Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My Veiled started tunneling on saturday and i was just wondering if anyone could tell me how long this could go on for? I'm new with this egg laying thing but so far everything seems to be going ok and she ate a couple of crickets yesterday. Any suggestions on what kind of feeders i should be feeding during this process to keep energy up? Any other hints or suggestions with this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Sounds like she's fine. Leave her alone. The more often she's interrupted the more likely she will not lay successfully. If she gets into trouble she will crouch somewhere not moving, dark or blotchy color, eyes shut. Chams sometimes dig several "test" tunnels. If this is her first clutch she needs to learn how to do things right. Make sure the soil can hold her tunnels as she digs. If they keep collapsing it will frustrate her. Good luck!!

No collapses to report yet. Is it common for them to sleep in the hole?

That was really good advice from Carlton. She may hang on to her eggs for much longer than the books say, up to 3 or 4 months. However, this is not very common. The best thing to do is just what Carlton said, leave her alone. She knows what she is doing so just let her do it. Several of my Veileds have dug dozens of test holes only to leave and not come back for two or three weeks. Just make sure her soil is ready for her and she'll do her part. Sometimes they do sleep in their tunnels but usually just for one night

So if she was to be disturbed and the tunnels had shifted she would not go back to them and finish laying her eggs? I'm not saying that i have disturbed her i was just wondering so that i knew a little more about this. This is mine and alos her first clutch.

Your chameleon sounds like she is doing fine so far!

You don't want to let her see you watching her when she is digging the hole(s). If she sees that she is being watched, she will likely abandon the hole and start another one when she is not being watched. If this happens often enough, she could become eggbound. A veiled may dig for several days and may even dig in several different places until she finally turns around in the hole and lays her eggs.

Its important IMHO to always have a container of sand/soil in an egglaying chameleon's cage so that she has a place to start digging when she is ready to lay her eggs. Two of the most common causes of eggbinding, IMHO are lack of an egglaying site and being watched during the digging process.

Its okay to let her see you if she is back up in the branches. Its okay to feed and water her when she is up in the branches.
During the time that she is digging holes, its not advisable to leave insects loose in the cage because when she is in the process of laying the eggs the insects could chew on her or when she has laid the eggs they could chew on the eggs....but if she is willing to eat, then feed her.

You asked about if the tunnel had shifted or collapsed...she should still go back and dig again.

Once a female chameleon has laid her eggs, I always let her finish burying them completely and return to the branches before I dig them up.

If they are fertile, do you have a container put them in and an incubator ready? If you have any questions just ask.

Good luck with it all!

No the eggs are not fertile. i know that fertile eggs are not keepable and should just be discarded. everything is fine this is just the first time that i've gone through this and have alot of thing's to find out. but one question i do have is...if i was to breed her...how do you know whe nshe is ready to mate with a male? like color and behavior?

You asked..."if i was to breed her...how do you know whe nshe is ready to mate with a male? like color and behavior?"...both...and posture too.

The way that I introduce them for breeding is as follows:
I hold the female on a stick outside of the male's cage so that they both can see each other...and watch for reactions. If the female is calm (no gaping, hissing, rocking, etc.) and her background color is not dark then she is receptive. If the male brightens his colors, but does NOT coil and uncoil his tail, hold his hand close to his chest, puff out his gular pouch, or show any other signs of aggression) then he is receptive. At this point I put the female in the male's cage and continue to watch them to make sure that one does't suddenly change its mind. If they are okay, I leave them together, checking back every once in a while to make sure that things continue to be okay. When the female takes on a dark background color (starts to repel the male), I take her back to her own cage. It may take several hours to several days to become non-receptive/gravid coloration.

If the male or the female shows any signs of aggression/rejection then I simply try again another day.

Hope this helps!

Cool!...Thanks for the help...All of you. She's done with this clutch but i'm thinking about getting a male and giving it a go. Thanks for all the advice give's me a little bit of reassurance. I'll let you all know how it goes when i get the male.