slightly freaked new owner

[iamheavyd]

hey guys and girls. I got a vailed chameleon a few weeks ago and i just moved her into a new much bigger cage... i think somethign is wrong though... she was green and would let me put my hand in the cage... now i cant even go near the cage without her freaking out she hisses puffs up and has turned brown... there are also 2 little yellow egg likes things in the bottem of the cage... wondering if they were eggs or just something wierd...


please help me i dont want anything to happen to her...

Thanks,
Freaked out new guy

 

[Julirs]

How old is she? Describe the egg like things...

 

[ReptileGirl111]

Um, I not an expert with chameleons yet but when you moved her into a bigger cage you have to give her a few days to figure out her new surroundings, before you decide to mess with her. Also, if you only got her a few weeks ago she was probly just getting used to you and her new enclosure, and now that you have moved her into ANOTHER new enclosure shes probly filled with all kinds of stress.

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy,

Got photos of her and her new setup? Can you describe her setup a bit more? How old is she? It is possible that they may be eggs...

In general, a new environment can throw them for a loop for days.

Take a run though this post:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

 

[iamheavyd]

well im not 100% on how old she is... she is full grown if i am correct and she was in that cage i moved her out of for a few months and when i bought her i got her cage and all so it isnt like i moved from the store to a cage to a bigger cage and the yellow things are about half inch to 3/4 of an inch long yellow and shaped like en egg... no other way to describe it... and like i said before i could put my hand in no problem and she wouldnt even flinch and when i put her in the new cage she was fine... but as of a few days ago she turned brown and got really pissy

 

[pohchunyee]

It sound like your chameleon is circulating eggs right now. Veiled chameleon will lay eggs with and without mating (kinda like ovulating). The is stressed out because of the new environment and also because she is carrying eggs in her. The yellow oval things you describe could possibly be unfertilized eggs. A picture would be nice. She will usually pass out all her eggs; do set up an eggs laying container. Used a dark trash can that can hold about 7 -9 gallon of moist soil/sand/dessicated coconut shells etc. Wet enough to hold without caving in when your chameleon digs. She will possibly dig and lay her remaining eggs. Did you let her mate with a male ? if it is, you might wanna dig out those eggs and incubate them. Incubating chamber is made by gettign a tupperware (glad etc....) fill it up half wat with perlite/vermiculite. Perlite/vermiculite have to be moist when you squeeze it but not dripping with water. Half buried the eggs the same rotation it is laid. Incubate them at around 74 - 78*F in the morning and 65 - 70*F at night. Weigh the box, and add water when the the weigh drops.

 

[iamheavyd]

im going to get some pictures of the new setup and her and post them when i get a chance tomorrow and i have some pictures of her beofre in the old cage 2

 

[Julirs]

It is important to get her something to lay the eggs in or she could become eggbound and die.

 

[iamheavyd]

ok what would be the best thign to put in the cage so she can lay the eggs... and as far as i know there was no male around her before i got her

 

[Julirs]

5 gallon bucket or garbage can or similar container filled with moist playground sand. Something that she can fit in with space all around her-search some of the past threads for ideas...

 

[iamheavyd]

Before her move

The new cage

After The Move

The Egg looking things

 

[pohchunyee]

1st problem i notice is that you had her in a glass tank... big no no for adult chameleon. Chameleon are aboreal species, they need more height than length. Those yellow stuff are definately unfertilized eggs. She still seems to have eggs in her. So, do get an eggs laying chamber ready for her ASAP. If she stay eggbound for too long, eggs will start to rot in the body and this will kill her.

 

[iamheavyd]

i am going to be getting a better cage for her sooon... she seems to be alright in it for now alot better then what she had... and im trying to get something in there so she can ley the eggs but she wont let me anywhere near the cage without freaking

 

[pohchunyee]

You can look at this link to get an idea to build a temporary nesting site for her while a bigger enclosure is on its way.

http://www.chameleonnews.com/year2003/jan2003/nesting/nesting.html

You can also try a tube cage setup for laying eggs:

http://adcham.com/images/images-setups/TUBE.JPG
http://www.chameleonnews.com/images/jimf/Planter-6-pac.jpg
http://www.chameleonnews.com/images/jimf/Planter-6-pac-cu.jpg

 

[iamheavyd]

all those options are good... till winter hits... im up in canada so i cant leave her outside... but im working on getting a big tall cage to put her in... im think about making something of of an old book case... ill post some pics once i figure it out

and as for the brown colour she is now... is that cause of the eggs?

 

[pohchunyee]

she is brown due to the fact that she is circulating eggs and is showing some gravid/stress coloration.

 

[iamheavyd]

ok thanks guys im gonna take some of these tips and hopefully ill post some good news in a few days

 

[Julirs]

What is the temp in there with all of those lights over a glass cage? Is one of them a compact UVB?

 

[kinyonga]

IMHO you need the egg laying place in there now....especially if she has already been dropping eggs in the cage.

 

[Dankmeleon]

its a shame it takes someone so long to get right to the point, but its a even bigger shame that people obtain chameleons without knowing proper care, I guess there is no way to have a feel for proper care immediately unless you do a lot of research.