Veiled eggs! Are they going to hatch soon?

kenya

Avid Member
Hey all, I picked up 16 veiled eggs that were laid June 10th. I got them from the same guy I got my sambava male from- his time to move was up and he hadn't placed the eggs in a new home yet, so I got them. He had them at 78 degrees- I have them around 77. We candled them before I left and they have cute little red veins. He said they should hatch soon but it has been 5 months...veiled incubation is around 6-10, correct?

Here are some photos of the eggs and their little "windows" of transparency. Does this mean they are due to hatch soon? I know about neonatal care- I got these eggs partly because I thought that it would be a good learning experience and good practice before I have my own eggs from my panthers and Fischers. Veileds are fun hardy little things :)

I also brought back one little beardie egg :D

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If the eggs are still taking on alot of light then they might still have some time left. Ive never seen eggs with shells like that, it looks to me like they are poorly calcified but i could be wrong. When you candle an egg and you know its ready, it wont take on much light at all.

Also i should add, try not to candle around expected hatch time. I only candle if the clutch is really really old to see what the hell is going on lol or if theyre young to see if theyve broken diapause, then i try to leave them but sometimes ill peak at one or two eggs briefly. Ive heard candling an unborn neonate can cause them to "wake up" and hatch prematurely. Its never happened to me but i wouldn't doubt that it can happen.
 
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I'd give them at least 7 months - at 78 degrees, that's when I'd expect a hatch. In the low 70's it usually takes 8 or 90 months. Usually, a 6 month incubation was in the mid to upper 80s.

But, when he said they'll hatch soon, he's kinda right - relative to the total incubation time, 2 months is soon!
 
i had veiled chameleon eggs hatch in 188 days on temps of 74 to 75 and my second batch was 196 days , theres no real time frame of when they will hatch , it depends on how well developed they were before being layed so no one can say when they will hatch they just do , every clutch is different
 
Is that splotchy appearance normal for vield eggs? Its been a few years since I had panther eggs, but I dont recall them being like that, more a consistant white egg colour. But then again, Im getting old and memory fades...
 
You know, I came home from work today and looked at the eggs and that transparency has spread. I hope that something isn't wrong. :( I think I may have seen one sweating last night as well but that can't be possible- maybe some condensation dripped onto it? It shouldn't have- they have been in the same tupperware and vermiculite the whole time since they have been laid.
 
Many of the eggs are "transparent" now. Maybe they aren't calcified enough? They are still live, though- I checked very carefully last night with a pen light and they all have veins and dark spots inside.

What does a candled near- full term egg look like? What do eggs look like just before they hatch?
 
About to hatch

Here is a pic of one about 2 weeks away from hatching

Many of the eggs are "transparent" now. Maybe they aren't calcified enough? They are still live, though- I checked very carefully last night with a pen light and they all have veins and dark spots inside.

What does a candled near- full term egg look like? What do eggs look like just before they hatch?
 
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Here is a pic of one about 2 weeks away from hatching

Thank you! That is a big help. One of the eggs I looked at has a dark bit at the bottom but is still showing healthy veins and such. I will try to get a photo.

Have you ever heard of eggs going sort of transparent?
 
Transparent eggs

I have a clutch of 45 veiled eggs right now that are almost completely transparent. They are due to hatch any day now. I usually add some water around each egg about a week before they are due. Within about 3-4 days they go transparent, then by day 7 they usually begin to hatch. My veiled eggs hatch in about 5-6 months incubation time @ 83 degrees.

They can also go transparent if they are under calcified, some of the other members on here beat me to that one. I keep a few different types of chameleons. The veiled chams are the only ones that I have ever go transparent on me (eggs)
 
I have a clutch of 45 veiled eggs right now that are almost completely transparent. They are due to hatch any day now. I usually add some water around each egg about a week before they are due. Within about 3-4 days they go transparent, then by day 7 they usually begin to hatch. My veiled eggs hatch in about 5-6 months incubation time @ 83 degrees.

They can also go transparent if they are under calcified, some of the other members on here beat me to that one. I keep a few different types of chameleons. The veiled chams are the only ones that I have ever go transparent on me (eggs)

That is helpful. I wonder if they are going to hatch soon or if they are just under calcified? It could be both, really. I am not sure how the mother was supplemented while gravid- she looked good when I saw her, though, but she laid them in June and I just saw her for the first time the other night. Maybe she recovered but was kind of deficient when she was gravid?

Should I be worried about the eggs? If they are under calcified, can they still hatch?
 
Hey Kenya,
Im very glad that you brought this topic. I have the same thing going on with my veiled eggs from july 2, 2008. I never had this happen with the couple other clutches Ive hatched but Im quite convinced that it has to do with the moisture in the containers. Not all of my eggs have this going on but the ones that have Ive had add moisture to more frequently have that transparent look. The ones that I havent added water too as much dont have it or very tiny little specks of it. I think that when water comes in contact with the shell it does some thing to it. I wouldnt think that they would survive long if they were undercalcified. Thats just my thought on it.
Ive been keeping mine qbout 78-76F and thy are all looking good and on there way to hatching in a couple months. I would think that yours would hatch and be just fine!
 
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