Reptile & Amphibian Forums

She was a bit lethargic yesterday, but I thought it was just due to everything she'd been thru. I debated on putting her in sand to lay and now I wish I had. I dreamt we cut her open and found 4 eggs and one up near her front leg. I don;t know if she died from being eggbound or not. I am so very sad.

I would like to get the eggs but I don;t have the stomach to do it myself. My vet will be in tomorrow and I am hoping he will do it and not charge too much. Should I put her in the fridge? Will they keep for a day?

I'm so sad that Stan has lost his mate. I really thought she was going to make it so this is such a surprise
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Chameleon Help & Resource Info
1.0 Nosy Be Panther Chameleon - Cyrus
0.1 Veiled Chameleon - Luna. She's now hanging from her big jungle gym in the sky
1.0 Beardie - Darwin
1.1.1 Side-blotched lizards - Ana and Stan
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Lita
0.1 African Clawed Frog - Skippy died 5/5/08
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula - Rosa Leigh, Died 4/21/06
0.1 Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula - Natasha, donated to science 4/4/06
?.? Pinktoe Tarantula - no name yet

I didn't read your message until now and I never thought to put sand in for her!! I feel so damn responsible for all of this. I am heartsick. I guess I thought she would be scratching at the paper toweling if she were ready. I just should have put her in her tub, I could have gotten any sand out.

I hope my vet can save the eggs so at least I have her babies - that's if I get some survivors. I haven't had luck in the past, but this time I have a HovaBator, before i had homemade setups.
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Chameleon Help & Resource Info
1.0 Nosy Be Panther Chameleon - Cyrus
0.1 Veiled Chameleon - Luna. She's now hanging from her big jungle gym in the sky
1.0 Beardie - Darwin
1.1.1 Side-blotched lizards - Ana and Stan
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Lita
0.1 African Clawed Frog - Skippy died 5/5/08
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula - Rosa Leigh, Died 4/21/06
0.1 Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula - Natasha, donated to science 4/4/06
?.? Pinktoe Tarantula - no name yet

Thats a darn shame, I feel so sorry about you losing her, I know how lousy it feels.

I would not kick myself silly about the sand thing, I think she died more from the shock and you saw a wound/ punture on her side from the puddy cat, you don't know what damage was done on the inside, even if she was biten slightly it can be severe to a small lizard like her.

It was just one of those horrible things that happen that we all have gone through one time or the other, and will feel guilty about. So sad, I hope you feel better soon. I don't think the eggs live when the mother is dead for any length of time.
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PHEve / Eve

yeah it really sucks (can I say that?) I'm still sort of in shock. I look at poor Stan and that's when I get sad. I put her in his tank thinking maybe he can somehow realize she is dead and not just disappeared. They have been separated b/c of her being gravid and him always wanting a little action (you guys!). I placed her on their basking rock thinking it would be good for the eggs and a few minutes later she was gone! Stan had moved her over near the log! At first I thought how odd (sweet? OK, I know) and also wondered how, as she was still upright. So I sat and watched and he was poking at her head and neck, then biting a bit and then I realized that nothing changes even in death, apparently. He spent the next several minutes trying to mate with her. I actually let him continue for a bit. Some might think it morbid or sick but it was quite interesting. He would back up every now and again and look at her in a questioning way. Of course I didn't let it go on for too long. After i took her out he stayed in one place draped on the log for hours, not basking, not doing anything. Very unlike him. I even put a spider in (he loves them) and he didn't budge. I know we have had the "lizard/emotion" question/conversation on the forums in the past and of course they do not have emotions like we do but after 2 1/2 years in a 20 gallon tank with one mate there is some sort of bond (besides sexual). He always got frumpy when he was banished from her tank.

Too bad about the eggs. I'll check with my vet to see what he says but that will be a shame that I can't even save them. Had I known I probably would have risked trying to save them myself. Too bad it happened on a Sunday. Maybe I'll get a female at the show in October - but it won't be sassy little Ana Maybe I'll just offer Stan to Lou from this forum who raises them out west and was such a big help to me with them.

Thanks for your thoughts Eve and mlove
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Chameleon Help & Resource Info
1.0 Nosy Be Panther Chameleon - Cyrus
0.1 Veiled Chameleon - Luna. She's now hanging from her big jungle gym in the sky
1.0 Beardie - Darwin
1.1.1 Side-blotched lizards - Ana and Stan
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Lita
0.1 African Clawed Frog - Skippy died 5/5/08
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula - Rosa Leigh, Died 4/21/06
0.1 Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula - Natasha, donated to science 4/4/06
?.? Pinktoe Tarantula - no name yet

Yeah you can say it sucks, because it DOES ! Crazy stuff happens for what ever reasons, and leaves us feeling heavy hearted

I just saw some blotchies up for auction on a site, I was thinking of you. They were not quite adult, females still brownish like yours when I first saw them. Just thought I would share that sighting with you,
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PHEve / Eve

Sorry I didn't see this sooner. Get the eggs out as soon as possible. Be sure to get the membrane off of them. They'll suffocate inside the dead mother, don't refrigerate her (you could damage the eggs).

My cats killed a gravid fence lizard last year and I had a gravid slevin's bunchgrass lizard die on me. I removed the eggs from both dead lizards, incubated them and hatched out babies. It's key to get them out as soon as possible, because the mother's body is no longer supplying them with oxygen. The membrane around the eggs is clear and hard to see, but it comes away if you rub them very gently.

Good luck!
Alice

Yeah if ya do it right away, I was telling lele that after you wait a long time the eggs are no longer good. I think lot of time has passed I understand, lele's hesitation
I had a chameleon last year die (eggbound) and I could not conceive of cutting her open either.
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PHEve / Eve

I'm so sorry for your loss.