Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok ive put my female in a laying bin ( a 2' tall tub with about a 2' diameter) twice now. And today i came home and shes laying on the bottom of her cage and once she sees me she moves. Then when i saw her again she was up in the corner on the screen. Also shes been slowly loosing her appetite. So i thought she was ready to lay (shes pretty darn big, lumps everywhere) and i put her in the laying bin. But all she does is walk around on the dirt and then climb up onto the tree and then pace around again. Shes never done anything that resembles digging. How can i get her to lay because its been about 32 days that shes been gravid? O ya she also has a smaller laying bin inside her cage but shes never touched it. THe laying bin has a mixture of sand and dirt and is always moist.

They feel very vulnerable when down on the ground and are easily disturbed. Sounds like she needs more privacy and not to be able to see you watching. Also they often like to dig around the roots of a plant. The bin might still be too small. You could put the whole bin in a trash can, set lights over the top, spray as usual, and leave her alone. Only check up on her once the lights are out and she is less responsive.

I changed the laying bin to a trash can and now its taller so she cant see anything and everything cant see her. This time i didnt put a small tree in there because now all she has is one thing to do and that is to dig. But all she does is walk around in circles, paw at the sides and is very mad.

Ok her feeding has gone down to the occasional one cricket and i found her in weird places in the cage (bottom and top). Shes also very big but she wont dig. I put her in a trash can full of dirt/sand its moist and packed. I have a heat lamp over her as well. And all she does is walk around in circles showing bands of green and black. Why wont she lay her eggs, she obviously ready?

Here she is (pissed off)

She is probably stressed by the move and for not having anything to climb up into. I would put a plant in the trashcan to give her some security cover. Put a log or a bark curl at the base of the plant and leave her alone. When she is ready she should lay.
There may be other suggestions in the egg laying/incubation/breeding article by Bill Strand on the Chameleonnews.com e-zine site.

Ok i placed a small umbrella plant in the laying bin and she still just walks around in circles. Also i put 7 crickets in there to see if she was still hungry and not ready but shes just ignoring them. Should i keep her in there? Are the conditions not right or something? If i moved her again wouldnt that be too much stress?

It's hard to be patient (I feel you anxiety, tho my cham isn't as far along as yours). Let her get comfortable with the new place... Leave her there for a while (I'm thinking days, if it's secure enough) and let her settle in. She has a plant, and lighting... does she have water too? It's really stressful to keep moving her... I'm guessing if this goes on for too long, you will need to take her to a vet, but I can't comment on how long "too long" is. It's as stressful for her as it is for you, so she may need some more time. Tho seeing as she is not eating, it may not be too long anymore.
Good Luck!
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1.1 Crazy dogs (Sandy & Gizmo)
1.2 Vacationing Kitties (Puddy, PeeWee & Mikey)
1.1 Veiled Chameleons (Charlie & Emma)
0.1 Collard Lizard (Jimmie)
0.1 Leopard Gecko (Lily)
0.0.1 AWOL Leopard Gecko (Eddie)
0.1 Amazing Fiance =o)

You've got to leave her alone. She is getting close, but it could be days before she starts digging. You will only prolong this if you keep interrupting her. If she does end up in trouble she it will be obvious. She will crouch in one place, dark, with eyes shut and not react to anything. As long as she's moving around, alert and drinking she is OK. A quick peek is all you should be doing at this point.

Leave her alone. She will (probably) stop eating - think of all the space those eggs are taking up in her little body. Do not even bother to offer food but make sure she has access to water. Constantly moving her around will only stress her. From your pic she looks lumpy but not huge. have you been weighing her? Luna gained a full 1/3 her weight with her first clutch.

Just let her be and don't keep checking on her...this could take a few days so hang in there.

lele
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta
1.0 African Clawed Frog - Skipper
0.5 Mad. Hissers
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula (no name yet)
?.? Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula (no name yet)