74 Melleri Eggs - Super Show Surprise!!

[chams1]

So, there I was, minding my booth at the Super Show yesterday when my husband calls from home (you know, cuz' someone has to stay home to look after the critters....). He was all freaked out .... "Newbie [one of our adult Melleri that, for 2 years now, has never been given a real name other than Newbie...] is laying eggs!!" OMG!! We now have 74 beautiful Melleri eggs cooking...!! We are not entirely sure if these eggs are fertile (however it IS possible...), but we are sure incubating them just in case!!

I kid you not - every one of our chameleons has waited until I leave to lay their eggs!

P.S. Chad N. and Ryan J. emphatically exclaimed "DIBS!!!" when I told them the good news...

 

[eisentrauti]

Wow, great news ! Congratulation ! You should start breed crickets, drosophilas, dubias and normal flies in big numbers !

 

[Vegas Chad]

Whew, just woke up! That is VERY cool Julie

 

[reyesjoshuacruz]

Wow, great news ! Congratulation ! You should start breed crickets, drosophilas, dubias and normal flies in big numbers !

haha not just that, but start making and freezing your gutload for feeders

 

[chams1]

haha not just that, but start making and freezing your gutload for feeders

I know ..... - 74 (plus the several clutches of other cham and gecko eggs that are already cooking) is getting a little overwhelming already just thinking about it ......

....and who was it that said "Be careful what you wish for??" lol

 

[hailo]

congradulations

 

[CleaTheChameleon]

can u check now if they are fertile

 

[Syn]

Also dibs! But not really. I have no room for something like that, or the money!

 

[Chameleons Northwest]

Wow, Julie! That is great news! Our Megana is due to lay her clutch any day now. How is Newbie doing?

What incubation medium are you using, and what temps?

 

[chams1]

Wow, Julie! That is great news! Our Megana is due to lay her clutch any day now. How is Newbie doing?

What incubation medium are you using, and what temps?

Hey, Sandy - thanks!

Honestly, I walked my husband through mixing up vermiculite over the phone (like he hasn't had practice b/c all my chams lay when I'm not around - I think he was just nervous...) and said that it would have to do for the time being until I got home early this morning. Well, I had to go to work not too long after that mad:) but I did have just a minute to peek at the eggs and check in on Newbie. She looked fabulous! My husband said that right after she laid she went right to the dripper and drank up and was looking at him, like "Hello? Feed me!" and she took a horn worm right away. So, I would say that she's doing okay. Funny thing was, we had no indication that she was prego. She has been a solid 500 grams for over a year and she wasn't any bigger and no bulging sides (eggs) or anything. I guess now we know that she is a girl.

My booth was right next to Ed and Liddy Kammer so they shared in my joy and gave me some great tips. I will be sure to let you know what temps, etc. when I get home and actually get a chance to deal with it.

I have been looking forward to that post that Megana had laid her eggs!

 

[summoner12]

YAY!!! ..::crosses fingers::..

 

[Pure]

YAY!!! ..::crosses fingers::..

I second that!

Was newbie wc or ch?

 

[chams1]

I second that!

Was newbie wc or ch?

She (now I can for certain call her "she") was WC. We got her about 2 years ago and we have another WC adult that we got 3 years ago and also 3 CH we got from FL Chams that are almost a year old.

 

[chams1]

Finally, some pics:

Here are some pics of Mom (Newbie) after she laid (when I got home from the super show) and her 74 eggs:

View attachment 13248

View attachment 13249

View attachment 13250

And check this out: 2 of her eggs were actually double/conjoined eggs!!

View attachment 13251

The eggs are white (no spots) and cooking right now at 72.7 (give or take a couple points) degrees and they have not molded and still look relatively decent. Some of them are dented, but we're incubating them anyway. For those of you who know: The only thing we had at the time was the fine vermiculite. Should we be using the thicker/chunkier vermiculite? I can always go get some and redo it. Also, all the eggs were put in the same bin. Should I separate them out into smaller bins?? I mean, there are so many of them.... (although I'm not complaining about this...)
Enjoy the pics.

 

[Pure]

WOW Newbie is in great shape for a WC. If you hadn't told me that I would swear she was one of the ones Mike sold.

Seems like all his babies he sold had that coloration.

Still holding my breath for you and newbie.
*turns blue*
*passes out*

 

[PardalisGirl]

Fertile???

Congrats! That is exciting. Can you try candling them in a few weeks to see if they look alive? So...could she have had some fun with that other one you had for three years? Any signs of that one being a male? Are they all together so she could have done something? Even if they are not fertile it will be great to know that she is a she for sure and that her reproductive system is working. Odds are that one of your others is a male. I'm in the same situation you were in. I've got a bunch of them but will not be sure of sexes until I see eggs or something "pop" out during pooping. Let us know if you candle them....

 

[chams1]

Congrats! That is exciting. Can you try candling them in a few weeks to see if they look alive? So...could she have had some fun with that other one you had for three years? Any signs of that one being a male? Are they all together so she could have done something? Even if they are not fertile it will be great to know that she is a she for sure and that her reproductive system is working. Odds are that one of your others is a male. I'm in the same situation you were in. I've got a bunch of them but will not be sure of sexes until I see eggs or something "pop" out during pooping. Let us know if you candle them....

Thanks, Catherine! I know - I have 5 of them right now . The only reason I got so many of Mike's little guys last summer is so that surely out of all of them I would get one female and one male. Even if these eggs don't pan out, it's sure nice to know that Newbie is a girl. We're not quite sure about the other adult. I always thought that she was a girl, but no scientific reasoning to that thought.... However, it is entirely possible that the 2 of them have "done something" in the past. Most times when we are home, their enclosures are open and on a few occasions, we have caught Newbie going into Fria's (the other adult) cage and hanging out in there with "her". Maybe they did some business when we weren't looking... And they do hang out in the same tree outside, too.....

 

[Miss Lily]

And check this out: 2 of her eggs were actually double/conjoined eggs!!


The eggs are white (no spots) and cooking right now at 72.7 (give or take a couple points) degrees and they have not molded and still look relatively decent. Some of them are dented, but we're incubating them anyway. For those of you who know: The only thing we had at the time was the fine vermiculite. Should we be using the thicker/chunkier vermiculite? I can always go get some and redo it. Also, all the eggs were put in the same bin. Should I separate them out into smaller bins?? I mean, there are so many of them.... (although I'm not complaining about this...)
Enjoy the pics.

Bet that made her eyes water when she laid those joined eggs, lol! Poor l'il lady! You may change your mind about complaining if all the eggs hatch out and you have all those mouths to feed, lol!

Edit: By the way, she's a very pretty girly cham!

 

[chams1]

Bet that made her eyes water when she laid those joined eggs, lol! Poor l'il lady! You may change your mind about complaining if all the eggs hatch out and you have all those mouths to feed, lol!

Edit: By the way, she's a very pretty girly cham!

Actually (and without being too descriptive and gross...), her poo has sometimes been WAY bigger than these eggs ... Although, I'm sure she was very happy to get all those eggs out of her tummy!!

ha ha ha I will certainly be busy, that's for sure.

 

[summoner12]

I think your fine with the smaller vermiculite. Steve Sims uses it on all of his stuff (or most of it?) and has great luck.

as for keeping them together.. that is what Mike told me to do... so I did. Since the eggs wne bad I had a female veiled lay... and I put all the eggs into the same conainer (after washing it out) and so far it works well.