Oustalet's Chameleon Nesting Behavior

[jpricewood]

I would like to open this thread to anyone who breeds Oustalet's.

Some research I am involved in deals with the reproductive behaviors of Oustalet's.They are a species of interest since they are currently an established exotic species.

We have had females bury themselves in their laying bins instead of excavating a tunnel. This is atypical for chameleons and reptiles in general.

Is this a typical behavior? Please describe in detail the nesting behavior of your females. I want to pick your brains because you guys are the husbandry experts.

 

[jpricewood]

Duration spent underground is also of interest.

 

[no1lizardguy]

my female has been laying eggs for the last 3 days on the first day she was at the bottom all day laying eggs in a bowl i wasnt prepared for her so thats what she had and then she slept on the floor and laid more the next day all over the bottom of the cage even though i had a nesting bin in there and at night climbed to the top and slept and today she laid more on the bottom of the floor and 1 in the nesting bin and is now sleeping at the top of the cage again.

 

[jpricewood]

Wow, so there is some definite variation. What kind of bin did you have?

 

[no1lizardguy]

Just a tubaware with vermiculite in it that's what I was told worked best. What do you use? How many times have you bred and incubated this kind of chameleon? This is my first time

 

[Kent67]

She dropped them like that because she did not feel she had a suitable place to dig. Vermiculite is used to incubate the eggs in, not for nest building. I just use potting soil but most use a sand/peat mixture. It needs to be slightly moist and packed well enough to hold a tunnel and with an Oustalet's, at least 12 inches deep.

I've seen some panthers do what you're discussing, J. I've only had 3 clutches of oustaleti but from what I remember they tunneled normally without backfilling behind themselves.

 

[jpricewood]

I used a 5 gallon bucket filled with a mixture of light topsoil and sand that was moistened to the point it would maintain its shape. She finally laid 39 eggs at the bottom of the bucket after being buried for about 35 hours. She came out healthy and hungry.

The interesting pattern that seems to be emerging is Oustalet's just bury instead of excavating and maintaining an open tunnel. This can cause a lot of anxiety for a worried owner. This behavior has been reported by a few zoos.

I don't have any experience as a breeder, but I do have a lot of experience with reptiles. Most of my experience is in field research. She was adopted after being removed from a wild exotic population in the U.S. Normally, I wouldn't deal with a female because I think only experienced breeders can deal with the many potentially fatal situations that can arise during nesting.

 

[jpricewood]

Hey Kent,

I wonder why some backfill and others don't? Maybe sustrate or stress levels?

Jared

 

[Seeco]

buried for about 35 hours. She came out healthy and hungry.

Awesome but probably not normal.

 

[no1lizardguy]

So I should have put 12" of soil in a 5 gallon bucket and put the chameleon inside??? Cuz a bucket that size wont fit in her cage