can I breed again?
- Thread starter craig
- Start date
Will Hayward
New Member
Secondary clutches are a result of excessive food intake and high temperatures. To lessen the likelyness of double, and triple clutching, keep within the low end of the recomended temperatures for the species and try and keep them constant (as temperatures are part of the stimulation for breeding). Also, after laying a clutch, feed them well to provide the needed ntrients that the females body is short in from producing the eggs, but after recovering get her back on a healthy, smaller diet as an increase in food and nutrients will also likely have their body start producing eggs.
It's a bit of a fine blance, one that I can't say I've mastered but had some sucess with. Feed enough to sustain health, but not too much.
It's a bit of a fine blance, one that I can't say I've mastered but had some sucess with. Feed enough to sustain health, but not too much.
craig
New Member
Thanks for the replies. The temps are in the mid 70's in my room. My female is always hungry, when I get near her cage she gets her tongue ready to shoot at me.lol. SO I shouldn't breed her for awhile then because she is going to give a second clutch? The temps are cool in my room even going down to low 70's possibly high 60's so maybe the decrease in temps will prevent her from giving a second clutch? And how long till they give a second clutch? I need to know when to keep a sand box in with her 
Thanks. Craig.
Thanks. Craig.
davider
Avid Member
i think the 2nd clutch comes after a couple months a little longer for veileds...
as soon as you see her walking on the bottum of the cage throw in an egg laying chamber. heres a site to help u out make sure u do research as much as u check out this forum...
goodluck again
http://www.danielpipes.org/img/daniel_pipes_2.jpg
-David
as soon as you see her walking on the bottum of the cage throw in an egg laying chamber. heres a site to help u out make sure u do research as much as u check out this forum...
goodluck again
http://www.danielpipes.org/img/daniel_pipes_2.jpg
-David
Will Hayward
New Member
Thanks for the replies. The temps are in the mid 70's in my room. My female is always hungry, when I get near her cage she gets her tongue ready to shoot at me.lol. SO I shouldn't breed her for awhile then because she is going to give a second clutch? The temps are cool in my room even going down to low 70's possibly high 60's so maybe the decrease in temps will prevent her from giving a second clutch? And how long till they give a second clutch? I need to know when to keep a sand box in with her
Adjusting the basking temperature is also something you should consider. Ambient temperatures a bit harder to regulate if you aren't going to change the entire rooms temperature. The decrease in temperatures will not prevent her from producing more eggs, but it's been proven to help persuade their bodies that it is not the correct time to. Lowering the temperatures, while still keeping within a healthy range lessons some of the stimulus associated with producing eggs.
I don't know anything on specifics of the chameleons biology in the area of reproduction to know how, why or if eggs are produce in waiting for fertilization, but this does not correspond with the theory of how food intake (immediately after conception) affects the amount of eggs produced, but rather suggests that the amount of food prior and leading up to the time of conception affects it. Maybe someone, can comment or link to a source for this. I don't know the ins and outs of the reproduction process, just that it's a good time. Hah.
Remember some chameleon species, C.calyptratus in particular does not need to be mated to produce eggs. Not even for their first virgin clutch. Females who have never seen a male will even become gravid. Amazing? Not really when you apply it to humans; as women have several hundred thousand eggs when they come of age, and one at a time is released into the fallopian tube waiting to be fertilized by a man. So, it just goes to show that bodies can produce eggs without mating, but in the case of chameleons, their bodies require a stimulus (excess food, climate imitating season changes, high temperatures, etc).
Chameleons as most animals, are opportunistic feeders. When food is around, generally they will eat as much is possible. In the wild, this would rarely present a problem, however in captivity where we offer the chance for our chameleons and reptiles to become lazy, overweight and out-of-shape, predator-free, unskilled hunters who have food handed to them on a regular basis, pretty much on a platter (or rather a bowl...) it can cause obesity, fatty liver disease, potential metabolic bone disease through excessive rapid development (needs study) and in this case, double clutching of eggs.
I'm fairly certain that eggs could be produced within weeks of laying, and so potentially around two months to laying again.
Lastly for your information, it is possible for Veiled chameleons to live out their life without ever producing eggs- and this is presumably the healthiest life plan for them. Kinyonga has managed quite well, having females live- what 7 years virgin Linda? and she has discussed this topic with me several times and I'm sure my females have been thankful for the rest after laying that it has given them.
craig
New Member
davider, that was just a pic.lol., but thanks. Will, thank you for the info also. I know that veileds can lay unfertile eggs but I was just curious if it was possible for the double clutch. You 2 seemed to answer my questions about the breeding that she may lay a double clutch. Iam going to put a sandbox in there with her soon and see what happens. I will give her about 5 monthes to see if she gives a second clutch or not. Thanks. Craig.
Will Hayward
New Member
Clutchs laid after the first are less likely to be entirely fertile. A third clutch off of one mating had nearly no fertile eggs.
Craig...how many of the eggs were fertile? Infertile?
I can't be sure, but if she had retained sperm, I would have thought that she would have laid another clutch by now. Nothing is written in stone, so its often a guessing game.
You asked..."when the next time I could breed her again"...you could breed her whenever she is receptive as long as she is in excellent health.
You said... you need to know when the next clutch will be laid because you need to put the sandbox in there...I always keep a container of sand in with any egglaying females so that I don't have to wonder.
Will said..."7 years virgin Linda"...sounds like you mean I'm the virgin, Will! LOL! Some of my female veileds have made it past the 7 year mark. I have a female veiled (Latefah) right now that is about 4 and she has never laid an egg. I also have one that is 6 1/2+ and has never laid an egg. Latefah's mother didn't produce her first and only clutch (the one Latefah came from) until she was about 3 (can never remember exactly....and I'm too "lazy" to bother looking it up again). All the eggs hatched! I keep the females at a slightly lower temperature and feed them slightly less and it seems to keep them from cycling. If I want them to produce eggs, I mate them, put the temperature back up and feed them more than I do when I don't want them to cycle. The clutches are always around the 2 dozen mark doing this too. (This whole process is not quite as simple as it sounds when you are wanting to produce clutches.)
You said..."I don't know anything on specifics of the chameleons biology in the area of reproduction to know how, why or if eggs are produce in waiting for fertilization"...I will try to come back later and comment a bit on this. I don't know the whole story.
I can't be sure, but if she had retained sperm, I would have thought that she would have laid another clutch by now. Nothing is written in stone, so its often a guessing game.
You asked..."when the next time I could breed her again"...you could breed her whenever she is receptive as long as she is in excellent health.
You said... you need to know when the next clutch will be laid because you need to put the sandbox in there...I always keep a container of sand in with any egglaying females so that I don't have to wonder.
Will said..."7 years virgin Linda"...sounds like you mean I'm the virgin, Will! LOL! Some of my female veileds have made it past the 7 year mark. I have a female veiled (Latefah) right now that is about 4 and she has never laid an egg. I also have one that is 6 1/2+ and has never laid an egg. Latefah's mother didn't produce her first and only clutch (the one Latefah came from) until she was about 3 (can never remember exactly....and I'm too "lazy" to bother looking it up again). All the eggs hatched! I keep the females at a slightly lower temperature and feed them slightly less and it seems to keep them from cycling. If I want them to produce eggs, I mate them, put the temperature back up and feed them more than I do when I don't want them to cycle. The clutches are always around the 2 dozen mark doing this too. (This whole process is not quite as simple as it sounds when you are wanting to produce clutches.)
You said..."I don't know anything on specifics of the chameleons biology in the area of reproduction to know how, why or if eggs are produce in waiting for fertilization"...I will try to come back later and comment a bit on this. I don't know the whole story.
