Looks healthy, acting strange past week!

kevoh

New Member
Hello community. This is my 7 month old Veiled, Fatima, she is very active and has been on a great schedule her entire life. I picked her up at 2 months and have had her since around Febuary. Here is the specs info for you all:


Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Veiled, Female, Been in care since Feb.

Handling - Very seldomly.

Feeding - Feeders are coming gutloaded from Reptile shop down the road from me. He is using alot of vegetable puree and raw vegetables. Crickets and Wax Worms.

Supplements - Reptolife and Reptocal. Reptolife twice a month, Reptocal about once a week.

Watering - Mistking preprogrammed: 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 5pm, 3 minute intervals.

Fecal Description - Within the last week, stopped noticing consistent fecal matter. This morning she went for the first time in 1 week. Was not very much, but still looked great - White tip, brown matter.

History - Has always been super active, very friendly at times, and used to eat oout of my hand every now and again.

Cage Info:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/new-custom-cage-build-85965/

Temps: 80-85
Humidity: 30-50; dependant on spike from Mistking system
Plants: Live only; Ficus Benjamina and Jasmine (brand new as of yesterday; problem has been going on for a week+a few days now)

Location - Southern California




ISSUE: Currently Fatima has not eaten much in a week other than a few waxworms and some crickets. As of the past week she gained all of her current color that you see in the picture below. She was previously all juvenile green. I have caught her at the bottom of the cage, scratching around at the walls, etc. I have a good feeling she might be ready. She has ample room to lay eggs in the current conditions. The jasmine planter has 2 feet of potted soil which is very moist and could sustain a tunnel. What I am looking for is some advice as to what the issue could be if it is anything other than her getting ready for her first set of eggs. Again if you read above she has only pooped once in over a week, has not shed since gaining her new color, and is still VERY active. She is roaming around quite a bit.

Thank you in advance for any of your advice.
 

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Also to note: she has not been eating regularly. Used to feed her daily. She will not eat much. Caught her eating one cricket all of yesterday and that was it.
 
Do you have a laying bin for her? She might need to lay eggs. They often will slow or stop eating when ready to lay eggs. Please get some more photos of her and get her a laying bin ASAP if you don't already have one. I'm attaching a few blogs for you about general care for a female and egg laying and the laying bin.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/345-egg-laying-laying-bin.html
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/keeping-female-veiled.html
https://www.chameleonforums.com/laying-bin-set-up-educational-video-77225/
 
Yeah Jann, i have a 2 foot laying bin for her packed very nicely with moist soil, have dug a tunnel to test myself. I have read your blogs on several occassions and I appreciate all your expertise. I put her in the bin tonight, she did not like it - but its there in her cage.

She is continuously scratching away at the screen now too. Would you recommend that I just put a sheet around her for the next few days? thank you!
 
Isn't she pretty! If she were mine, I would make sure she has easy access to that bin then put a sheet or newspapers around her so she can feel safe. You might want to poke a couple of little spy holes for you to use to monitor her progress. If you're technologically adept, you could set up a webcam....
 
Looks good. I would definitely make it so she doesn't think you can see her. There are just some things a girl likes to do in private.
 
so she is completely covered. its lights out for her tonight though as shes just sitting at the top of her throne.

i am gonna keep her covered all day tomorrow - whats a good way to check the dirt? any suggestions? webcam idea isnt working!
 
Just make a test tunnel.

For the record- it can take her several days to finally lay if indeed she does.

from the day i saw my female digging, to the day I dug her eggs up.. was 3 days.

so relax.
and breathe.
 
Females can be very stressful. They can also be very picky. Some like soil, some like playsand and it's important to have the moisture just right for their liking. It's also possible that she's just receptive and not even ready to lay eggs. Did she eat today? If you think she does have eggs and she doesn't lay in her cage in the next day or two, I would use the big trash can/laying bin method and put her in late one afternoon/early evening with no way out and leave her in a few hours. They normally dig and lay in the late afternoon or evening and into the night and sometime don't finish until the next morning. My girls will sleep in the hole sometimes.
 
She has not eaten for days now. I have tried to feed her. She keeps going down to the bottom and just wont do anything. Its like shes scoping it out. Everything is very moist. My mistking is actually help keep the soil moist on top of me already ensuring its tunnel ready with putting some water in the buckets filled with soil.

If by tomorrow i dont see anything I will try your method of the trashcan Jannb. Thank you very much for your help!
 
help

our jackson has not been eating for the last couple of days and has been very slow. He tends to sleep alot even during the day. when you go pick him up he falls to sleep in your hands!!! He went from being very active to sluggish. He doesn't look stressed, bright green to almost aqua. we are very worried. please help. We have had him for 3 months, we purchased him from the pet store. He has large cage with a hibusus plant in it. We also have a drip system for his water that is on for half the day. We live in Hawaii so we don't use a heat lamp beacuse is really warm all year long. We were feeding him about 5 crickets a day. We don't want to lose him, please help Rango!!!!!!!:(
 
She has not eaten for days now. I have tried to feed her. She keeps going down to the bottom and just wont do anything. Its like shes scoping it out. Everything is very moist. My mistking is actually help keep the soil moist on top of me already ensuring its tunnel ready with putting some water in the buckets filled with soil.

If by tomorrow i dont see anything I will try your method of the trashcan Jannb. Thank you very much for your help!

Kevoh, haven't heard from you for a couple of days. Sure you must be busy with your cham. Just wondering how things were going? Hope she did ok. Please post for us. We're all concerned about you and your girl. :confused:
 
Hello everyone, it has been WEEKS now since my Veiled inititally started acting strange.

TODAY SHE FIRST BEGAN DIGGING.

The issue was that she began digging in the pot where her jasmine vine grows. The roots are very thick and the dirt very hard to get through because of how thick the roots are.

I replanted her secondary dig bin with new moist soil and some more foilage so she hopefully goes over to that bin tomorrow (only did this after i spotted that she was done digging and was sitting up top again with a dirty face). I checked for eggs and have found nothing, is still round and big.

ANy suggestions on when I should check on her again? going to work tomorrow and wont be able to check on her all day - should i take day off to make sure shes ok and be able to feed her?
 
Sorry, unrelated question...what's the deal with the gloves? Are the claws super sharp?

I don't mean to sound rude, I am just wondering. I have never held a full grown veiled, so I don't know. My Senegal feels like I am holding a feather most of the time. Veileds are considerably bigger than Senegals, so I suspect bigger cham means sharper claws.
 
It gives her more grip when holding on my hand. She does have sharp claws and it can be very difficult to grasp human skin. You should always use some type of glove to help your chameleon hold onto your hands easier.

Remember, just because you feel comfortable holding the chameleon. Doesnt necessarily mean the chameleon feels comfortable.
 
I hadn't thought of that, good idea. Mine enjoys climbing on my shirt a lot of the time.

I have though about getting a female veiled in the future, how are their temperaments?
 
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