Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My 6 1/2 month old veiled female dugg her hole to lay eggs while I was not home, so i didnt see her dig, or lay. Will the veiled chameleons fill the hole completely up or cover just the eggs. I am wondering this because I am not sure if she layed the eggs or not. Will it hurt if I was to dig around and see if I can see the eggs?

Normally, a veiled chameleon will fill her hole in after she lays
the eggs. I have heard of the odd one not filling it in but
I suspect that it was because the chameleons weren't healthy.

There should be quite a size difference in the back end of the
chameleon if she laid her eggs unless she wasn't carrying many
eggs....but if she is done and back up in the branches, it
shouldn't hurt to look for the eggs. If the hole wasn't filled
in, its possible that she is just digging test holes and hasn't
laid her eggs yet.

If the eggs are fertile (if she has been mated....and I hope not,
because I think that she's too young) just dig a little bit of
the soil/sand/whatever you used away at a time until you find the
eggs. If they are likely to be fertile, let me know ASAP and I
will tell you what to do with them if you don't know.

If she hasn't laid her eggs, but has filled the hole in, then I
would be a little concerned.

Also...whenever a chameleon is digging a hole to lay eggs in, its
not advisable to let her see you looking at her. It may make her
abandon the hole.

See, I wasnt here, So I'm confused as to whether the eggs were laid or not. I wondered if she just laid the eggs deep and then just covered up so much of it. I appreciate your help.

I understand that you weren't there and that you are confused
about whether she laid them or not. That's why I told you that
if a chameleon had laid her eggs she should look thinner in the
lower part of her abdomen. I thought that you might notice a
difference in her body there. Digging for them is the only other
way (short of taking her to the vet's for an x-ray) that I know
of to find out if she's laid them or not.

Veiled chameleons usually do lay their eggs deep. They will often
dig until they can't dig any deeper. I have NEVER had one that
didn't fill the hole back completely level...and they have all
even packed it down to some extent.

Was she mated?