Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently adopted an 8 month old veiled chameleon "Bubbles", form a local pet store. After reading everything I have found, I'm still confused. Will she need to have a place to lay eggs even though there is not a male present?
Please help, I'm very worried about her becoming egg bound after reading all of the horror stories.

Thanks
Dave

I always provide a container in the cage of egglaying females so they can dig to show you that they are ready to lay eggs.

Veileds can lay eggs without being mated...but some do and some don't. Part of it depends on their diet and the temperature they are kept at. Overfeeding them can make them produce large clutches and that is thought to shorten their lives.

Eggbinding can indeed be caused by not providing a proper place for her to lay her eggs....but husbandry issues and physical problems (fused eggs, deformities in the reproductive tract, etc.) can lead to it too.

Thanks for your help. She's kept in a 38 gallon mesh cage with a 150w bulb above. She eats mostly crickets with a few butter worms and meal worms. She won't eat veggies, although I've heard that they like them. I hope that based on her diet and temp she won't lay.

Thanks again.
Dave

You're welcome for the help!

You said..."She's kept in a 38 gallon mesh cage with a 150w bulb above"...no UVB? They need UVB so that they can produce vitamin D3 so that they can use the calcium they are given. The light can not pass through glass or plastic.

You said..."She eats mostly crickets with a few butter worms and meal worms. She won't eat veggies, although I've heard that they like them. I hope that based on her diet and temp she won't lay"...regarding the diet...you don't want to starve her but just feed her enough that she stays healthy but isn't getting overfed. This seems to control the egg production and the size of the clutches...which contributes to longer lives.

I make sure that I gutload the insects with a nutritious diet (greens and veggies) and dust the insects at most feedings with a phosphorous-free calcium powder. Insects have a poor calcium to phos. ratio, so this is intended to help the balance.

I also dust the insects twice a month with a vitamin powder that the vitamin A content of is from a beta carotene source. Vitamin A from preformed sources can build up in the system, but beta carotene sources can't.

Because my chameleons get no direct sunlight, I dust lightly with a calcium/D3 powder twice a month too. Vitamin D3 from supplements can build up in the system.

Appropriate basking temps. are important for digestion, thus nutrient absorption. This along with a proper balance of calcium, phos., vitamins D3 and A contribute to good bone health.

Hope this helps!

Wow! Thanks again. I forgot to mention though, that she has a UVB "Reptile" light as well.

Remember to change the UVB bulb every six months (which is when the UVB dies off, even though the visible light will last much longer)