Possibly gravid?

[Jakama]

My chameleon does not have lumps above her back legs like I am seeing on most gravid chameleons, nor does she have yellow patches on her sides, but I have noticed her moving about a fair amount on the floor of the enclosure, especially on the dish full of moist sand that I have prepared should she need to lay eggs. In addition, she has been very active today, moving very quickly from one place to another every once in a while. Two days ago, she spent an entire day without eating, and remained in the same spot for most of the day.

What are some signs that a chameleon may be heavy with child?

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Is this an infertile clutch or has she been bred? If she was bred how many days has it been? Is she pacing the bottom of the cage or just hunting for feeders? You will notice if she's getting close to laying. They generally roam the whole enclosure. Ive even witnessed body contortions like they do when trying to rid themselves of skin during a shed. Thats usually exhibited on the day they lay or the day before. Be nice to have pics of her to get an idea of her condition.

 

[kinyonga]

Can you post a picture of her please?
If she doesn't have the yellow/mustard splotches then she is likely not sexually mature yet.

It won't hurt to put a container of washed playsand in the cage though...just in case.

 

[Jakama]

She has been contorting herself a fair bit, it would seem. She has also been very hungry today, it's only 2 and she's alreay eaten maybe seven or eight crickets. In addition to this, she has been more aggressive than usual. Several times within the past few days she has hissed when I put my hand in the cage, and when I first reached in today to take her outside for some sun, she sort of half-bit my hand.
She has not been bred, so this will be an infertile clutch. I don't think she was looking for feeders, but I don't know how I can be sure. She has certainly been doing a lot of roaming.

Pics:

Her enclosure.

The tray of sand I have set up if she needs to lay.

Picture of her I took two days ago.

 

[ChameleonRave]

That sounds a lot like my female. she hates me right now, but she is carrying eggs. It sounds like she could possibly be gravid with an infertile clutch if she hasn't been bred.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

She doesnt look gravid. But there are numerous instances where they dont have the lumpy look before laying. Her colors dont look gravid either. You could try palpating her abdomen to see if you can feel them. But if you havent done it before you prob wont know what to feel for. I'd just keep watching her. How deep is that tray? Even for a test bin I'd try to make it 6" or so. Just so you can tell if she is actualy digging or just walking through it and spilling sand.

 

[ChameleonRave]

She doesnt look gravid. But there are numerous instances where they dont have the lumpy look before laying. Her colors dont look gravid either. You could try palpating her abdomen to see if you can feel them. But if you havent done it before you prob wont know what to feel for. I'd just keep watching her. How deep is that tray? Even for a test bin I'd try to make it 6" or so. Just so you can tell if she is actualy digging or just walking through it and spilling sand.

not trying to take over this thread with my own questions, but in my thread are these eggs. I can see eggs inside my chameleon, She is so grumpy and doesn't want me to be near her, how would i palpate her stomach to make sure she has eggs? without getting bit.

 

[Jebbio24]

I think mine's ready to drop anytime soon! (Unfertilised eggs) I've had her since end of July and she was about a month old then so she's nearly 7 months old! Over the last month she's been showing some very interesting colours I've never seen before. This must mean she's sexually mature but I am not 100% sure if she's going to drop!!!?? Can anyone help me? I've felt her and she def feels heavier and from the pics below you can see she's rather fat! I set up a large plant pot with reptile sand in about 3 weeks ago and I have been keeping it moist just incase she decides to start digging! See Pics below... Let me know what your opinions are and any tips and tricks? Cheers..

 

[kinyonga]

Jakama...your container is not deep enough...it needs to be about 12" deep x 12" x 8". How long is her body (nose tip to vent)?

Jebbio24...the bright colors in one of the photos means that she is receptive. Does she show an almost black background color at all? Is your container as deep as I said it should be above?

ChameleonRave..does she have a place in her cage to dig?
How does she behave when shown to a male?

 

[Jebbio24]

The Container is about 9 / 10 inches deep! She isn't showing very dark colours yet but close to it! Does this mean she is close or just on the look out for a mate? If so, should I put her on a diet? She's quite big I think!

 

[ChameleonRave]

Kinyonga my male irritates her and she tries to bite at him and gets her angry colors, there is a pic of the colors she showed in my thread "My Critters" 4th picture on the first post. and I have a smaller bin about a foot deep and about 8 inches a cross for her to dig if she's ready, but when she is showing signs of digging I have a bigger one to put her in.

 

[kinyonga]

Dark background colors along with the bright blue dots and yellow splotches mean non-receptive/gravid. Aggressive/angry behavior towards the male and dark coloration also indicate that the female is non-receptive/gravid.

As for the diet...if she's producing eggs, I would wait until she lays the eggs.

 

[ChameleonRave]

Dark background colors along with the bright blue dots and yellow splotches mean non-receptive/gravid. Aggressive/angry behavior towards the male and dark coloration also indicate that the female is non-receptive/gravid.

As for the diet...if she's producing eggs, I would wait until she lays the eggs.

You are very helpful kinyonga! So mines gravid? if shes showing eggs I assume she is. she only showed those dark colors with blotching towards him about 3 times. As for feeding how much should i feed her, i increased her dusting and feeding her about 3 crickets ever other day.

 

[kinyonga]

ChameleonRave...she looks gravid in the photos in your Critters thread...and if she's rejecting the male, then she must be.

IMHO the time to put her on a diet is two or three days after she lays the eggs in the hope of keeping her clutch size down.

 

[ChameleonRave]

ChameleonRave...she looks gravid in the photos in your Critters thread...and if she's rejecting the male, then she must be.

IMHO the time to put her on a diet is two or three days after she lays the eggs in the hope of keeping her clutch size down.

alright. thanks! I cut down before I bred them. shes always been huge and I don't want her to get overweight.

since its freezing here do you suggest an incubator? or should i just used plastic bins with vermiculite in it.

 

[kinyonga]

The containers you put the eggs into for the incubation need to be put somewhere dark that the temperature will stay around 74F...and you need to set the container up properly. It can be an incubator or just a shelf in a closet. I use shoebox sized tupperware type containers that I fill about half full of barely moist vermiculite. I put two very tiny holes in the lid. To test the vermiculite for moisture level, take a fist full and squeeze it after you have moistened it and if you can only squeeze a drop or two of water out of it, it should be right. I lay the eggs in rows about 1" apart in rows in dents that I make with my thumb. Moisture will form on the inside of the container and the lid. When removing the eggs from where they are buried try not to turn/rotate them.

This is the way the egglaying should go...Do not let her see you watching her while she is digging or she may abandon the hole. The female may dig several test holes but should pick one in and dig it until she is happy with it. It can take more than a day for this to happen. She should then turn around butt down and lay the eggs. It usually happens in the evening. She should fill the hole in, tamp it down and then return to the branches. She should be hungry and thirsty. Once she has returned to the branches you can dig the eggs up to incubate them.

If this doesn't happen and she becomes lethargic, sits low in the cage, sleeps during the day, digs a hole that she acts as though she has laid the eggs in (and fills it in, etc.) but hasn't laid the eggs, etc. then she could be eggbound. The trouble is that by the time she starts acting this way she would likely be past the time that oxytocin would work and the only alternative to save the female would be surgery to spay her.

Good luck!

 

[ChameleonRave]

Thanks kinyonga! I have taken temps of my dresser drawer and it was about a constant 80 degrees, my closet is cold this time of year, but my dresser is by a heating vent. I have quite a few of the plastic shoe box sized containers around my house so, i will use them.