NEED HELP! I think that my chameleon is egg bound?

[Sniperchamel]

Is my chameleon egg bound? I’ve been worried that for a couple days now my female veiled chameleon (4 years old) might be egg bound, as she seemed to be carrying eggs but not laying, or even digging holes. If anyone has any insight, it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi and welcome. It’s hard/impossible to tell from just a pic if she’s egg bound, but she does look to be carrying eggs. What have her behaviors been like? Is she eating, drinking, basking? Or is she lethargic, staying low in her enclosure? More active than usual? Has she laid before and how many eggs? I’m assuming she has a lay bin? What is that like for size and substrate?

 

[Sniperchamel]

Hi and welcome. It’s hard/impossible to tell from just a pic if she’s egg bound, but she does look to be carrying eggs. What have her behaviors been like? Is she eating, drinking, basking? Or is she lethargic, staying low in her enclosure? More active than usual? Has she laid before and how many eggs? I’m assuming she has a lay bin? What is that like for size and substrate?

She's been drinking and basking, and even looking more healthy (color, behavior, hydration) than the past few months, however she isn't eating much. She's been laying about 2-3 times a year since I got her, which was about 4 years ago, although I have never counted how many eggs. She is somewhat more active, although she has not gone into her laying bin (did full "renovation" of her enclosure about 2 weeks after she laid eggs last, which was about 3 months ago. Her laying bin is about 1 and a half feet deep, 1 and a half feet tall, and about 2 feet long. It is filled up about half way with substrate. If you want I could post a picture of the laying bin? Also she is staying close to the top, but actively moving around her enclosure somewhat and will sometimes go to the lower area, not hanging out there for long.

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum!

Please do post some photos of the cage and the laybin and a couple more of your female.

Can you guess the number of eggs that were in previous clutches...like is it around 20....or more like 40 or what?
What's the substrate you use in the laybin?

Have you changed how much you feed her lately or supplements, etc.?

They can lay eggs every 120 to 135 days...so she shouldn't be quite ready yet.

 

[Sniperchamel]

Welcome to the forum!

Please do post some photos of the cage and the laybin and a couple more of your female.

Can you guess the number of eggs that were in previous clutches...like is it around 20....or more like 40 or what?
What's the substrate you use in the laybin?

Have you changed how much you feed her lately or supplements, etc.?

They can lay eggs every 120 to 135 days...so she shouldn't be quite ready yet.

I haven’t changed how much she is eating, and although I have been worried I’m not feeding her the right stuff, she has been healthy on relatively the same diet for a while (I know that there is not a lot of variety) which is 5 mealworms every 2 days with calcium powder on and off every third feeding. If I had to guess, then her clutches are about 20, sometimes 25.

 

[Sniperchamel]

I haven’t changed how much she is eating, and although I have been worried I’m not feeding her the right stuff, she has been healthy on relatively the same diet for a while (I know that there is not a lot of variety) which is 5 mealworms every 2 days with calcium powder on and off every third feeding. If I had to guess, then her clutches are about 20, sometimes 25.

I will post a couple photos in just a little bit, as well. Also, the substrate is coconut husk.

 

[kinyonga]

I would use washed playsand that is just moist enough to to hold a tunnel. The sand I recommend is produced by King's and comes in a white bag with red, yellow, blue sand box toys on the front.

Mealworms are ok as part of the diet but crickets, silkworms, roaches, BSFL, locusts, etc and occasionally hornworms, superworms, wax worms are better options.

They should be well fed and gutloaded and dusted with the the proper supplements. Proper UVB is important too. Somehow you have been ok with this though since she's getting through the egglaying and shows no signs of MBD and is 4+.

Recommended supplementing is calcium dusted lightly on all feedings but two a month. On those use a vitamin powder with D3 and preformed vitamin A.

 

[Sniperchamel]

I would use washed playsand that is just moist enough to to hold a tunnel. The sand I recommend is produced by King's and comes in a white bag with red, yellow, blue sand box toys on the front.

Mealworms are ok as part of the diet but crickets, silkworms, roaches, BSFL, locusts, etc and occasionally hornworms, superworms, wax worms are better options.

They should be well fed and gutloaded and dusted with the the proper supplements. Proper UVB is important too. Somehow you have been ok with this though since she's getting through the egglaying and shows no signs of MBD and is 4+.

Recommended supplementing is calcium dusted lightly on all feedings but two a month. On those use a vitamin powder with D3 and preformed vitamin A.

Thanks for the advice, also I misremembered, I've been feeding her superworms not mealworms

 

[kinyonga]

Thanks for the advice, also I misremembered, I've been feeding her superworms not mealworms

Still would recommend a variety of insects so she gets the opportunity to get a bigger variety of nutrients. You wouldn't just eat potatoes, would you?

 

[Sniperchamel]

Still would recommend a variety of insects so she gets the opportunity to get a bigger variety of nutrients. You wouldn't just eat potatoes, would you?

Good point, also here is a better photo, showing what I think might indicate eggs

 

[MissSkittles]

She does look quite plump. When she’s laid in the past, had you noticed her color darkening or any other visual changes?
I follow a diet (learned from @kinyonga ) with my girls that has been awesome at reducing their laying. I feed them 3-4 feeders (on the smaller side) 3 days a week, plus occasional treats. My one girl hasn’t laid any eggs since Feb 2020 and the other lays only once a year. My little panther girl is about 1 1/2 years old and has never laid eggs. I keep basking temp no higher than 80F, which helps keep their metabolism a bit slower.
As has already been said….. For supplements, I dust every feeding in a calcium without D3 and then one feeding every other week I use Reptivite with D3. The ReptiVite has preformed A for better absorption of it.
Superworms are great for treats, but not as a staple. They are very fatty. Crickets, roaches, bsfl, silkworms are all great staples and I always feed at least 2 different ones each feeding and then rotate what I have/give. It’s just as important to keep your buggy feeders well fed and healthy so that they will be more nutritious. Here’s a couple of graphics that may help.

 

[Sniperchamel]

She does look quite plump. When she’s laid in the past, had you noticed her color darkening or any other visual changes?
I follow a diet (learned from @kinyonga ) with my girls that has been awesome at reducing their laying. I feed them 3-4 feeders (on the smaller side) 3 days a week, plus occasional treats. My one girl hasn’t laid any eggs since Feb 2020 and the other lays only once a year. My little panther girl is about 1 1/2 years old and has never laid eggs. I keep basking temp no higher than 80F, which helps keep their metabolism a bit slower.
As has already been said….. For supplements, I dust every feeding in a calcium without D3 and then one feeding every other week I use Reptivite with D3. The ReptiVite has preformed A for better absorption of it.
Superworms are great for treats, but not as a staple. They are very fatty. Crickets, roaches, bsfl, silkworms are all great staples and I always feed at least 2 different ones each feeding and then rotate what I have/give. It’s just as important to keep your buggy feeders well fed and healthy so that they will be more nutritious. Here’s a couple of graphics that may help.
View attachment 332245View attachment 332246

Thank you so much for the advice! Just wondering, how do you gut load your insects? I've done research in the past and sources always say to gut load 2-3 hours before feeding, although my schedule has not allowed for such time. Also, when she has laid in the past she has swelled in size, started digging, and then after 1-4 days she will have covered up the hole, becoming rather skinny.

 

[MissSkittles]

I don’t gut load. I do keep my bugs well fed with a variety of the same low oxalates greens that I feed to my bearded dragons (dandelion, turnip, mustard and collard greens), varied squashes, bell pepper, etc along with some Repashy bug burger. Whether I am feeding my daytime chameleons or night time geckos, the bugs are always ready to go.

 

[kinyonga]

I don't gutlaod either ...I just keep the insects well fed...so in a way, they are always gutloaded, so they will be good food for the chameleon.

 

[MzLaurie11]

They say to gutload 3-4 hours befre feeding crickets to cham. I have found that the large ones are active at night so at bedtime i feed them and they are ready cime morning. Small crickets eat constantly so morn and night. Also bug burger works well for hydrating your feeders which passes it along to the cham. Be careful with oranges and apples which they love if u leave in too long they turn to alcohol and can kill.off a whole batch!

 

[MzLaurie11]

Did your lady lay?

 

[Sniperchamel]

Did your lady lay?

Kind of. Right now she is laying but has dug hole after hole (after I though she had layed all of her eggs, since she did lay) but each time that she lays a hole (her deepest probably going to about a foot) it either collapses or she burries it. I don’t know whether or not she is burying or whether they are all collapsing, as I have tried to give her privacy while she is laying.

(Sorry I took so long to respond)

 

[SteveH]

Ohh, that is too deep for a lay bin to be. A 6in. tall bin with 4-5 inches of soil is all that you need.

 

[Sniperchamel]

Ohh, that is too deep for a lay bin to be. A 6in. tall bin with 4-5 inches of soil is all that you need.

Ok, good to know. Also, the reason that the tunnel was to long was because it was not very steep and at one point it even made a turn.