Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We bought a female veiled chameleon on Feb 15 and haven't had any problems with her, but in the last couple of days I have seen her "sleeping" where you cannot see her moving and she almost looks like she is dead. Is this something to worry about? TIA

How old is she? Please give details of her husbandry including temperatures (highs and lows), lighting, etc....and is she showing any signs of being ill(such as sunken eyes, not eating, not drinking, etc. What do you mean when you say she looks dead?

Im not sure what you mean by husbandry..

She hasn't been eating much if any for about four days, have tried superworms and there are crickets in the cage. I saw her drink today and she doesn't look dehydrated but she definatly looks very "ribby". I believe she is about 7 months old and she is digging lots. The pet store told us we don't need a bucket with sand in it for her, that we just need a deep substrate in part of the cage but all she seems to be doing is burrying the log on one side of her cage. I'm not sure on the temperatures.. room temp at night and I think about 90 during the day (sorry Im not great with the details, this is my husbands and he is away for work).

Oh when she is doing this sleeping thing she is always in the same spot at the top of her cage and she is dead still to the point where I cannot see her breathing and she feels hard to the touch but she eventually opens her eyes so she isnt dead.

I hope this is enough information.. I feel really bad for her because Im sure this isn't normal

Female veileds can/do lay eggs even when they have not been mated. They need a place that they are satisfied with to dig to lay the eggs in or they will not lay the eggs and can become eggbound. Signs that they are going to lay eggs are increased width, especially closer to the back legs, not eating as much as usual or not eating at all, drinking more than normal, roaming the cage (especially the floor)....and of course, digging.

I do not use a substrate in any of my chameleon cages because it can be ingested (either accidentally or on purpose) and many of the things that are used for substrates either cause impaction/blockage of the intestines or contain something toxic. (I also cover the soil of any plants that are in the cage so that she can't ingest that.) I put a container of washed sandbox sand in with every egglaying female and leave it there always so that she has some place to dig when ready to lay eggs. The container needs to be at least 9 or 10 inches deep and longer and wider than the chameleon by several inches (tail not included). The sand needs to be moist enough that it can hold a tunnel so that she can dig a hole.

Veileds will often dig for several days and even dig holes in several different places looking for a site that she feels is appropriate. She should decide on one hole eventually and dig that one deep enough to lay eggs in. Don't let her see you watching her when she is digging the hole or she might abandon the hole. If she abandons it often enough, she could become eggbound. She should turn around with her nose pointing out of the hole and sit there when she is ready to lay her eggs. Let her lay them and completely bury them....then they can be dug up.

As for the sleeping, they usually choose one spot and sleep there every night. Some of them are heavy sleepers and will not appear to breath.

To keep a chameleon in captivity so that it will be healthy and live a long life is not an easy thing. The husbandry (way you set up the cage, feed and look after it) needs to be good/right or the chameleon can end up with health issues. Temperature, gutloading the insects, supplementation, hydration are all important. Veileds are omnivores once they reach about 6 months of age and will eat the plants and greens, fruits and veggies in addition to insects.

If you would like to know more, I will answer any questions that I can. I have kept chameleons for many years...and most of my veileds now live for over 7 years, reproduce and produce healthy babies.

In the meantime, here are some sites that have very good information. The first one has some good articles on vitamins D3, calcium and vitamin A, etc. that give important information.
http://www.chameleonjournals.com/vet/
http://adcham.com/
http://www.chameleonnews.com/index.html

I hope that she will get through this egglaying and continue in good health for you for many years!

We have noticed she is laying eggs today so all is well. I appreciate the help though!

Glad to hear it!