Please help! Female Veiled... Is she ready to lay eggs?

[andrearamirezo91]

My best friend has a female veiled chameleon. She’s in an outdoor enclosure with a planter with a bromeliad in it. He just sent me this picture of her sleeping and she looks pretty chubby. I have NO experience with females but I told her she might be ready to lay eggs and that a laying bin might be necessary. He insists that with the planter in there she has more than enough and that no further action is necessary.

Can you guys please help me out here?!

 

[Syreptyon]

Well it looks to me like she's showing the mustard colors which are indicative of reproductive-aged female veileds, so she could very well be ready to lay. She does look chunky in that first pic, but I'm definitely not 100% sure. I would be concerned about your friend's potted bromeliad, though... Bromeliads are not supposed to be potted in soil and will die in such a situation. I would also not think that a potted brom is a good enough lay bin. If I were your friend, I would definitely set up a separate laybin for the express purpose of laying eggs and not containing plants

 

[andrearamirezo91]

Well it looks to me like she's showing the mustard colors which are indicative of reproductive-aged female veileds, so she could very well be ready to lay. She does look chunky in that first pic, but I'm definitely not 100% sure. I would be concerned about your friend's potted bromeliad, though... Bromeliads are not supposed to be potted in soil and will die in such a situation. I would also not think that a potted brom is a good enough lay bin. If I were your friend, I would definitely set up a separate laybin for the express purpose of laying eggs and not containing plants

Thank you so much for your response. What exactly should I tell him to buy? I know I have read on the form before that people use a mix of soil and sand but I’m really not sure. Like I said I have absolutely no experience with females

 

[CamrynTheCham22]

If you need help getting started on a quality laybin, you should check out this video.
Also, chameleons cannot be 'chubby' in their abdomen region. So if you see a chameleon that you think is 'chubby', then there is something else going on, such as eggs. Chameleons store their fat in their casque (the head pads).

 

[Lennoncham]

If there is only one bromaliade then she needs to add way more plants. 1 bromaliade will not provied any coverage for her to hide. If they think that will be an adequate laying bin they need to really examine there setup/ husbandry because I’m sure there are many other things wrong.

 

[Syreptyon]

Agreed with both of the previous posts! The video Camryn posted is a great demonstration of the proper way to setup a laybin. And like Lennon said, bromeliads are only useful insofar as they are nice to look at. They don't provide any useful climbing architecture for the chameleon. Branched or vining plants are the way to go (ficus, pothos, schefflera, hibiscus, etc)

 

[CamrynTheCham22]

Agreed with both of the previous posts! The video Camryn posted is a great demonstration of the proper way to setup a laybin. And like Lennon said, bromeliads are only useful insofar as they are nice to look at. They don't provide any useful climbing architecture for the chameleon. Branched or vining plants are the way to go (ficus, pothos, schefflera, hibiscus, etc)

That is very true. I have seen the way my cham climbs leaves similar to bromeliad leaves, and her feet always struggle to find purchase. I have plenty of other plants in my enclosure for her to climb on, though. A chameleon's long nails prevent it from holding on to anything as thin as a leaf, and that is why they need a plant stalk or branch to hold onto. Notice that their claws are not straight; they are curved, which helps them grip branches better.

In light of this information, you may want to consider getting a pothos (or any other sturdy and useful climbing plant for chams) and more branches.