Not sure how to tell when it's time for my veiled to lay eggs.

[noms]

Hi all! I'm having this issue where I'm not sure how to tell if my veiled chameleon is ready to lay eggs or not. I'm not seeing any lumps on the back end of her body so i don't think it's time yet, im just worried that itll be time soon and i won't be ready. ive already researched the info on the lay bins and feeding etc. for after she has them, i just don't know how to tell if she's ready. i don't know her age, but i've had her for 4 months. she wasn't fully grown when i got her, but she wasn't itty bitty either. i just want to know if there's any tell tale signs that i can look for. i've read about the gravid colors, but all of the pictures i've seen are of veileds turning a super dark color. she hasn't changed much, but recently (for about 3 days) I've seen some light brownish/yellowish spots appear on her. is this the start of her gravid colors? is she already gravid? i can't weigh her as she's a very angry baby plus gets stressed very easily. she has also begun to eat less as well. she usually is a pig, but now she only eats about (roughly) 5-7 crickets. thanks!

 

[kinyonga]

Please post some photos of her now.

 

[noms]

i’m hoping that i’m uploading these right. she really doesn’t like me, so she was in the process of running from me in these pics. she’s not usually on the screen

 

[noms]

hello, here are some better pictures if anyone can help. thanks.

 

[CalamityCrow]

I'd say she's definitely ready to lay. Do you have a lay bin set up?

 

[noms]

I'd say she's definitely ready to lay. Do you have a lay bin set up?

ahhh!!! i don’t yet! any tips? i’m going to set one up asap!!!

 

[CalamityCrow]

You'll want to set one up ASAP and give her as much privacy as you can. I'll give you some basics but @MissSkittles is the queen of lay bins, and I'm stealing a lot of her own words to pass on to you. Here's what I've got for you:

"I want you to get a plastic bin like the one in my pic. Drill a few tiny holes in the bottom for drainage. Fill it about 5-6” deep with washed play sand that is moist enough to hold a tunnel without collapsing." you can get both of these things at a hardware store. The image below suggests a 50/50 mix but I've seen suggested here MANY times that pure play sand is just fine too. The play sand bag usually has some colorful plastic toys on the front if I recall correctly. "Find a way to squeeze it into your enclosure and give a couple of ways in/out. Cover the bottom half of the enclosure with a sheet." Do your best to NOT LOOK AT HER OR BE SEEN while she's laying. They're VERY shy about laying and if they think they're in danger, they'll stop. If they stop, they can become egg-bound and that's life-threatening.

The lay bin should be a constant in the cage for a number of reasons. First, big changes can stress them out, so the more normal the lay bin is, the better. Two, you never quite know when they're going to lay. So it's easier to just keep it in there and make sure it's wet enough to stick together but dry enough to maintain a tunnel.

Once you have that sorted, I'd recommend filling out a husbandry sheet, which you can find in the thread "How to ask for help" on the main health clinic forum here. That way you can also get your husbandry checked and if there are any improvements you can make, we can let you know! You'll also want to get advice on a diet/basking regimen that the long-term keepers here have used for their ladies to ensure small (if any) clutches in the future, and a long, healthy life for your beautiful girl.

 

[noms]

yhank you so much!! i have this type of sand already- would this work?

 

[kinyonga]

Here’s the sand I’ve used for many many years…
https://can.sika.com/en/do-it-yours...ingproducts/sands-gravels/king-play-sand.html

I've used it because it has always passed through the chameleon if any is ingested during the process (no impacting have resulted)…it’s easy to keep moist and in my experience, it’s easy for them to dig in without breaking their nails or causing eye infections.

 

[noms]

thanks so much everyone!