Is my female gravid?

[Phinfan31]

Hey guys,

Still trying to see whats up with my female cham. From the looks of these pictures - does anyone think shes gravid? How long does it take till they give birth? I've had her for about a month 1/2 already...

The first time I introduced her to my male she would turn black, wobble, and open her mouth. If he got close she would grab him with her claws and open her mouth like she was going to bite him. I removed her and since then don't put them in the same cage....

However, I have tried to introduce them about 2-3 times a week, (outside of the cage) but she still behaves the exact same. She wants absolutely nothing to do with him.

He does his head dance and is always lookin to get down, but she doesnt want anything to do with it....why???

Is she EVER going to warm up to him and allow him to mate with her? They might be from the same vendor, but were purchased so far apart that there is no way she can view him as a sibling....

Your Chameleon - Jackson Cham, assuming 7 months old approx.
Handling - every few days I pull her out to roam and then eventually introduce her to the male from outside the cage.
Feeding - Crickets, mealworms
Supplements - Flukers Orange Cubes
Watering - Spray bottle - coat tank 2-3 times/day - also she drinks directly from it sometimes
Fecal Description - Never tested for parasites. Normal Poo

Cage Info:

Cage Type - Exoterra terranium (temporary solution as we save for a large reptibreeze)
Lighting - ExoTerra UVB 50watt, heat lamp 50watt
Temperature - Avg temp 70-75 degrees
Humidity - avg 35%
Plants - safe live plants
Placement - In front of window, chest height, no traffic
Location - Hawaii

Thanks.

Sorry guys - but I had to make this thread. Nobody was responding to my last one. You will find the pictures located in this thread at the bottom. https://www.chameleonforums.com/detailed-account-female-male-introduction-plus-questions-140130/

 

[sharp229]

Her behavior indicates she is not receptive. She does look wide in the pictures you provided, and may be gravid. Since the was in a cage with many other chams at the store, she may even give birth to live babies since Jacksons are live-bearing. This process would take 6+ months though.

If she was receptive, she would not respond to the male in any way. One way to tell if she is gravid is to weigh her regularly and note whether her weight is increasing. It is best to wait until they are a year old to mate anyway, and at this point they will have mostly stopped growing and it will be easier to tell if the extra weight is eggs.

By the way, 35% humidity is too low if that is the average. Also, you would want to gut-load the insects with fresh fruit and vegetables, and dust the food with plain calcium twice a week, calcium+d3 once a month, and multivitamin once a month. See here fore more details:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/care/caresheets/jacksons/

 

[Phinfan31]

Thanks sharp. 6 months? Wow...we may be in for quite a wait then. No idea if/when she ever got prego in that stores cage. Since she is Jackson...there is no doubt she would give live birth -correct? Cuz there is no substrate for her to dig otherwise.

I thought that flukers orange cubes are a substitution to this dusting? They claim to contain the 'All-in-one' - I've also read about how dusting supplements are subject to over-supping which does more harm than good? I just wanted to avoid any possible dangers such as this.

Thanks.

 

[Phinfan31]

Also I was wondering - if she ISN'T gravid...is there any other reason she wouldn't be receptive? Will she EVER be receptive down the road? Thanks

 

[sharp229]

Despite the marketing, the orange cubes aren't a very good source of vitamins. It is best to use fresh fruits and vegetables for gut-loading. In addition, you should dust the food with supplements. Although it is possible to overdose on vitamins, as long as you follow a tested schedule you should be fine. For Jacksons this is plain calcium (NO D3) twice a week, calcium with D3 once a month, and multivitamin once a month.

Jacksons don't need substrate, she will not lay eggs. Female chameleons can be non-receptive even if they are not gravid. It is possible she just doesn't want to mate. This can depend on personality and what she feels like at the time.

You can try holding her in front of the male's cage one a week to see if she changes, but any response means she is not receptive and you should take her away. If she is gravid, then she will remain non-receptive all the way up till the time she gives birth, which can be over 6 months as mentioned.

Weighing is really the best way to know, but if she is still growing as well that makes it harder.

 

[Phinfan31]

OH MY!!!!! I came home today and I'm counting 9 BABIES!!!!! You guys were right. It all makes sense now. She was HUGE so I had a feeling it would be soon.

I'm going to start doing research now! I know they're hard to keep alive from what the pet shop said...if anybody has any advice please don't hesitate!

I'll post pictures soon

***Reading previous threads on the subject now. It seems that the terranium that I have with a screen lid will be adequate for the babies until they mature. I only have the reptibreeze (medium cage) besides this...which isn't going to be big enough, but will have to do for both the female/male as a pair until I can get the large size for the male.

 

[Phinfan31]

Nevermind. Make that an entire DOZEN! ...But unfortunately one was already dead when I got home. He was a whiteish color...seemed to be drowned in his own mucus stuff...

There is one more whitish color one. Does this indicate they're the runt? He was also in rough, rough shape...but breathing so I separated him and now he seems to be getting better. Hes moving around now.

 

[DragoLikesReptiles]

Hawaii is a great place to free range your chameleon. You should look into that some day in my opinion.

 

[Phinfan31]

Definitely. We plan to take them on some hiking trails with us soon. The two adults that is.

I'll be sure to take pics