Female Veiled - Ready to Breed?

[Tenny]

http://picasaweb.google.com/bethabigail/Cammy

We have had Cammy for 7 or 8 months. We believe she is around 9 months old. Just in the last month, her colors started to dramatically change with more permanence.

A friend who had previously owned a veiled said that she would be sexually mature soon and ready to lay eggs.

I'd like to get some advice and information from more experienced breeders about whether she looks ready, if she's already with eggs, anything that I should know before introducing a male to her.

Thanks!

 

[kinyonga]

I never breed my veiled females until they are a year old. I like to make sure they are done growing themselves before I put the demand of producing fertile eggs on them.

When I mate them, I take the female and hold her in front of the male's cage so they can see each other and watch for the reactions. If the female turns almost black in the background color, hisses, rocks back and forth, lunges at the male, etc. then she is non-receptive/gravid and you can put her back into her cage and try again in a few days.

If the male brightens his colors, coils and uncoils his tail, holds one hand up near his chin, inflates his gular pouch, etc. then he is not recognizing her as a receptive female. (He may also be reacting to the keeper.) If this is the way he is behaving, then don't put the female in his cage.

If he brightens his colors but does not show other signs of aggression then he is likely ready to accept her.

If she remains the "normal" green coloration (with the blue spots, etc. still there, of course) and moves slowly away from him, remains docile, etc. then she is willing to accept him.

If the two seem to be willing to get together, then you can put the female into the male's cage...but continue to watch them for a bit to ensure that things go well.

The female can stay in with the male until she shows rejection towards him and/or turns dark in the background color...then she should be removed from his cage.

If the female is already producing eggs, she may mate or she may show the male her dark colors/aggressive behavior. If she mates, then she may "dump" the infertile eggs she was working on and then go on to lay a fertile clutch earlier than the 30 days that it would normally take her to lay them.

If the diet/temps. are controlled, a female veiled won't likely lay any eggs until the keeper choses to mate her/alter her diet and temperatures. It also helps to make them lay smaller clutches...and live longer. I have had quite a few that have lived to be over 6 years old that have never laid a single egg. I also have had some that didn't lay an egg until they were over 3 and I chose to mate her. Her eggs were all good and everyone hatched. 95% if them were still alive 3 months later.

Hope this helps!

 

[Calavera]

Hey beth, its Mike. What Kinyonga said sounds like excellent advice. I think that giving her the couple extra months is what we decided would be the best for both our chameleons. By this time, our two chameleons will be about the same age and unboubtably ready to breed. In this time, you can keep asking questions on this forum and via email with myself. I would still provide a laying site within her enclosure. Hopefully a few more people will chime in over time and give more advice. As for you, keep posting and asking questions, this is an awesome way for you to keep your chameleon healthy and also to become successful in breeding. You have my number and email, so don't be a stranger. Keep me informed with any changes you notice in your little lady.

-Cala-

 

[kinyonga]

Calavera said..."I would still provide a laying site within her enclosure"...I'm glad you mentioned that because I forgot! Funny how when things become so "routine" its easy to skip things when you are trying to explain things to others!

One more thing...when she starts digging, make sure that she doesn't see you watching her because she will abandon the hole "thinking" that its not a safe place to lay eggs...if she abandons the hole often enough, it can lead to eggbinding. However...part of the process of laying eggs for veileds seems to be that they will dig the hole for several days before actually laying the eggs....and they may even dig more than one hole until they are satisfied with the site they have chosen...so don't confuse that with abandoning the hole!

I always let the female finish filling the hole in and tamping it down and allow her to go back up into the branches before I take the container and dig up the eggs too. They just seem to be more "settled" about it that way.