New owner of female Cham, is she Gravid? Please help

[Bethriches]

Hi I’ve recently become a new owner of a female veiled chameleon, she’s recently stopped eating and has become rather upset when in her viv , but will go green and calm down when I take her out, she’s showing blue and yellow spots which I’ve heard means she’s gravid, I’ve tried giving her a tub with coconut fibre but she hasn’t even attempted to dig yet, I’ve half filled a bucket but still nothing, I’m worried as it’s been going on a few weeks and I’m worried about her getting egg bound, she has just turned 5 months if that helps, please help I constantly worry about her
The photo is her set up and how she presents when in there, but is light green with yellow and blue spots when out,

 

[Flick boy]

Hi Beth not sure that coco fiber is all that suitable. You could use either all washed playsand from a toy store or a50/50 mix with organic soil i use a 10 liter plant pot moistened not soaking that can hold a tunnel. It would also be helpful to fill out a husbandry form this is in the health section under how to ask for help copy and paste and fill in your answers

 

[Rhea’s mum]

As @Flick boy said coco fibre is a no go for a lay bin as it doesn’t hold a tunnel well enough. I would try and get her a bit more coverage with some live plants and a few more horizontal branches too. The extra coverage will help her feel a bit safer generally.
Try and keep the tub in there as a permanent fixture so she doesn’t get stressed with something new coming in and out the Viv. Also try and make sure it has coverage around it and options for her to get in and out with branches/vines.
If she has only just started showing big girl colours then she is receptive. Has she been restless? This is one of the signs. I’m not sure if it is the same with the girls but I have heard the boys can get stressed because they see their reflection in the glass and think it is another man on their turf (chams don’t recognise reflections). @MissSkittles might be able to shed a bit more light.

 

[Bethriches]

Hi Beth not sure that coco fiber is all that suitable. You could use either all washed playsand from a toy store or a50/50 mix with organic soil i use a 10 liter plant pot moistened not soaking that can hold a tunnel. It would also be helpful to fill out a husbandry form this is in the health section under how to ask for help copy and paste and fill in your answers

I see, yes I’ve heard lots of different things on the internet I wasn’t sure what was best, thanks so much for your help

Hi Beth not sure that coco fiber is all that suitable. You could use either all washed playsand from a toy store or a50/50 mix with organic soil i use a 10 liter plant pot moistened not soaking that can hold a tunnel. It would also be helpful to fill out a husbandry form this is in the health section under how to ask for help copy and paste and fill in your answers

Ah I see, Ive seen alot of different things on the internet so I wasn’t sure, Thank you so much for your help,

• Your Chameleon- veiled chameleon, female, 5 months old and I’ve had her for just over a month
• Handling - I handle her everyday as she’s been wanting to come out more and more, she’s very friendly and tolerates handling well.
• Feeding - She has mainly locust, crickets when she’ll eat them and wax worms every so often, when I first got her she would eat a whole box a day if she could but she hasn’t been eating for about a week
• Supplements - I was recommended Arcadia from the shop, they gave me calcium+magnesium as well as full spectrum and d3 I’ll attach a photo. I was recommended to alternate between the two bags, calcium and full spectrum and then d3 once a week, I am concerned this is too much as I’ve noticed swelling around her chin area, edema?
• Watering - I don’t see her drinking often, I mist her viv multiple times a day or whenever I notice the leaves have dried. I have a dripper arriving in the post soon.
• Fecal Description- at first they were quite large but of course have been small or none at all as she hasn’t been eating well.
• History - I’m not aware of her history,

• Cage Info:
• Cage Type - I have a 45x60x90 exoterra vivarium with a screen top.
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? I was recommended Arcadia T5 24w 12% uvb and an Arcadia heat lamp both on for 12 hours and off for the same
• Temperature - During the day the temperature is around 26 but at night it drops to around 20, I have a hygrometer to measure the highest and lowest. Her basking bulb is set to 30/31c
• Humidity - I mist regularly and humidity stays around 60
• Plants - I have live and plastic plants, I have devils ivy and a red bromeliad I believe
• Placement - She is located on a chest of drawers which puts the top of her cage around 2m high
• Location- I live in England

 

[Bethriches]

As @Flick boy said coco fibre is a no go for a lay bin as it doesn’t hold a tunnel well enough. I would try and get her a bit more coverage with some live plants and a few more horizontal branches too. The extra coverage will help her feel a bit safer generally.
Try and keep the tub in there as a permanent fixture so she doesn’t get stressed with something new coming in and out the Viv. Also try and make sure it has coverage around it and options for her to get in and out with branches/vines.
If she has only just started showing big girl colours then she is receptive. Has she been restless? This is one of the signs. I’m not sure if it is the same with the girls but I have heard the boys can get stressed because they see their reflection in the glass and think it is another man on their turf (chams don’t recognise reflections). @MissSkittles might be able to shed a bit more light.

Hiya thanks so much for your help, yes she’s been very restless these past few weeks, I thought it may be her reflection to I tried to cover the glass where I thought it might be but it didn’t make a difference, could you explain the term receptive to me, it’s when she’s able to breed, I am correct, so does that mean she is going to be laying and is Gravid or does it mean that from now on she has the potential to start laying? Again thank you for your help I appreciate it

 

[Bethriches]

I see, yes I’ve heard lots of different things on the internet I wasn’t sure what was best, thanks so much for your help

Ah I see, Ive seen alot of different things on the internet so I wasn’t sure, Thank you so much for your help,

• Your Chameleon- veiled chameleon, female, 5 months old and I’ve had her for just over a month
• Handling - I handle her everyday as she’s been wanting to come out more and more, she’s very friendly and tolerates handling well.
• Feeding - She has mainly locust, crickets when she’ll eat them and wax worms every so often, when I first got her she would eat a whole box a day if she could but she hasn’t been eating for about a week
• Supplements - I was recommended Arcadia from the shop, they gave me calcium+magnesium as well as full spectrum and d3 I’ll attach a photo. I was recommended to alternate between the two bags, calcium and full spectrum and then d3 once a week, I am concerned this is too much as I’ve noticed swelling around her chin area, edema?
• Watering - I don’t see her drinking often, I mist her viv multiple times a day or whenever I notice the leaves have dried. I have a dripper arriving in the post soon.
• Fecal Description- at first they were quite large but of course have been small or none at all as she hasn’t been eating well.
• History - I’m not aware of her history,

• Cage Info:
• Cage Type - I have a 45x60x90 exoterra vivarium with a screen top.
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? I was recommended Arcadia T5 24w 12% uvb and an Arcadia heat lamp both on for 12 hours and off for the same
• Temperature - During the day the temperature is around 26 but at night it drops to around 20, I have a hygrometer to measure the highest and lowest. Her basking bulb is set to 30/31c
• Humidity - I mist regularly and humidity stays around 60
• Plants - I have live and plastic plants, I have devils ivy and a red bromeliad I believe
• Placement - She is located on a chest of drawers which puts the top of her cage around 2m high
• Location- I live in England

 

[kinyonga]

Please post some photos of her from today.

 

[Flick boy]

Hi

 

[Rhea’s mum]

So receptive means they are looking for a man. They make themselves pretty with their big girl colours then climb everywhere to try and catch the eye. This can last several weeks. Once they have or haven’t they will start to produce the eggs and you will notice her start to become a bit rounder and her colours will go darker to the point some females go black where they are normally green. This is to tell the men to go away now as she has eggs on board. Then once the eggs are developed she will go down to the bottom and start to dig. They may dig a few test holes first. Once they have dug a big enough tunnel they will reappear and then go in the hole bottom first to lay. Once laid they will appear again cover the hole back up and should climb back up to the basking spot, considerably thinner.
That’s the general way it goes but each girl is different. Some don’t produce the eggs after the receptive period.
Egg laying takes a lot out of the girls so you want to try to reduce clutch sizes and frequency. To do this you can reduce temperatures at the basking spot to no higher than 26.5c. Also limiting feeding.

Please correct me if I have gotten anything wrong or missed anything @kinyonga

 

[Bethriches]

Please post some photos of her from today.

Here is a photo of her out and then less than I minute later when I put her back in her viv,

 

[Bethriches]

So receptive means they are looking for a man. They make themselves pretty with their big girl colours then climb everywhere to try and catch the eye. This can last several weeks. Once they have or haven’t they will start to produce the eggs and you will notice her start to become a bit rounder and her colours will go darker to the point some females go black where they are normally green. This is to tell the men to go away now as she has eggs on board. Then once the eggs are developed she will go down to the bottom and start to dig. They may dig a few test holes first. Once they have dug a big enough tunnel they will reappear and then go in the hole bottom first to lay. Once laid they will appear again cover the hole back up and should climb back up to the basking spot, considerably thinner.
That’s the general way it goes but each girl is different. Some don’t produce the eggs after the receptive period.
Egg laying takes a lot out of the girls so you want to try to reduce clutch sizes and frequency. To do this you can reduce temperatures at the basking spot to no higher than 26.5c. Also limiting feeding.

Please correct me if I have gotten anything wrong or missed anything @kinyonga

I see, thank you so much for being so helpful, I’ve done lots of research I just want to make sure I’m not making any mistakes, so do you recommend I set up A box now for her in preparation for a few weeks time, and lower the temperature now? Or closer to the time? Thank you

 

[Flick boy]

Ok silk worms uk are a good site for dubia and bsfl. Northampton reptile centre for plants. Basking 26 to 28 max. 60% humidity during the day is a bit high aim for 30to 50 max. Can go up to 100 at night.

 

[Flick boy]

I see, thank you so much for being so helpful, I’ve done lots of research I just want to make sure I’m not making any mistakes, so do you recommend I set up A box now for her in preparation for a few weeks time, and lower the temperature now? Or closer to the time? Thank you

Set it all up now

 

[Rhea’s mum]

Get the box in there as soon as you can. So it gives her time to get used to the new addition. Also you don’t have to worry about missing any signs or anything if it is in ready.
make sure you drill a small hole the bottom of the lay bin for drainage as the sand/sand soil mix need to be moist enough to hold a tunnel.
I would lower it now. If you are worried about the big drop then do it gradually over the next few days.

 

[Rhea’s mum]

@Flick boy beat me to it.

 

[Bethriches]

Get the box in there as soon as you can. So it gives her time to get used to the new addition. Also you don’t have to worry about missing any signs or anything if it is in ready.
make sure you drill a small hole the bottom of the lay bin for drainage as the sand/sand soil mix need to be moist enough to hold a tunnel.
I would lower it now. If you are worried about the big drop then do it gradually over the next few days.

Okay great , I’ll get that sorted ASAP, does this have to do with why she’s been so angry in her viv or is that most likely because she’s feeling unsafe because there’s isn’t enough cover?

 

[Flick boy]

@Flick boy beat me to it.

We are a team hope you have a good new year

 

[Rhea’s mum]

It could be because of the lack of coverage but may be the reflection. Ideally you want it to be a jungle in there so you struggle to find her. There are plenty of threads of enclosures on here if you search to get more inspiration for coverage. Ideally you want the plastic plants out of there so she doesn’t get confused between what she can and can’t snack on.

Give me a few minutes and I will properly go through your husbandry form.

 

[Rhea’s mum]

My comments in red
I see, yes I’ve heard lots of different things on the internet I wasn’t sure what was best, thanks so much for your help

Ah I see, Ive seen alot of different things on the internet so I wasn’t sure, Thank you so much for your help,

• Your Chameleon- veiled chameleon, female, 5 months old and I’ve had her for just over a month
• Handling - I handle her everyday as she’s been wanting to come out more and more, she’s very friendly and tolerates handling well. Always wanting out is generally (not always) a sign something isn’t right with their viv
• Feeding - She has mainly locust, crickets when she’ll eat them and wax worms every so often, when I first got her she would eat a whole box a day if she could but she hasn’t been eating for about a week Gutloading sheet and staple feeder sheet has already been attached. You want to start looking at cutting her feedings down. Every other day feedings and then cutting back the number so by about 8 months old maybe younger or older each Cham is different she is on 3 feeders 3 times a week. Obesity causes health problems and egg problems in girls.
• Supplements - I was recommended Arcadia from the shop, they gave me calcium+magnesium as well as full spectrum and d3 I’ll attach a photo. I was recommended to alternate between the two bags, calcium and full spectrum and then d3 once a week, I am concerned this is too much as I’ve noticed swelling around her chin area, edema? I’m not familiar with the arcadia supplements but I think @Beman uses them so she will hopefully be able to guide you more on these.
• Watering - I don’t see her drinking often, I mist her viv multiple times a day or whenever I notice the leaves have dried. I have a dripper arriving in the post soon. I would switch to just after lights on and just before lights out for misting, especially in the glass vivs.
• Fecal Description- at first they were quite large but of course have been small or none at all as she hasn’t been eating well. Try to get a faecal done as you never know what’s going on inside. There are plenty of online places. I have used someone that is very good and reasonably priced so if you need the details just message me.
• History - I’m not aware of her history,

• Cage Info:
• Cage Type - I have a 45x60x90 exoterra vivarium with a screen top. A little on the small side. Most use either mesh or hybrid cages. Reptibreeze XL is the popular one and just cover a few sides to stop the water escaping when misting. Muji is the uk’s version of dragonstrand.
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? I was recommended Arcadia T5 24w 12% uvb and an Arcadia heat lamp both on for 12 hours and off for the same. With the 12% you need a bigger distance between the light and highest branch. @Beman is an expert on uvb.
• Temperature - During the day the temperature is around 26 but at night it drops to around 20, I have a hygrometer to measure the highest and lowest. Her basking bulb is set to 30/31c Already addressed. You could probably let the night time drop a little further.
• Humidity - I mist regularly and humidity stays around 60 You want to try and get the humidity down especially in a glass Viv. Switching the mistings will help it to dry out during the day. I would also recommend investing in a pc fan/muffin fan to place on the top mesh to help draw out humidity and aid air flow.
• Plants - I have live and plastic plants, I have devils ivy and a red bromeliad I believe Already covered.
• Placement - She is located on a chest of drawers which puts the top of her cage around 2m high
• Location- I live in England

 

[Bethriches]

It could be because of the lack of coverage but may be the reflection. Ideally you want it to be a jungle in there so you struggle to find her. There are plenty of threads of enclosures on here if you search to get more inspiration for coverage. Ideally you want the plastic plants out of there so she doesn’t get confused between what she can and can’t snack on.

Give me a few minutes and I will properly go through your husbandry form.

My comments in red
I see, yes I’ve heard lots of different things on the internet I wasn’t sure what was best, thanks so much for your help

Ah I see, Ive seen alot of different things on the internet so I wasn’t sure, Thank you so much for your help,

• Your Chameleon- veiled chameleon, female, 5 months old and I’ve had her for just over a month
• Handling - I handle her everyday as she’s been wanting to come out more and more, she’s very friendly and tolerates handling well. Always wanting out is generally (not always) a sign something isn’t right with their viv
• Feeding - She has mainly locust, crickets when she’ll eat them and wax worms every so often, when I first got her she would eat a whole box a day if she could but she hasn’t been eating for about a week Gutloading sheet and staple feeder sheet has already been attached. You want to start looking at cutting her feedings down. Every other day feedings and then cutting back the number so by about 8 months old maybe younger or older each Cham is different she is on 3 feeders 3 times a week. Obesity causes health problems and egg problems in girls.
• Supplements - I was recommended Arcadia from the shop, they gave me calcium+magnesium as well as full spectrum and d3 I’ll attach a photo. I was recommended to alternate between the two bags, calcium and full spectrum and then d3 once a week, I am concerned this is too much as I’ve noticed swelling around her chin area, edema? I’m not familiar with the arcadia supplements but I think @Beman uses them so she will hopefully be able to guide you more on these.
• Watering - I don’t see her drinking often, I mist her viv multiple times a day or whenever I notice the leaves have dried. I have a dripper arriving in the post soon. I would switch to just after lights on and just before lights out for misting, especially in the glass vivs.
• Fecal Description- at first they were quite large but of course have been small or none at all as she hasn’t been eating well. Try to get a faecal done as you never know what’s going on inside. There are plenty of online places. I have used someone that is very good and reasonably priced so if you need the details just message me.
• History - I’m not aware of her history,

• Cage Info:
• Cage Type - I have a 45x60x90 exoterra vivarium with a screen top. A little on the small side. Most use either mesh or hybrid cages. Reptibreeze XL is the popular one and just cover a few sides to stop the water escaping when misting. Muji is the uk’s version of dragonstrand.
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? I was recommended Arcadia T5 24w 12% uvb and an Arcadia heat lamp both on for 12 hours and off for the same. With the 12% you need a bigger distance between the light and highest branch. @Beman is an expert on uvb.
• Temperature - During the day the temperature is around 26 but at night it drops to around 20, I have a hygrometer to measure the highest and lowest. Her basking bulb is set to 30/31c Already addressed. You could probably let the night time drop a little further.
• Humidity - I mist regularly and humidity stays around 60 You want to try and get the humidity down especially in a glass Viv. Switching the mistings will help it to dry out during the day. I would also recommend investing in a pc fan/muffin fan to place on the top mesh to help draw out humidity and aid air flow.
• Plants - I have live and plastic plants, I have devils ivy and a red bromeliad I believe Already covered.
• Placement - She is located on a chest of drawers which puts the top of her cage around 2m high
• Location- I live in England

Okay I’ll do my best to sort all of that out, I really appreciate your time and your help, as a new owner it’s really helpful, thank you very much