Susan
New Member
Hello Everyone, I would first like to introduce myself my name is Susan I live in Ontario Canada and I have recently and unexpectedly acquired a fantastically colored group of adult panther chameleons Ambilobe and Nosy Be’s.
I have lots of experience breeding geckos and pythons but not so much with breeding chameleons. I have hatched out a couple of clutches of Veiled Chameleons in the past but I am sure there are some differences with breeding panthers. I have a couple of questions that only experience will answer; I was hoping I could get some help.
First off, all of the panthers are captive bred from a reputable breeder in the U.S. I am their third owner it seems not including the breeder. I have heard that breeding captive bred panther to captive bred panther has been known to cause weakness in offspring, is this true? I have lineages for all of these chameleons and it seems there is a good genetic mix, should I be concerned? I do plan on adding some wild blood to any offspring that I hold back for future breeding.
Unfortunately the previous well meaning owner was not able to provide a good environment for these panthers and they are, for lack of better words, a little beat up. I have them set-up in a temperature controlled building set at 82 degrees at the peak of the day. Each has sufficient lighting and basking areas. The humidity in the building is about 80-90% most of the day. I have been reading about vitamin deficiencies and how it can effect shedding in chameleons and have noticed that a couple of the males seem to have almost a thin layer of shed that is starting to peel off but it doesn’t look like a normal full blown shed. I use Cod Liver Oil as a supplement for some of my geckos and also for Lacerta’s because it is high in vitamin D and A. Can I use this sparingly to supplement these chameleons or am I going to risk problems with to much vitamin D? I have been using Mineral 0 sparingly as a daily supplement and Rep Cal w/D3 once a week. So far I have them on a diet of crickets but have started roach colonies to also supplement their diet.
There will be no attempt at breeding on my part until the chameleons are 100% healthy
Along with these chameleons I was given about 200 eggs, and unfortunately they were kept in the previous owner’s basement (sigh). I generally go by the “don’t throw it out until the bitter end” rule and have put them in my incubator. Some of them look like there may be hope, the eggs laid at earlier dates are much bigger in comparison to younger eggs and when I candle them I can see that there is something there but the older eggs do not look full. I believe (and correct me if I am wrong) that pigmentation is one of the last things to develop, when candling your eggs do you see the egg get fuller as they mature or do they appear to be full just a couple weeks before they hatch.
I apologize for the novel of questions, but I had no intentions of breeding chameleons this kind of just fell in my lap. I am really enjoying working with them so far and I really appreciate any help.
Thanks,
Susan Charlton
I have lots of experience breeding geckos and pythons but not so much with breeding chameleons. I have hatched out a couple of clutches of Veiled Chameleons in the past but I am sure there are some differences with breeding panthers. I have a couple of questions that only experience will answer; I was hoping I could get some help.
First off, all of the panthers are captive bred from a reputable breeder in the U.S. I am their third owner it seems not including the breeder. I have heard that breeding captive bred panther to captive bred panther has been known to cause weakness in offspring, is this true? I have lineages for all of these chameleons and it seems there is a good genetic mix, should I be concerned? I do plan on adding some wild blood to any offspring that I hold back for future breeding.
Unfortunately the previous well meaning owner was not able to provide a good environment for these panthers and they are, for lack of better words, a little beat up. I have them set-up in a temperature controlled building set at 82 degrees at the peak of the day. Each has sufficient lighting and basking areas. The humidity in the building is about 80-90% most of the day. I have been reading about vitamin deficiencies and how it can effect shedding in chameleons and have noticed that a couple of the males seem to have almost a thin layer of shed that is starting to peel off but it doesn’t look like a normal full blown shed. I use Cod Liver Oil as a supplement for some of my geckos and also for Lacerta’s because it is high in vitamin D and A. Can I use this sparingly to supplement these chameleons or am I going to risk problems with to much vitamin D? I have been using Mineral 0 sparingly as a daily supplement and Rep Cal w/D3 once a week. So far I have them on a diet of crickets but have started roach colonies to also supplement their diet.
There will be no attempt at breeding on my part until the chameleons are 100% healthy
Along with these chameleons I was given about 200 eggs, and unfortunately they were kept in the previous owner’s basement (sigh). I generally go by the “don’t throw it out until the bitter end” rule and have put them in my incubator. Some of them look like there may be hope, the eggs laid at earlier dates are much bigger in comparison to younger eggs and when I candle them I can see that there is something there but the older eggs do not look full. I believe (and correct me if I am wrong) that pigmentation is one of the last things to develop, when candling your eggs do you see the egg get fuller as they mature or do they appear to be full just a couple weeks before they hatch.
I apologize for the novel of questions, but I had no intentions of breeding chameleons this kind of just fell in my lap. I am really enjoying working with them so far and I really appreciate any help.
Thanks,
Susan Charlton
Last edited: