Bone Disease?

[Trace]

Hi Pookie!

You can sex a Veiled Chameleon the minute they are born by the presence (or non-presence) of that tarsal spur. In another words, it's not something the males grow into. So if you asked the breeder for a male, you probably got a male! Although I am still curious as to his sex!

Borris is an awesome name for a chameleon! Even if he turns out to be a girl. It's not like they come when you call them anyways. LOL!

Again, keep up the good work with him, I'm glad he's eating well for you! :thumbsup:

Trace

[dank7oo]

are superworms really that nutricious????
*runs to pet store to buy a dozen*
maybe he will like em ... i know he is scared of silkworms now ... being a true veiled, he tried to down 3 inone mouthful .. needless to say it went down the wrong way

[Pookie]

Ok so what if it IS a female? I've heard a lot of bad things with them and having to lay eggs...which is why i asked the guy for a male! Ugh! But anyway, how do you tell when they need to lay them? I know i need to place her in a bucket of moist sand or dirt but i'm just unsure of when this needs to happen. I know that when they stop eating that's an indication but do they get bigger too? Now i'm all confused...i was way better off thinking it was a boy!

[Trace]

I'm sure you've got a male, so there is no point in worrying until you get home tonight to check! Some of his patterns do look male to me.

But anyway, how do you tell when they need to lay them?

She will start to spend more time at the bottom of her enclosure looking around, she will start digging at the sides of the cage as well. When you see this, it's time to put her into the egg laying bucket.

I know that when they stop eating that's an indication but do they get bigger too?

Yep, she will stop eating a few days beforehand and she will be HUGE! She'll look like a baseball with legs!

Here is a pic of my egg-laying bucket. It's a 77L Rubbermaid garbage pail filled about 1/3 of the way with dirt. I put the plant in there because sometimes the females like to lay eggs in the roots of plants. It also gives her some privacy. The stick is there for her to rest on.



Now, you can delay or even prevent the females from laying eggs! Right now you are giving her as many bugs as she can eat during a day, and that's great. Once she hits about 6 months of age, you can drastically cut back the amount of bugs she gets and this slows the egg production rate, yet doesn't harm the general health of female chameleons. If you do have a female and you don't want the egg laying hassle start giving her like 6 bugs every other day once she hits about 6 months of age.

I know I've probably confused you even more... hopefully some of this information helps in some small way. Let me know whether you've got a male or a female.

Trace

[Pookie]

Thanks for the good info! I went home and checked Borris last night! He has that bump on the back of his feet, i took a picture, i'll post it when i get home! Then you can tell me, yet again, what you think! hehe!

[Trace]

Then you can tell me, yet again, what you think!

LOL! I think I've created more problems for you than I've actually solved! Maybe I should just stay off this thread for the time being! Poor Borris is going to grow up with some kind of identity crisis because his sex was questioned at such a tender age. LOL!

From your description, he sounds like a boy but I'm eagerly awaiting the pic tonight...

Trace

[dank7oo]

you use the bucket method
i wish i could ... but again, my parents rather me not, and takre the east way out :[
oh well, just means i gotta clean out the entire cage once a month - LOLOLOLOLOL

[dank7oo]

i use onlt fake plants anyways, so if she wants to bury near the roots, she will hit the concrete bases :S

[Pookie]

Ok so it's a little blurry but i think you can see the bump And this was def. a learning experience! hehe!

[Trace]

Yeppers! That's a boy! And what a boy!

He's looks nice and chubby in that pic too. He's got a good, fat tail base and some of the worst "stink eye" I've ever seen! He's not impressed with getting his picture taken is he? LOL!

Good luck with Borris! Sorry to put you through so many traumas the last few days.

Trace

[offspring]

i had the same prob with the exact same age also i had to give him twice as much calcium and calcium shot but somthing u might wanna do is wen they have MBD or had bring him to a vet and get his legs casted and straightend because wen they have MBD there bones weaken and begin to twist and form a differant way so wen they get better they cant climb as well as they used to so get his legs casted so they wil straighten and allow him to climb freely

[Trace]

Offspring: WHAT????? Ummmm.... did your vet actually put casts on your chameleon when he had MBD? I'm quite surprised at that...

Yes, you are right when you say that chameleons with severe MBD will have twisted limbs, but putting the legs in a cast will not straighten them.

Trace