Question regarding live birth chameleons

[Ferrah88]

I do not have a female ellioti (yet) but I will eventually in the future, one day, over the horizon, like to get one. I figured it's never too early to start gathering information, and this question simply intrigued me.

Do live birth chameleons lay unfertilized eggs?

I know they don't lay eggs unless too warm. I was guessing that, since they don't lay the eggs, that they won't have any unfertilized babies, and only give birth when mated. I know it's probably a silly question and I probably know the answer, but I just thought I would ask! I was trying to find the answer online, but it just came up with chameleon live birth videos....

 

[Trace]

They certainly can ‘lay’ litters of unfertilized ova. I don’t necessarily find it all that common mostly because there aren’t that many people working with the unusual ovoviviparous species and the ones that do their husbandry may not be spot on enough to get them to breed and cycle 'eggs'. That’s my opinion only and not chameleon gospel. Sometimes a few slugs are expelled during a regular fertilized birth as well.

Here is a pic of an unfertilized ova from a Trioceros goetzei.

Here is a teaser pic of a baby Tanzanian ellioti to show how small they are at birth. They are born eating so make sure you have fruit fly cultures going in advance.

Give Marimo a bug for me.

Cheers,
T

 

[Chameleonmaster]

My babies are only an inch and a half long! Very tiny

 

[Ferrah88]

They certainly can ‘lay’ litters of unfertilized ova. I don’t necessarily find it all that common mostly because there aren’t that many people working with the unusual ovoviviparous species and the ones that do their husbandry may not be spot on enough to get them to breed and cycle 'eggs'. That’s my opinion only and not chameleon gospel. Sometimes a few slugs are expelled during a regular fertilized birth as well.

Here is a pic of an unfertilized ova from a Trioceros goetzei.

Here is a teaser pic of a baby Tanzanian ellioti to show how small they are at birth. They are born eating so make sure you have fruit fly cultures going in advance.

Give Marimo a bug for me.

Cheers,
T

Thanks for the information! I wasn't completely sure, and I don't have a female yet Fruit flies are very easy to get here, and they come gutloaded actually. With banana, but still better than nothing! They do eat a lot at first though, I know that much.. my colleague went trough a boatload in the first few weeks!

I'll see if Marimo will accept something from me today! He already ate all his free-flying flies, and hasn't been eating when I get home. I'm sure he's just full, but I shall try! ;D Maybe mentioning that it's from you will entice him