Okay so I understand incubating eggs in an incubator and the closet method..but what about when it's in the 100s outside? Right now it's now very hot outside but inside I'm above 80. I stuck a thermometer in the bottom of my closet and I'm at 78..too hot for veiled eggs. What do you guys do over the summer months to ensure your eggs don't get too hot?
Caring for veiled eggs in a hot environment..
- Thread starter sarahog
- Start date
Anyone??
I have a veiled due to lay any day now, just wondering if I should go and buy an incubator that also has a cooling ability such as the reptipro or if there is something else that works well to keeps eggs from reaching too high of a temp. Surely SOMEONE has some insight in this area??
I have a veiled due to lay any day now, just wondering if I should go and buy an incubator that also has a cooling ability such as the reptipro or if there is something else that works well to keeps eggs from reaching too high of a temp. Surely SOMEONE has some insight in this area??
chameleoman
Avid Member
Hey where do you guys live in CA im in need of a male to breed my female before she gets eggbound and dies!!
chameleoman....unless your husbandry is bad or she has some reproductive issue or fused eggs or you fail to provide a proper place for her to dig/lay them your veiled female should not become eggbound from not being mated.
Since she is over 9 months old you should already have provided her a place in her cage to dig to show you when she's ready to lay eggs.
Here is some information that I hope will help with your husbandry......
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption. Temperatures needed can vary with the species and age. For hatchling panthers I keep the temperature in the warmest area in the low 80's. For older panthers I keep it in the mid to high 80's for the most part.
Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.
Since many of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).
If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).
Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)
Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)
Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.
Here are some good sites for you to read...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.
Since she is over 9 months old you should already have provided her a place in her cage to dig to show you when she's ready to lay eggs.
Here is some information that I hope will help with your husbandry......
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption. Temperatures needed can vary with the species and age. For hatchling panthers I keep the temperature in the warmest area in the low 80's. For older panthers I keep it in the mid to high 80's for the most part.
Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.
Since many of the feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).
If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).
Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)
Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)
Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.
Here are some good sites for you to read...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.
chameleoman
Avid Member
Thanks, can u guys help me im going to breed this weekend and not that sure what to do? like r u supposed to leave the male in the females cage until she rejects him or do u seperate them onece there done with there buiseness? any info would help
chameleoman
Avid Member
I dust everyday with D3 is that healthy or... good? oh and by the way my chameleon is a veiled.
chameleoman
Avid Member
Sorry 4 posting so much but does she look gravid right now she has bright green spots and is redish blackish evry where else?/Users/gizmo/Desktop/IMG_20110602_162842.jpg
Those colors mean gravid or not receptive
Usually black with the spots means either super mad, gravid, not receptive. You know if a female is ready to breed if she stays her normal passive colors when she sees the male. If she gets black with spots she is not receptive and you should take her away from him. After they mate she'll turn gravid colors and reject the male, this means she should them be taken back out of the male's cage.
Usually black with the spots means either super mad, gravid, not receptive. You know if a female is ready to breed if she stays her normal passive colors when she sees the male. If she gets black with spots she is not receptive and you should take her away from him. After they mate she'll turn gravid colors and reject the male, this means she should them be taken back out of the male's cage.
chameleoman
Avid Member
Thanks
Justin Ward
Established Member
I dust everyday with D3 is that healthy or... good? oh and by the way my chameleon is a veiled.
you should only be dusting calcium with d3 twice a month, same for a multi-vit supplement...calcium w/o d3 should e used at almost every feeding
VeiledChams
Avid Member
I also live in Florida and its been scorching hot here. What I did was got a big rubbermaid plastic container (only like 5 inches tall) and left a centimeter of water on the bottom. I then placed all the tupperwear boxes inside that rubbermaid container. Instead of placing the huge container in my closet, I placed it in a drawer. The water serves 2 purposes: One, keeps the humidity up inside the drawer, and 2) as the oceans do for the earth, the water absorbs heat, and releases it slowly, thus maintaining a somewhat constant temperature inside the rubbermaid container. (I get a max 2-3 degree fluxtuation between day (77-78) and night (74-75)). So far it's worked well.
chameleoman
Avid Member
But my chameleons don't get a lot of sunlight and i read that u should give d3 every day if they don't get sunlight????
VeiledChams
Avid Member
No, too much D3 is just as bad as no D3.. If they are inside, twice a month dusting of the crickets should suffice (if you have the proper UVB lighting and all the other stuff running good )
D
DavidBuchan
Guest
That's too much d3, unless its a very weak concentration in your powder. what kind are you using? If you don't cut down there is a real risk of MBD..........I dust everyday with D3 is that healthy or... good? oh and by the way my chameleon is a veiled.
When gravid female veiled get pretty blueish dappling, and a bright white/yellow stripe develops from the front shoulder.......
chameleoman
Avid Member
i didnt know thats how they got mbd but i have and use Rep-Cal with d3 and ReptoCal with D3 so du i have to get a no d3 powder
reptoman
Avid Member
i didnt know thats how they got mbd but i have and use Rep-Cal with d3 and ReptoCal with D3 so du i have to get a no d3 powder
Short answer is Yes!!!
D
DavidBuchan
Guest
Yes. These are for twice monthly.i didnt know thats how they got mbd but i have and use Rep-Cal with d3 and ReptoCal with D3 so du i have to get a no d3 powder
A multivitamin for twice monthly and a calcium with no d3 for daily is what is mostly recommended on here, and is what I use myself.
Chameleoman said..."I dust everyday with D3 is that healthy or... good?"...did you read my big long post above explaining supplements and the reasoning behind it?? I explained in that post to only dust twice a month with D3 and let the chameleon produce the rest through its exposure to the UVB so that it wouldn't get overdosed.
chameleoman
Avid Member
wut happens if gets over dosed????? i got my female in october and been dusting with nothing but Calcium with d3. i would post pocks but dont know howplus she ahs been acting not herself these past daysim worried about the whole mbd thing though and not sure if she has it. when i hold her i put my hand upside down and she doesnt fall off
plus she ahs been acting not herself these past daysim worried about the whole mbd thing though and not sure if she has it. when i hold her i put my hand upside down and she doesnt fall off
