Male Veiled digging hole

Well, i missed the last few replies so Draig was rushed to the Vets first thing this morning. I had a call about an hour to say that She (well done everyone) is doing fine, is lively in the tank but seems a little young to be trying to lay eggs. They have also said that she is a little calcium deficient (we have been dusting her food regularly so how can i ensure that this doesnt happen again?) and is to have a calcium jab. they want to keep her overnight to make sure all is well. But now we know we have a female and now know the symptoms, i want to be proactive and make sure that i have the right stuff for her to be laying in. Can we use the substrate in the cage (i think its coconut husk stuff) or should we get sand? if sand, can we use aquarium sand?
 
We keepers here in the states use screen cages and no substrate, so sometimes it is difficult to give advice to people in your neck of the woods. I would say no substrate in the cage in general but provide a mix of sand and coconut fiber in a laying bucket or bin for her in the case she needs to dig and lay eggs. All of my females from 5 months on have a laying bin in there cage. How big is your aquarium again? Since chameleons are arboreal they are usually kept in screen cages from 36" and up high-and aquariums do not usually provide that vertical height. As far as calcium definciency remember to change your UVB tube light out every 6 months or so, make sure there is NO glass or plastic between the bulb and the cage-since UVB cannot pass through either of these-screen is OK, and dust almost daily with a D3 free calcium powder, a few times a month with a calcium powder that contains D3, and only once a month for the vitamin/mineral powder. Lower you temps a bit as stated before and I wish you the best of luck after this scare-you sound like an excellent caring animal keeper by getting her to the Vet so fast!
 
a ps on Julirs comment...be sure the laying bin material is damp enough to hold a soft ball when squeezed. It sounds like your substrate wasn't damp enough and that's why it fell in.

Good luck!
 
Thanks for all the tips! I must admit that one of the areas I have been confused with was the names of the many supplements bandied about over the internet as i have not been able to find these ones which is why i went with what the reptile store recommended (but not sure i should be listening to them now!). Her (still getting used to that) enclosure is 2 ft wide, by 2 ft deep by 3 ft high. We thought that that would be an adequate size for her at this age and will get bigger in maybe 6 months time. She has a ficus which is the full height of the tank (which is planted in the coconut husk substrate) along with a very bushy and healthy gardenia. Both plants were bought from a garden centre which hadn't used pesticides on them (i checked) and they were also rinsed thoroughly before going in. There are also a variety of branches and vines for her to climb on. The spot light is towards the front of the enclosure (that is the first time it reached 37C, it usually hits 32C at the highest) and she has a UV light towards the back of the cage. There are also ventilation holes top and bottom of the cage. I thought we were doing so well!!

On another note, the vet wants to keep her overnight, but they have said she is pacing the viv (which worries me) and has also offered to take an x-ray to see if there is an egg there. do you think it is worthwhile to get the x-ray? he seems to thinkshe is in good health (apart from the slight calcium deficiency). And how long does it take for the calcium deficiency to build up? I checke dthe diary and we have had her 5 1/2 weeks - have i not been giving her enough of something?
 
If the vet isn't prepared to give her a laying bin then I would take her home and get her into one. A Trash can with sand will work fine. She is ready.
 
Does it need to be a particular type of sand or will aquarium sand do? The vet seems to think she's too young to start laying.
 
They can lay as early as 5 months, but we don't know how old she actually is and size doesn't mean all that much as they can vary. I use sand box sand-I am not really sure about aquarium sand, but you don't want the sand to have anything sharp in it.
 
If you want to pay for the X-ray-then you would know for sure, but if you provide her with the right moistened soil (thanks Boca-Jan :)) she will show you if she needs to lay. Usually a container at least 10" deep and almost that big around-I use flower pots.

Here are commonly used supplements:
supps.jpg
 
I am assuming that to x-ray her they would have to put her under? I am wondering if that might be a bit too much stress over the last 24 hours. I think i will go back tonight and get her, i am worrying far too much now! The aquarium sand is what we used in our fishtank (would obviously get new sand) so there will definately not be any sharp objects as the fish search for food in this. I definately need to set up a direct debit with this vets though - one of the rats had an op two weeks ago! they should give me discounted prices!
 
Photos - finally

SoCaliSon said:
That and males when mature, display verticle bars in their pattern where females patterns will end up more spotty or blotched in their pattern and tend to lack any real barring.
Click to expand...

For all those asking for photos...

I've uploaded 2 photos. Unfortunately not as good quality as I would have hoped. I think the Dominos flyer caused problems with the image (that's my boyfriend's excuse, anyway)

The first one shows what I would call vertical bars and the second is an attempt at showing the heel of the hind foot. Any more help would be, as always, most appreciated.
 
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No. it's just a box we used for traveling to and from the vets. I have attached a photo of her / his viv.
 
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Hi Emma your cham is beautiful. I got my first male cham (i think but after your story......) 3 days ago and he's only ever green or brown! I was told he is 4 months. Can anyone advise is this normal? Sarah
 
Hi Sarah, we think now that the shop sexed him wrong and that it might be a girl. You can see the lump on the back foot but we aren't sure if it is a tarsal spur. We have only had the cham 6 weeks, so havent seen much of a range of colours yet, plus i think as they get older they get a better range of colours.
 
Heres a pic of his foot. what do you think guys?
 

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Can i just be clear that the last picture is not of my chameleon's foot! We are still a little unsure as to what mine is as the vet didnt seem to think he could sex it when it was younger than a year, but said he couldnt feel male genitalia. As for the enclosure, we bought it, but it is one made for chameleons. it has ventilation holes at the side. We looked everywhere for screen enclosures but could not find them anywhere.
 
My guess - female chameleon, but not a veiled! Need a pic of the rest of the animal, just to be sure.

Males will dig, form what I'm told, if the temps are cold, and they're hiding from freezing wind.

Also, if he was trying to escape, and was pawing at the ground, he'd probably end up digging a tunnel.
 
Oh, and Emma, your cage looks good actually, so the problem might be that you just have a female. Did you ever lower your temps? What do they read now, as well as humidity?
 
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