Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Can anyone send me some info on what temps and humidity you keep your panther eggs in? Actually, any info on breeding and especially incubation would be helpful. any good websites?

Thanks,
Jeff

http://adcham.com/html/taxonomy/species/fpardalis.html

I use an old translucent rubbermaid plastic container, couple inches deep, and an old glass casserole dish. I put about an inch of moist vermiculite in the bottom. Its damp, but if I take a fistful and squeeze, I can get no more than one drop of water out of it.

I put the eggs into the vermiculite, just half covered, spaced about an inch between eggs. I cover the glass dish with plastic wrap with a single small hole poked in it. The rubbermaid I use the lid it came with, also with a small hole punched in it. The container then goes in a dark cupboard.

The temperature is warmer during the day than at night, but never warmer than 75F and never cooler than 65F. I check them daily for the first weeks, to identify and toss any unfertalizer eggs gone bad.
Then I only check once a month for about 5 months.

I was told the eggs will hatch faster if warmed up slightly after month 6. So sometime around month 6 or 7 I move the containers to a cupboard in the same room as my chams. This location in this room is a little warmer, around 75 constant during the day, and about 67 at night. I also add a tiny bit of water to ensure the vermiculite stays moist.

And at this point I'd check the eggs almost daily. I find the one with plastic wrap much easier to see through than the semi-transparent rubbermaid lid. Next time I think I'll just use plastic wrap on the plastic bottom too.

They're amazing little creatures to watch hatch. Once out of their eggs, they rest a short while, and then BAM they are on the move - perfect googly-eyed minatures.

I found they dont tend to eat the first day - probably still using up the last of the egg reserves. But after that they are hungry hungry, so make sure you have fruitfly cultures ready from month 6. I also provided itty-bitty (less 5mm) mealworms after the first week, since I breed mealworms and always have some available. Also can offer very recently hatched silk-worms, if I happen to have some. I dont offer pinhead crickets until the fourth week. The crickets and fruitflies are the primary food items i used for the next couple months.

Hope this helps.

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SandraChameleon@gmail.com
BC Canada

Thank you so much for such an amazing descriptive post. It will definitely help as a great starting resource.

Glad you found it useful. I recommend getting a good book on the subject though, and gather other opinions, rather than rely on what has worked just for me.
I know a fella that swears by his method, which is more complicated than mine. His incubation container sits ontop of a brick, which is inside a fish tank. There is water in the tank up to the top of the brick. The water is kept warm by an underwater aquarium heater. He can adjust the temparature of incubation by adjusting the water temperature. A cloth covers the tank, with a low point to one side so that condensation doesnt drip onto the eggs. This fellows method seems to result in faster hatchings than my low-tech method. But we both have excellent hatch rates: I've never not had one hatch, and have only ever lost one hatchling; and he's never lost a single one.
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SandraChameleon@gmail.com
BC Canada

Just wanted to share this cute photo

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SandraChameleon@gmail.com
BC Canada