tunnels collapse

[Fate X]

yesterday splinter was digging all day and made two tunnels in the egg laying container ,this afernoon they were all caved in and she was on the bottom of the cage pacing covered with some sand.

what can i do so as she dont die? i got the sand from my parents cause they got tons of the stuff for under a pool , when i saw her digging i sprayed the sand with water . there are some pictures of her egg laying container and her digging in my gallery pictures could someone look to see if everything looks right?

 

[Will Hayward]

In my opinion that is not near deep enough. I provide mine with at least 18" deep.
As for collapsing, you need to pay more attention to keeping it at a good consistency. I personally mix sand, soil AND coconut fiber all together. 2:1:1 seems to work well for me. Stays moist enough to hold together very well.

Think of it this way, if you build a little hill a few inches high in the sand, and then sick your finger in at the bottom of it and out the other side, when you pull your finger out, nothing should have moved at all.

 

[Jerm]

It looks like it may not be wet enough. I have never used sand by itself so I'm not sure that it will work for her. You might want to try a soil/sand mixture that is damp enough for her to dig a tunnel in with out it callapsing. I've had success with the soil sand mix, but i've recently switched to coconut brick because it is mildew resistant and the chameleons seem to like it better. It also holds moisture for a longer period of time. She looks like she is ready to lay now so you will have to work fast. Good luck!

 

[Fate X]

i just put a 2 gallon bucket with moist peat in it, as for the cocanut fibre i cannot get it soon enough cause i have to get it online ,i will be getting some very soon. right now shes done for the day. so its 2 days of digging and no laying eggs yet.

i have topsoil i c ould mix with the sand.
will she eat now?

how many days will they try to lay their eggs? where do you get the coconut fiber from?

 

[Will Hayward]

All pert stores with any sort of reptile/amphibian department will carry coconut fiber. For now, add some soil (No vermiculite, etc) and mix it in well. Moisten it all the way through to the consistency I described before.

Also, 2 gallons? isnt that Smaller then the rubbermaid you had in before. Eitherway, they seriously benefit from plenty of space given to them for laying. It also helps if you put a plant in the laying bucket, as they tend to dig below the root balls of plants.

 

[ChameleonsTree]

why dont you use vermiculite?

 

[Will Hayward]

Because vermiculite/perlite/etc, when swallowed, can easily cause serious problems in the digestive track. I have seen it myself.

Have you ever seen a seagull eat fertilizer pellets? I have. It's something like that. Not pleasant.

 

[lowendfrequency]

I don't like sand at all for a laying substrate. It is MUCH too heavy, especially when wet, and the commercially available stuff is large grained and doesn't stick together well. I use potting soil without fertilizers, perlite or vermiculite... but if that's not available then simply mix soe topsoil with peat moss and keep it wet. It's light, easy to dig and sticks well. It also retains it's mostiure much better than sand.

 

[Fate X]

how many days do veileds have to lay their eggs untill there binded? i mixed some topsoil with the sand then i started a tunnel to see if it would cave in ,shes dug a cave where i started the tunnel now shes been inside today doing something , i heard a scraping sound when i checked on her.

 

[lowendfrequency]

how many days do veileds have to lay their eggs untill there binded? i mixed some topsoil with the sand then i started a tunnel to see if it would cave in ,shes dug a cave where i started the tunnel now shes been inside today doing something , i heard a scraping sound when i checked on her.

Noone can say for sure how long before a chameleon becomes egg bound. There are too many factors like age, size, amount of eggs, amount of calcification and many others. If she's in a hole or tunnel now, it would be best to cover her cage with a towel and leave her alone. If she catches you looking in on her, she may abandon her nest. Just let her be, forget about feeding and such for now and leave her alone until she's finished.

 

[Fate X]

Noone can say for sure how long before a chameleon becomes egg bound. There are too many factors like age, size, amount of eggs, amount of calcification and many others. If she's in a hole or tunnel now, it would be best to cover her cage with a towel and leave her alone. If she catches you looking in on her, she may abandon her nest. Just let her be, forget about feeding and such for now and leave her alone until she's finished.

how will i know when shes finished? will she cover the cave entrance?

 

[Will Hayward]

Yes, but since chameleons commonly dig a whole, and fill it back up without laying in it, you should not rely on that method alone. I believe they do this because they want to choose the perfect site to lay, and so they might fill it in again to disguise any nearby laying sites from predators. In theory at least.

You should be able to visibly tell when she is finished. By the size of her belly, and in some species or individuals, a lighter or calmer colouration.

 

[Fate X]

ok i have a better understanding of "the process" but shes been digging for 4 days now and its very obvious that she in fact has eggs in her gut, she ate a superworm today ,i have a piece of cardboard over the front of her cage for her privacy ,she looked hungry though .
she had dug a cave and then did some more various digging at other places today she sorta piled some sand/peat mix at the entrance of her magor cave.

should i still spray her cage? i did today

should i feed her something ? i feed her a worm today

i am thinking that since i can see the eggs in her gut ,she will lay in the next 2-3 days , dont she have to eat?


if she mated last monday will the eggs be fertile or non-fertile ? im guessing non-fertile

 

[Will Hayward]

Its not bad to offer food, as long as you stay out of sight. Maybe put a dish in if she is sleeping at night. I don't suggest crickets, as they may disturb her. Chameleons don't eat all too often when they are laying. You have to know that chameleons can survive long enough to lay without eating for a good number of days- so don't feel that you have to give food. I put ONE silkworm in with the females laying, if she eats it, then fine, a small snack and good hydration. If not, that's find. I usually fine a fallen buried silk while digging up the eggs.

You will need to keep the sand/soil moist so id does not cage in. You you most likely will have to mist. Take caution though, if the it becomes too wet, she will know, and she will keep walking around to find a place that has the best consistency to dig.

These eggs will be infertile, eggs take about a month or longer to develop after mating.

 

[Fate X]

splinter is still digging and lucky has been digging now , lucky had a container like splinter with just sand then i mixed in peat its about50% peat and 50% sand and shes been digging in it for 2 days or maybe 3 she has a reptisun flourecent 5.0 and a compact reptisun5.0 in a fluker incandestint hood.

the compact 5.0 reptisun focus a high level of uvb in a area maybe 1sq. foot below them and i think these bulbs are gonna be very effective,ive already noticed Lucky getting right under this lightbulb type flourecent , it looks like its as bright as 2-3 regular flourecent 4ft lamps just its not covering the whole cage with the higher level of light like flourecents do.so she has a exxeterra dayglo's25wattand40watt on a dual socket one 2 ft reptisun 5.0 and the reptisun 5.0 compact flourecent lightbulb.she has 3 light zones and one nice shade area,she has her basking area, medium uvb, higher uvb area .
lots of people that home garden are using a growbulb based on these same lights design .splinter's eggs are still in her stomach, splinters mix is more sand but im gonna add more peat to it once shes done laying eggs.

 

[Will Hayward]

Are these still the small storage rubbermaid containers? I highly suggest large 121L rubbermaid garbage cans next time. I have never had a girl spend more than 3 days in one before she laid. And some have been in and out the same day.

They sell for $10. Completly private. Great depth, with room to put in a plant and a branch. Keeps the humidity high.

 

[lowendfrequency]

Are these still the rubbermaid containers? I highly suggest large 121L rubbermaid garbage cans next time. I have never had a girl spend more than 3 days in one before she laid. And some have been in and out the same day.

They sell for $10. Completly private. Great depth, with room to put in a plant and a branch. Keeps the humidity high.

I agree, 7 days of digging is not natural. Either she finds your laying site to be unsuitable, or you are disturbing her.

 

[Fate X]

i need something that will fit in her cage, im not biulding my new cages till next yr.

 

[ChameleonsTree]

the longest any of mine have taken was like 5 hours

 

[Fate X]

so 7 days is not natural , now what? she has here own room theres peace up there.
whats she doing then . just digging for fun?
do they dig for fun? i mean i would hate to see her die