Hi everyone, New to Chams and she just laid her eggs....

[JonBrackenridge]

Hi everyone, I got my gorgeous Veiled Chameleon last Thursday from the reptile breeders, she had been living in there with a male and he confirmed when i got her that she was pregnant. After following the advice and putting her into a laying tank, i got up this morning to find she had laid her eggs.

I have put her back into her normal living tank and she has munched down some crickets (about 3 - covered with Calcium powder) and she is sat up on her branches by the heat lamp.

I have removed the eggs and placed them in soft sand which has been dampened and he eggs placed around 1" apart, i have put them in the airing cupboard at the min as its fairly warm in there and dark.

The main questions are what now really, ive read all over the internet various things about caring for the eggs...

The mother looks fine the only question regarding her is she looks to be sagging around her belly, is this normal from obviously carrying eggs around?

I was told by the store thatthey would buy the clutch of eggs back and when i offered to give them the clutch back they insisted they would pay me for it.. the real questions really are would this be wise for a first time owner of a cham? just to add she laid 35 eggs which the reptile store say they guarantee are fertile?

Any advice is appreciated.

Many Thanks

Jon

 

[Julirs]

Hi Jon-It will be perfectly wise if you want to invest the time and money (the Petstore must have a clue on how expensive it is!). You have also joined a forum where 1000's of people can walk you through the process.

Two things to start with, sand is not a good hatching medium. You want vermiculite, perlite, or Hatchrite-you can research those things here and transfer the eggs withough rotating or turning them in the next few days. Also-when you mention the work tank, depending on where you live that will be an issue. Most chams are kept in open air screen cages since that affords them the airflow and vertical height they require. Tanks are often a culprit in respiratory infection due to poor air flow.

Welcome to the forum and ask lots of questions and do lots of research!

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the chameleon forums! My first and most important advice to you would be to get separate cages for your chameleons. Your male will breed your female to death. The more clutchs that the female lays the more it shortens their life. When together one cham will become dominate, taking over all UVB and food and the other becomes weak, then ill and possibly die.

As for keeping the eggs or selling them that will be a choice that you will have to make.....what it right for you. It can be very expensive and very time consuming to raise babies.

I have a attached a few links that will be helpful for you. Jann

https://www.chameleonforums.com/cost-raising-69-baby-veileds-18467/

http://raisingkittytheveiledchamele...-max=2008-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=11

http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/2007/12/keeping-female-veiled.html

 

[JonBrackenridge]

Sorry i just refer to everything as a tank lol, as i have beardies aswell, the Cham is in a 3ft high, 2ft Wide x 2ft deep chameleon vivarium, it is mesh all up the sides and the top.

Where you say it would be wise for me to invest the time and the money (the petstore must have a clue how expensive it is) if it is expensive why would they offer to buy the eggs back and turn down the offer of me giving them back to the store? ill get out shortly and get some Vermiculite for them, when i transfered the eggs ive used a non toxic pen and put a tiny tiny mark on the top side of each egg as not to rotate them..

 

[Julirs]

Hmmm-I did not read your post like they said they would not buy the clutch back. As a Petstore, they maybe have access to all of the supplies and feeders they would need maybe.

 

[JonBrackenridge]

Right ive split all the eggs down into Vermiculite, should i clean them off first? there are still some very small amounts of dirt and sand on them from the laying bin, or will they be fine as they are. There in Airtight containers with a pin sized hole in the lid. put them in the airing cupboard which is fairly warm and dark.

I had a look at the pictures of Clea's eggs and how they compare to the infertile clutch. Comparing those to mine id have to say all but 1 looks fertile so fingers crossed 34 to hatch around start of May.

I still am unsure about wether to keep them lol, if i decide to sell the eggs to a breeder would they look and be able to tell if there fertile or do they pay on each one that hatches? how does that work? Im in the UK.

 

[pssh]

I believe after the first two weeks (or is it four?) they are no longer transportable. You risk killing them, so better decide quickly. You'd have to talk to the buyer about how they will pay you. I'd ask for 12-18 an egg, see if you can sell them that high

 

[kinyonga]

Don't wash/wet the eggs...they have a protective "coating" on them and you'll compromise it if you wash them....and you might damage the eggs trying to wash them anyhow.