Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

I posted this on the cham forum, but figured I would check in here as well. I have a 7/8 month old female veiled chameleon, Luna. I am not going to breed her and am trying to prepare for infertile egg laying. I just found out that her sister deposited a bunch of eggs last night! Luna has been eating very sporadically, showing receptive colors but has not begun to dig around the floor yet. My main question is regarding calcium. Even though they will be infertile do I need to supplement her with more? She is only eating 1 cricket a day so this is tough but I do have Neo-Calglucon on hand. Or do I not need to worry about the calcium? thanks!

lele & Luna
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

Egg developement, regardless of fertility, can be taxing on the calcium stores of the female. This is particularly true for veileds because of their tendency to produce unusually large clutches in captivity. Calcium is necessary not only for well formed (and easily expelled) shells but also plays a role in the muscle contractions required for laying. If her diet has been supplemented regularly up to this point she should have sufficient levels to avoid calcium related complications. I would suggest you increase her supplementation somewhat for 2 - 3 weeks after laying though.

T.B

Thanks. She has been well supplemented until late and only because her appetite has decreased. So, I don't need to change anything (she's getting RepCal once a week now) until after? That will make it easier since she may not lay for awhile. I don't THINK I see any eggs but she puffs out a lot (not mean puffy, just puffy! LOL!) Do you know if it is veiled that are the ones who hold their eggs higher in their body and thus more difficult to determine? Not sure where I heard that and it may pertain to a different species.

lele

>>Egg developement, regardless of fertility, can be taxing on the calcium stores of the female. This is particularly true for veileds because of their tendency to produce unusually large clutches in captivity. Calcium is necessary not only for well formed (and easily expelled) shells but also plays a role in the muscle contractions required for laying. If her diet has been supplemented regularly up to this point she should have sufficient levels to avoid calcium related complications. I would suggest you increase her supplementation somewhat for 2 - 3 weeks after laying though.
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>>T.B
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

She should be fine, the decreased appetite is normal at this stage. I'm not aware of any internal anatomical difference between veileds and other egg laying species of cham. With an average size clutch of 15 -20 eggs the female usually just appears fuller bodied. It is when the clutch numbers around 40 or more (highest number I have witnessed is 64) that the egg outlines can be seen or felt. This situation puts enormous stress on the internal organs. When she is ready, you will know. The restless/digging behaviour is pronounced.

T.B

>>Thanks. She has been well supplemented until late and only because her appetite has decreased. So, I don't need to change anything (she's getting RepCal once a week now) until after? That will make it easier since she may not lay for awhile. I don't THINK I see any eggs but she puffs out a lot (not mean puffy, just puffy! LOL!) Do you know if it is veiled that are the ones who hold their eggs higher in their body and thus more difficult to determine? Not sure where I heard that and it may pertain to a different species.
>>

Thanks! Wow! 64 eggs? Poor thing

>>She should be fine, the decreased appetite is normal at this stage. I'm not aware of any internal anatomical difference between veileds and other egg laying species of cham. With an average size clutch of 15 -20 eggs the female usually just appears fuller bodied. It is when the clutch numbers around 40 or more (highest number I have witnessed is 64) that the egg outlines can be seen or felt. This situation puts enormous stress on the internal organs. When she is ready, you will know. The restless/digging behaviour is pronounced.
>>
>>T.B
>>
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>>>>Thanks. She has been well supplemented until late and only because her appetite has decreased. So, I don't need to change anything (she's getting RepCal once a week now) until after? That will make it easier since she may not lay for awhile. I don't THINK I see any eggs but she puffs out a lot (not mean puffy, just puffy! LOL!) Do you know if it is veiled that are the ones who hold their eggs higher in their body and thus more difficult to determine? Not sure where I heard that and it may pertain to a different species.
>>>>
>>
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta