Reptile & Amphibian Forums

she is a carpet chameleon, and right now, as of today, she has not eaten and she is really fat. i am thinking that it is either eggs or a parasite.
i have seen her open her mouth and i have seen the tip of her tongue, so i know that it has nothing to do with those two areas. right when i got her she laid eggs,although they were not fertile. i guess she is one of the few kinds of chameleons that lay eggs no matter what. but she has only done that once and it was this past january. but i dont remember her not eating because of it. I have read that they can produce more eggs than they can handle, causing them to suffocate.
i dont really know for sure what could be wrong, so if anyone has any ideas or if you need more info from me, please reply asap.

she just ate 3 crickets and then walked away. i think she was too nervous about me standing there that she didnt wat to eat the other two i was trying to give her. so, thats is some good news for me.
also, her eyes are not at all sunken in, and i think that is a usual sign of most problems. im not sure.

How often do you feed and how old is she? I find around a year old most chams slow their eating habits. Once the cham starts to show disinterest in food or hunting, I try the "every other" method. Simply feed your cham every other day and try different feeders. Silkies, house flies, roaches (if you dare to house them haha), wax worms (fatty!), and of course crixs. Also be sure to offer your feeders a variety of food to eat. What your feeders eat will essentially be in YOUR cham and also affects the taste of them. Try to keep on a regular schedule for cleaning your feeders caging and exchange spoiled food for fresh veggies and grains.

p.s. Can you gently feel her sides with your fingers and feel the eggs in her? Is she showing signs of gravid behavior?

Is she pooping? Do you have a substrate in her cage? Impaction would make her stop eating, and might show up as bloating too...but it sounds more like she's gravid to me.

These (carpet) chameleons can produce several clutches a year...but I'm not certain if carpets produce them even without mating or not. I do know that they can stop eating or eat less just a few days before they lay the eggs. Some don't stop eating at all though. Clutch size IMHO can have something to do with whether they stop or not.

You said that she has only laid infertile eggs once in January...some chameleons will not lay infertile eggs as often as they would lay fertile ones...so that could be a possibility. Part of how often some chameleons lay infertile ones relates to temperatures and feeding schedule.

Has she been drinking more in the last couple of days?

Does she have a suitable place to dig to lay the eggs in her cage in case that's what's going on?

If you don't get it figured out in the next few days or if her condition seems to be going down hill, then I would recommend that you take her to a vets.

ok, well, today she is eating and looks back to normal size. i appreciate the advice.

Do you offer a nesting box or area that she can dig in? Just in case she is retaining eggs

yes, she has a plant in a large pot with plenty of space to dig in the soil. also, she is eating, but she still looks a little fat and i dont think she has poo-ed in a couple of days...and i cant feel eggs

Well, all I can really offer at this point is that if you are truly concerned about her appearance and if she truly has not defecated in several days, go to a vet. I hope the substrate that you have placed in her cage has not caused any impaction. I am no vet by any means but if you are noticing some differences in her behavior/appearance lately that have not been noticeable before and are questionable, then it is worth the money to save her health and life. Let me know how you make out and good luck.