Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

my female veiled, Sunshine, is very ready to lay eggs (infertile, since this time I didn't breed her) about 3 months and 10 days after laying fertile eggs.

I have a worry. I had to work today and when I came back I could see the sand all moved and piled up, but no holes....no signs of Sunshine either. I found her in a tunnel in the sand, and she was almost ready to turn around. Some sand must have collapsed on her tunnel while she was digging (sand is pretty wet, like the other time...)anyway, my big worry is....she must have been there for few hours, I don't know if I should check on her or leave her in the hole. I didn't removed her I just touched her and felt for a movement to make sure she was stil alive.

I turned off 1 light (is still daytime anyway) and cover the cage with a sheet. I would like to know if I should do anything now or wait (and how long) before taking any action.

Don't want her to die just for some sand collapsing on her tunnel.

Please, help

Chiara

Do you know what position she is in? Has she turned around? If she has turned she is probably laying. If she did not turn around you could carefully take a long handled wood spoon and help to pack the walls tigh so no more avalanches. Did you ever see the documentary when a sea turtle who had an injured flipper/foot and a person had to use her hand as the turtle's other foot as she dug to lay her eggs and then cover them back up. She had to keep in perfect motion so the turtle thought she was doing all the work. It was pretty cool

I would disturb her as little as possible, just enough to make sure she is well positioned and the tunnel is tight. If you lift her she may panic and leave the site which could then lead to her being eggbound.

keep us posted
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Chameleon Help & Resource Info
1.0 Nosy Be Panther Chameleon - Cyrus
0.1 Veiled Chameleon - Luna. She's now hanging from her big jungle gym in the sky
1.0 Beardie - Darwin
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Lita
0.1 African Clawed Frog - Skipper
0.1 Mad. Hissers and she's back!
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula - Rosa Leigh
0.1 Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula - Natasha
?.? Pinktoe Tarantula - no name yet

she hasn't turned yet, she is somwhat diagonal. I just went to check her and I could see her digging and active. When I thouched her the first time i could feel that the hole was larger were she was standing. At least it seems like she is doing fine. I guess she might want to dig deeper now that, in order to find her and removing the collapsed sand, I somewhat made her tunnel shorter; deeper in the sand it should be more compact and more moist (if that was the problem). I will tighten the sides of the wall as you suggested, I would not touch her, now she is really working on her tunnel...or should I?

Thank you, will keep you posted. Any more suggestion are more than welcome.

PS: this time she really did it without notice. She went off her feed only today (and I could notice only coming home from work), and has been very comfy all the time in the cage. Not even that big belly as before. I set her sand box only a couple of weeks ago just because I was conting the days after she laid her first clutch....what a girl!
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1.1 Skipper & Sunshine - Veiled Chameleons
1.1 Jimmy & HYdra - Water Dragons
1.0 Trionix - Smooth soft shell turtle
1.0 Apalone - Spiny texas soft shell turtle
0.1 Irish Brook M - Standardbred (retired racehorse)
1.0 Sir Edward - Ragdoll cat, sire
0.3 Shannan, Jalisse, Slick cats
?.? Some fish

She sounds fine if she is actively digging. Just peek in ever few hours to make sure she is doing what she is supposed to be!

Not sure if you know (haven't seen you for a while) but I got a new MALE Nosy Be. I am grateful to not have the egg laying woes. If I ever get a female again I will make some changes in feeding habits to lessen frequency and clutch size of infertile eggs. But that's a way off. Have all I can handle right now.

Here's my new little guy (he'll be 4 months on Wed)

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Chameleon Help & Resource Info
1.0 Nosy Be Panther Chameleon - Cyrus
0.1 Veiled Chameleon - Luna. She's now hanging from her big jungle gym in the sky
1.0 Beardie - Darwin
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Lita
0.1 African Clawed Frog - Skipper
0.1 Mad. Hissers and she's back!
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula - Rosa Leigh
0.1 Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula - Natasha
?.? Pinktoe Tarantula - no name yet

Yes, I saw Cyrus! Congratulations! I was reading but not posting (still learning...) I really like the Nosy be. If everythng goes well with my veileds I will get a Nosy too, but not soon at all!

She is still head down almost vertical down diggin' and diggin'...tunnel is holding...I guess she will have ME digging her eggs out at 5:00 am again like the last time.

I was trying to feed her less for avoiding this, but didn't work. Will have to work on her feeding schedule again. I think I didn't stop early in time to "flush her up" after laying the first clutch.
In the meantime, I am setting up some vermiculite cups. I guess I have to incubate them for a few days to see if they are really not fertilized. I read and heard that veiled may retain sperm from the previous breeding and lay 2 clutches with fertilized eggs. Right? Is this what I should do?

Chiara

...digging...
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1.1 Skipper & Sunshine - Veiled Chameleons
1.1 Jimmy & HYdra - Water Dragons
1.0 Trionix - Smooth soft shell turtle
1.0 Apalone - Spiny texas soft shell turtle
0.1 Irish Brook M - Standardbred (retired racehorse)
1.0 Sir Edward - Ragdoll cat, sire
0.3 Shannan, Jalisse, Slick cats
?.? Some fish

The clutch could very well contain a mixture of fertile and infertile eggs.
Good luck with her!

now she's turned around and laying, and laying for the last couple of hours.

Guess it will be another early morning digging out eggs for me.
Hope everything goes well. Keep you posted.

Chiara
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1.1 Skipper & Sunshine - Veiled Chameleons
1.1 Jimmy & HYdra - Water Dragons
1.0 Trionix - Smooth soft shell turtle
1.0 Apalone - Spiny texas soft shell turtle
0.1 Irish Brook M - Standardbred (retired racehorse)
1.0 Sir Edward - Ragdoll cat, sire
0.3 Shannan, Jalisse, Slick cats
?.? Some fish