On Bottom of the cage, Not normal?

[AshleyClark007]

Okay I went to do my nightly routine and feed all of my animals and I go to feed Hiccup my Veiled Chameleon "Female" Named her before I knew she was a Female and it just kinda stuck. " anyways when I went in there I seen her at the bottom of the cage. She wasn't doing anything but standing there. I have NEVER seen her on the bottom EVER so it's just extremely weird to see her down there. I don't know what she was doing before then though. Soon as I seen her and she seen me she stood still and didn't move until I gave her food to her. Does anyone know what it could be? I haven't changed anything in her cage or anything. Well any input would be great. Thank you.

 

[Supergirl]

How old is she? She may be looking for a place to lay eggs... Do you have a laying bin for her? Here's a link to Jannb's very helpful blog https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/345-egg-laying-laying-bin.html

 

[blackened]

How old is she? She may be looking for a place to lay eggs... Do you have a laying bin for her? Here's a link to Jannb's very helpful blog https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/jannb/345-egg-laying-laying-bin.html

I see your 'JannB's blog' and raise you a 'Dez's laying bin video': https://www.chameleonforums.com/laying-bin-set-up-educational-video-77225/

From everything I read Supergirl is most probably right. Although it may be a while before she actually lays, you should get yourself set up and prepared now. I have found both links very informative and useful.

 

[Branman]

Yeah it sounds like she is looking for a place to lay eggs. My female is doing the exact same thing yesterday. I already have everything prepared for her. It's pretty simple once you have everything. Just read the blogs that were posted on the thread and it will help .

 

[AshleyClark007]

Thank you all so much for the help. I am going to set it up right away. But could you guys tell me if this is okay to use? I took extra pics to make sure you can read it. I didn't see anything about fertilizer or chemicals in it. but I just want to be safe..

 

[ReptileLover0423]

Yes that is fine for her. You could also use moist playsand. Some chameleons prefer sand, some soil.

 

[Elizadolots]

Or a mixture of sand and soil....

While I absolutely agree that a laying bin needs to be available for her, I don't think you should jump to the conclusion that she's looking to lay eggs based on one trip to the bottom of the cage. It's not uncommon for them to a) visit the bottom of the cage as part of their patrol of the cage and b) freeze where they are when a human walks into the room.

So, yes, get the bin in there and keep an eye on her behavior, but don't be surprised if she's not the least bit interested in it.

 

[AshleyClark007]

Thanks everyone. I am not to sure what's going on with her. Last night I almost freaked out. She was on a vine that is more towards the bottom of her cage and she wasn't moving. I was misting her "nothing" I was blowing on her slightly "nothing" I was even wiggling the vine a little and still "nothing" I was getting very scared. So finally I tried to pick her up and at first she felt very hard and stiff, freaked me out but then she moved a little. I was like, Thank god. I was so scared. But anyways, she does look bigger "fatter" and her belly is hard. I didn't change anything in her diet either. So I think I am just going to make a bin for her and put her in my room. I keep my door closed and know one is aloud in there so it will be nice and quite for her. How long should I keep her in there for?

 

[jannb]

How old is your female? Please post some pictures.

 

[SpartyTessy]

Has the temperature changed at all in the cage? Another possibility is that she could be too hot and trying to go down lower to where it is cooler. What are the temps at in the cage? And how are you measuring the temperature?

 

[SpartyTessy]

Also I see that you said "nightly routine" when going to feed her. What time are you feeding her? It is best for them to eat no later than a couple hours before they go to bed and not right before bed.

 

[AshleyClark007]

Well when I joined this forum I was told she was about 6 months and that will be a month ago on the 18th. And yes I will post pics. The first 4 are on my hand.

 

[AshleyClark007]

And these 4 are on my boyfriends hand.

 

[AshleyClark007]

No the temps have been the same. It has been 85-95f and the humidity is about 40-50%. I also have temp and humidity gauges. Does the tems and humidity seem good? And about the food, I never knew about that. ;/ Should I start feeding her when I make my son lunch? That is about 12-12:30.

 

[blackened]

Your temps are a bit high. We don't let the basking temp for our female veiled go above 80F if we can help it. Lower temperature slows her metabolism and reduces the number of eggs she makes.

Lunch time is a great time to feed, IMO.

 

[SpartyTessy]

I usually feed mine in the morning time about an hour or two after the lights come on and they have been able to get misted and bask getting their temperature where they are comfortable. After about an hour or two after the lights come on they are the most active looking for food which is when I feed them. Yes it's best to feed then earlier in the day letting them digest before going to bed IMO.

 

[Elizadolots]

She's so cute! Her colors don't look gravid, but that's not a sure fire indicator. She's certainly of an age where she should have a bin in there. I completely agree with lowering the temperatures.

You should read Kinyonga's blog post about keeping females.

http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/keeping-female-veiled.html

The general idea is that their bodies make eggs when everything is "perfect" for laying...so, you want to keep things a bit less than perfect but still healthy.