Reptile & Amphibian Forums

anywasy - if i remove the mold and moderate the humditiy better, is there any harm in leaving the bedding for a couple of days?
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Jason, Ichiro, Mika, & Toki
razior_@hotmail.com

Hi- please explain exactly what you are calling bedding. To most bedding would be like green moss, wood shavings, sand, bark and so on, covering the bottom of the cage. If you post exactly what you are using you can get a better answer. What is the gravid female laying eggs in? You do not want to disturb her until she is 100% done with laying eggs, and has covered the hole up. Let me know! Hope this helps!
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John
1.1 Ambilobe Panthers
1.1 Nosy Be Panthers
1.1 Sambava Panthers

ok
i am using a product called 'forest bedding' - it is more or less finely cut wood shaving mixed with a little soil
now one of the chams is finished laying her eggs and came out of her hole
hope this helps
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Jason, Ichiro, Mika, & Toki
razior_@hotmail.com

Hi- Okay I understand now what you are using, but how are you using it. Is this covering the whole floor of the cage, or just in a container? What is she laying her eggs in, the floor or a container? Do not bug her, she will stop laying eggs, and may not start again and end up being egg bound. It is okay to peek in every once in a while, but very fast. She will cover the hole up when done. If she doesn't then you may have disturbed her and she stopped. If this is the case then remove her then remove the eggs. If there is mold in the same area she laid her eggs, this can cause problems with the eggs getting moldy and then die. Use vermiculite to incubate the eggs in, clean the eggs best as possible, to prevent transfer of mold spores, and use brand new vermiculite, do not use the same soil/bedding she laid them in. I know you have the web link for an article on egg laying and incubation, read it! The female should be taken care of very good after the egg laying, she will be very week and should start eating 1-2 days after, do not hold her, it will only stress her out. If you have silkworms, feed them to her, you can get them from eaby or mulberryfarms.com if your local store dosent carry them. Hope this helps!
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John
1.1 Ambilobe Panthers
1.1 Nosy Be Panthers
1.1 Sambava Panthers

i don't think mold is good and most likely should be removed ASAP. mold is a fungus and a sign of decay. put your self in your chameleons postion...would you want to live in a moldy room? if it was me i would remove all of the bedding, moldy or not and just do with out until you can get to the pet store if you think you need to replace it.

cc

Yes there is harm in that. The mold that you see in there is just what is in bloom, there is actually much much more that you are not seeing. Molds send out spores, like microscopic seeds, and they have been in there and growing long before you see what is blooming. Clean the entire cage out with bleach water and rinse well. Keep them on newspaper for two days if that is all you have, but it is much much better than leaving the moldy substrate you have in there now.

If she is ready to lay then don't disturb her. but definately change the substrate when she is done. I use a mix of potting soil and playsand. I use a big trash can and plant a pothos in the middle. The chams (panthers, veileds, motiums, quads) love it, and I have never had any problems with mold.