Male Digging

[kelticlinkin]

I am re-posting this where people have actually looked recently. I have a male chameleon - I am posting a picture so you can see the spurs on his hind legs. However, he recently started hanging out at the bottom of the cage and started digging - much like a female would do before she lays an egg. So, even though I believe he is male, I took him out of his regular cage and put him a smaller private nesting bin with moist sand at the bottom to dig a tunnel and maybe lay some eggs....even though he is male. Any other reason someone knows of why a male would do this besides telling me I must have a female instead? Thanks! ok.....apparently I can't repost the same picture... his picture is posted in another thread under breeding I think...

 

[summoner12]

Does he dig in the 'laying bin'?

I am sorry I can't offer up much advice other than... wait and see what happens.

can you give us a link to your other thread with the pic?

Edit: Nevermind I found it... Link

Not really sure why you started another thread... seems a lot of people have been talking in that other thread about this topic.

 

[kelticlinkin]

I started a new thread because the last post on the previous thread was in December.

Anyway, he has not started digging in the new bin yet. He's only been in there for a few hours. I saw him near the bottom with the same coloration he was showing when he was digging previously in his cage, but he wasn't digging.

Any thoughts on how long I should keep him this laying bin? Especially if we all agree he is male, then he clearly isn't going to lay anything..... Any other reason why a male would dig?

 

[Titan]

Possible, looking to cool down, gain humidity from the soil, or possibly, stress
and wanting to hide. Try putting an area in your enclosure that is fairly thick with vegitation and hiding spots. Also If you have small children, pets and such moving about in his view, this could cause symptoms of such. Just a guess?

 

[Julirs]

Answer the following and a pic of the cham and enlosure would be great...

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Describe your cage construction (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
Lighting - What brand, model, and type of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
Location - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.
Current Problem - The current problem that you are concerned about.

 

[kelticlinkin]

Ok...let's see which of these I can answer...... if you look at a previous response there is a link to a different thread with a picture of him.

Cage: screen, 24''x26"x12"
Lighting: 100W UVA/UVB/Heat -on for 8hrs/day, then 60w day heat in evening and 60w night heat overnight
Temperature: 85F....closer to 90F in basking
Humidity: 50-70% using PetCo thermometer and humidity gauge
Plants: Live ficus, live moss, others are plastic
Cage: Is in a high traffic area, which may be an issue. However, he likes to be handled and immediately comes to me when I open his cage.

Chameleon: 4-5 month old male veiled chameleon
Handling: 1-2x per week
Feeding: Crickets, dusted with D3, gut loaded with calcium food, and cricket calcium quencher(I can give you brand names if you really want them) also meal worms dusted with D3.
Watering: Drip system and daily misting 3-4 times
Droppings: usually whitish in color, kind of like bird droppings
History: bred in captivity, purchased at petstore

 

[Julirs]

I guess my initial question would be do you have a digital thermometer with a probe so you are getting acurate temps? That is a small cage for a MV bulb.

 

[kelticlinkin]

and he started digging again in his laying bin (in case he decides to lay eggs)

 

[Julirs]

It is a male-he will NOT lay eggs. Put him back in his cage.

 

[naich]

sounds way too hot you dont need 200 watts like you have....night tome drops are okay...mabeys he trying to escape the heat....how far away is he from wich wattages.

 

[kelticlinkin]

lol, i did put him back in his cage. The 100W is only on by itself, when I turn it off (after 8 hours) is when the 60W heat bulb comes on, then when I go to bed the 60W night (red) bulb comes on.

p.s. I use the Zoo Med PowerSun UV Self-Ballasted Mercury Vapor Flood Lamp (100W)

2:0 Calcium no Phosphorus with D3 duster
Fluker's Cricket Quencher Calcium Fortified
T-Rex Calcium Plus food for crickets
Zoo Meds the Little Dripper

It may have been too hot in the cage, so I have moved the 100W UVA/UVB to the far edge of the cage from the middle, so there is more shade on the other side, just in case that is the issue and he is trying to avoid the heat.

*crossing finger*

 

[kelticlinkin]

and the cage is 24 inches long (2 ft) 26 inches tall (2 ft 2 inches) and 12 inched width (1 ft)... do you really think that is too small? He is only 4-5 months old. when he starts to get bigger I will definitely upgrade. How big should it be for cham his size?

 

[Julirs]

What kind of thermometer do you have?????

 

[kelticlinkin]

its not digitial, its analog (with the hands that move and point to the temperature)

 

[THECHAMMAN]

100W i wayyyy too hot. the basking temp must be 120F. you have to get a UVB bulb, and get a 60w or so bulb. wayyyy to hot.

 

[Julirs]

Those analog thermomers are garbage and will not tell you what the temp is in the basking spot. Turn off the lights and go buy a digital thermometer with a probe.

 

[WelshOneEmma]

Get your temps right and see what happens. The thread that was posted in December was mine, and my cham turned out to be a female, who did indeed have eggs, but these were only found on an x-ray. And before anyone starts the whole "if it has spurs its definately a male" thing - mine did have spurs, and male markings. In fact everyone on here thought it was a male. It is very rare, but it does happen! So make sure everything is spot on with your set up, and if the behaviour continues, i suggest a vet visit and an x-ray.

 

[Syn]

I would like to quote this from the other thread..

I responded to your other post. You are not a moron. It is possible to have a hermaphrodite - there are hermaphrodites in all species. Mine was a female with male marking and heel spurs, so effectively a butch girl! Make sure your set up is spot on, and keep the bin in there just in case for the moment. See how it turns out.

 

[Julirs]

I am going to have to say Clarence is a boy, but WelshOneEmma's cham had a small casque and I called it out as a girl. Clarence has male markings and very noticeable spurs.

 

[WelshOneEmma]

I am going to have to say Clarence is a boy, but WelshOneEmma's cham had a small casque and I called it out as a girl. Clarence has male markings and very noticeable spurs.

If everyone remembers, Draig also had the male markings and noticeable spurs, but a small casque, hence all the confusion. When we went to the vets, they had a feel and instantly said female as they couldn't feel any male genitalia. Like i said, we had an x-ray done which showed eggs in there. I do think that she was a very extreme, unusual case, so not to instantly assume the same thing with yours. Just make sure everything else is tickety-boo first.