Kinyongia multituberculata eggs tic tock...

[Seeco]

Within this month three of my K. multi. clutches will be 365 days old. Anyone chime in -- Should I crank my incubator up a few degrees? Average temps 66-71 but I was thinking 70-75. I think I read as much according to Kroo on Chameleonnews.com. Thanks!

 

[kinyonga]

Are they looking healthy?

 

[eisentrauti]

Can you make some pics of them ?

 

[Cainschams]

At the moment I have a K. tavetana clutch that is 9.5 months in to incubation. Reports say at 72 degrees they hatch out at 9 months. They have been between 66 and 70 almost the whole time. I bumped the temp up a few degrees during this past month and they are now between 68 and 72. I would not go over 72 degrees.

 

[ChromaChameleons]

From research , I've read that a night drop of a few degrees assists the babies hatching by creating a higher pressure within the egg. Theory is that the egg will crack easily because the pressure is lower outside of the egg.

Has anyone else read anything similar???

 

[CNorton]

I would think that anything we can do recreate the natural conditions present in the wild will help hatch rates. The Usambara Mountains and surrounding areas in Tanzania appear to have fairly stable temperatures year round. A slight temperature increase during the final month of incubation might aid in triggering a hatch.

Certainly, a nightly drop in temperature should be healthyand desirable but with our incubators...how is this achievable? Most incubators only hold a temperature and I certainly can't remember to change the temp every night before going to bed! Does anyone know of any solutions? Are there some incubators that can be programmer for night drop that don't involve me getting a 2nd mortgage?

 

[Seeco]

Nothing yet folks. Thanks for the input so far.

I'm using the mini-fridge. Yeah, an intentional night time drop is not something I want to figure out right now -- besides I think the incubator temp does drop a bit (2 degrees F) as the air chills in my garage. One option would be to use a timer and just have the incubator shut off for a few hours... risky.

The eggs are all the same size -- about 4 times the size of new multituberculata eggs. Some are a bit translucent / thin shelled and others are very chalky. I'd say they are all healthy. Some have little white spots like an * I think it's just shell.

 

[Cainschams]

How are the hatchlings from August doing?

 

[Seeco]

Hey, good memory! So out of 5 eggs 2 are looking good: 1 still has not hatched, 1 large baby escaped, 1 baby with kinked spine died after 2-3 months, one female is gigantic and the last one is still pretty small but functions fine (male I think).

So one of the due eggs has 2 large blobs of clear liquid on the surface. There is no condensation on the lid so it's didn't drop down. I'm not gonna jinx it just yet...

I've got a bony old veteran female excavating right now. As soon as she gets done there's a big girl ready to lay.

 

[Seeco]

The eggs are hatching. They were laid on january 11th last year. When I opened the incubator at noon there was 1 purple face poking out, 2 other eggs slit and 3-4 more sweating. I forgot how small the neonates are. I closed it and I'm not disturbing untill tomorrow morning.

The female mentioned above just spent 14 hours to lay 10 eggs. 3 were found only 2-3 inches deep and the rest were about 7 inches deep. I guess she thought she was done and then had a little extra surprise. Or maybe the 3 popped out early before she could get deep enough. Both of these scenarios make me think of some funy bathroom scenarios with us humans. Overall not very deep digging. Maybe because she's old but also the soil was too wet and heavy and settled in for about a month.

This is total deja-vu from last year. I couldn't travel for Christmas because all my chameleons were ready to explode and then they didn't lay untill mid January. Just like now. Next Christmas that's it -- they're getting left with a sitter.

Anyone want to come to San Diego and get some babies? Or give me some extra fruit flies?

 

[CNorton]

What was the temperature and moisture of the soil? Did you kist let the female dig in a bin or did you put a bin in her enclosure and let her come and go?

 

[Seeco]

Cold and wet for the chamber... Normally pretty warm and moist but some cats started pooping in my sunny soil pile so I had to use a different source. The chamber is a big round green tub. I just transfer when the time is right usually about 1.5 months after I breed or detect some roundness.

More babies hatching. One is real pissy and keeps gaping at me.

 

[Cainschams]

Very nice!!!! Hope to see more pics!

 

[Chase]

Cold and wet for the chamber... Normally pretty warm and moist but some cats started pooping in my sunny soil pile so I had to use a different source. The chamber is a big round green tub. I just transfer when the time is right usually about 1.5 months after I breed or detect some roundness.

More babies hatching. One is real pissy and keeps gaping at me.

Are you going to be selling these when they get old enough?

 

[Seeco]

Yeah, selling maybe in like 2-3 months. Individuals from my first clutch grew at all different rates though.

I have two more clutches that should hatch this month so I will be selling breedable pairs. I've tried to post stuff for sale here before but I can't. Anyone know why?

 

[Seeco]

2nd clutch hatching now. The first one is basically done -- one egg still has not sweat or shrunk and another was not immediately able to slit the egg and I left it alone for research purposes... After 24 hours I cut it out. Perfect but dead. 3rd due clutch is showing no signs yet.

 

[Seeco]

3rd clutch almost all hatched out

 

[laurie]

So bring me up to speed, how many are out of each clutch? Do you have time to breathe or just care for babies? Still need fruit fly care packages? If I send them does my name go up on the list?

 

[Seeco]

All but one egg hatched. Two babes escaped and I FOUND THEM BOTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! heck yeah! Get back in there you sneaky little bas----'s

 

[Syn]

Major congrats! So glad to hear you found the little escape artists.