Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My female veiled chameleon is 7 or 8 months old. She was x-rayed yesterday and is carrying about 9 eggs.

She had been lethargic for a few weeks and we have been providing her with food and water in an aggressive fashion - putting it into her mouth when she would hiss at us. I read about females becoming eggbound and dying, and had provided her with a sandbox for egg laying; it has been in her enclosure since we got her. She received a calcium injection and some oxytocin at the vet's office, to bring on labour, but has not laid any eggs. She seems week, is not active and not aggressive when handled. Any suggestions? I have done much reading and done everything possible to keep her alive. She lives in a 36 gallon flexarium with proper heat and UV lighting, humidity, non-toxic live plants and a 'private' egg-laying site. I don't want to lose her. Please help.

The only thing I can suggest is to talk to the vet about what to do. The oxytocin usually doesn't work unless the timing it right.

This might help too...
http://adcham.com/html/veterinary/egglaying-fatigue-kramer.html

Did she dig at all?

What have you been using to gutload the insects?
What (if any) supplements have you been using?
What is the basking temperature? Ambient?

She did not dig at all that I could see, and a suitable container with sand substrate has always been available.

I gutload the insects with Fluker's cricket feed, and greens from time to time (not spinach), sometimes pieces of fruit. The cricket are regularly dusted with calcium. The daytime basking temp has been 85-90 degrees. The basking bulb is 150 watts and she has a UV light bar on during the day. I keep lights off at night, unless it is a cold winter night as I do live in a cold part of the country. The room she is in does not get below 70 degrees at night. I mist her enclosure 3 to 4 times a day; she has a drip system for drinking, plus a fogger and a small fountain for humidity. Her enclosure is in a bedroom (quiet all the time except perhaps one hour in the morning and two hours in the evening).

Thank you for your reply. Is it possible that the eggs get too large for her to pass? She was inactive for a few weeks before i took her to the vet.

Is the calcium phosphorous-free?

Is there any plastic or glass between the UVB and the chameleon?

You said the lights are on at night sometimes....they should always be off at night. Unless your house is really cold at night the chameleon should be fine....as long as its not in a draft or going to bed wet.

Thank you for the article. I will give the web address to my vet's office (they are not experts with reptiles so every bit of information helps). The chameleon described in the article was exhibiting the same behavior as mine is (not accepting food etc.), but my female is unfertilized and I do not intend to breed her. Thanks again for your help.