggs. It may take a short time or she could even sleep in the hole overnight. When she's done she should fill in the hole and tamp it down and return to the branches tired, thirsty, thinner and hungry. At this point you can remove the egglaying container from the cage and dig up the eggs.

If it doesn't go the way I've described she will need to see s vet ASAP likely...so let us know.

If the eggs are fertile, dig carefully and then you can incubate them. (More about that later. Post again when she's laying them and I'll tell you about that.) If not fertile they can be tossed but count them first so we can tell you if you need to adjust your husbandry.

Hope this helps!

Should we really be encouraging a member who can’t tell the difference between a male and female to incubate mystery eggs?

 

[jannb]

Don’t allow your female to see the male. Just the sight of a male can cause her to start developing eggs. She looks like she has eggs now. Make sure the sand in the laying bin will hold a tunnel and not cave in on your girl. Once she starts to dig she will need complete privacy. I’d cover her enclosure with a sheet.

 

[kinyonga]

@AnamCara said..."That is a rate I was unaware of. Is it the same for panthers?"... Panther chameleons vary...it depends partly on the morph/where they come from.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Just the sight of a male can cause her to start developing eggs.

Has this ever been studied?

 

[jannb]

Has this ever been studied?

I’m not sure if this has been studies or not. Lynda might know. @kinyonga

I have just found this to be true with my chameleons over the past 13+ years.

 

[kinyonga]

I'm trying to find the source I heard this from...it was quite well documented if I remember rightly. I'm still looking for it.

One more thread saying it...
https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/seeing-each-other.169375/

 

[salty dog]

60 - 120 days are correct with all my females Panthers, please note, every female is different, they are a natural animal. another breeder has an ambilobe female that lays only twice a year, kept in same area as all the others, that lay from 60 - 120 days apart

 

[kinyonga]

Another source of the info...
https://www.canvaschameleons.com/tips-to-keep-your-female-chameleon-healthy/
"Visual stimulation may be all it takes to begin the ovulation process in a female chameleon. If you have both a male and a female chameleon and you don’t intend to breed them, make sure you keep them separated and set up visual barriers so they can’t see each other."

More...
http://screameleons.com/5-tips-to-keep-your-female-chameleon-healthy/
"If you don’t intend to breed your female, don’t expose her to males. By this, I mean don’t even let her see a male. Visual stimulation may be enough to kick in ovulation in a female panther chameleon. By eliminating the sight of a male, you may be able to suppress ovulation, which reduces the chances of laying eggs. If you keep a male, just make sure you setup visual barriers so they can’t see each other."