Can anyone advise me as to why my panther cham is digging hole after hole and not depositing her eggs. I have had chams in the past that have dug a few holes but always ended up laying a very healthy clutch of eggs. If anything, I upped the calcium on this gal compared to the others so I do not think it is a case of too little calcium. She did lay 3eggs that were on top of the soil mixture that she has dug numerous holes in and also I found one egg this morning again on top of the digging medium. the eggs look well calcified and bright white.I am concerned because she has been at this for about 4 days now! Also,has anyone tried the product"hatchrite" it is a product that you just pour out but do not add any water. It feels dry to the touch but produces a humid environment. They claim it increases hatch rates of eggs due to more precise humidity control. Thanks for any advice!
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Not laying eggs
Replies (3)
In some of the cases that I have seen or heard about where the chameleon lays a few eggs on the surface, its an indication that something is not right. I have also heard of some that go on to lay the eggs.
You said..."the eggs look well calcified and bright white"...do they look fertile then? Are you incubating them?
Its not unusual for a chameleon to dig the same hole for several days in a row. Its also not unusual for a chameleon to dig more than one hole (test holes)....but if they don't decide on one hole, it could mean that they are not happy with what you have provided as a nesting site.
They will also dig more than one hole if they see you watching them dig....and this abandoning of the holes is not good. If they abandon a hole because they see you while they are digging too often they can become eggbound.
Has your chameleon always had a place available to lay the eggs?
Yes,I am incubating the eggs. She did manage finally to lay 17 eggs all together. I had moved her to another egg laying site outside of her enclosure. I believe that I probobally was checking on her too frequently in anticipation for those eggs and also out of concern for her. Probobally was stressing her out but I have never had a cham take as long as she did to finally lay.
Glad she finally laid them! I hope she didn't retain any. I would be interested in knowing if the eggs she dropped before she laid the clutch were fertile....could you please let me know?
Good luck with the eggs!
