Another Egg Producer!

Our chameleon has joined the ranks of the Gael Glen Farm egg layers.  We expect our hens and ducks to lay eggs but I admit I was a bit surprised to find several Jelly Belly bean sized eggs in the substrate of Avery's terrarium.  Obviously her eggs are not fertilized since we do not have a male chameleon, so there are no baby chameleons in our future (thank goodness).  However, it was neat to find them just the same.

Chameleons lay 12 to 80 eggs in a clutch.  We are trying to give Avery lots of quiet time since we've read that egg laying is very strenuous on female chameleons (no kidding - up to 80 jelly bean sized eggs in one go?!  Holy cow!).  Apparently if the chameleon gets stressed out during the egg laying process it can cause her to become egg-bound.  Becoming egg-bound means that she is unable to expel all the eggs inside her and it is usually a death sentence for the lizard (unless you are willing to pay a veterinarian to do an X-ray on your chameleon to confirm that she is egg bound and then do surgery to remove the eggs - I bet that would cost a pretty penny).

We are waiting with fingers crossed that Avery makes it through her ovulation in one piece.  Only time will tell.