Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I`m needing some advice for breeding my Vieled chameleon`s.

I have kept my male on his own for over a year now and i bought two females of about the same age.

Is it as simple as putting one female in with him and wait or are they likely to fight? Obviously that depends on whether or not the female is receptive. What i want to know is, if she IS receptive then how long should i leave them in together to ensure that the breeding is likely to have been successful?

Any other pointers will be very welcome

thanks

p.s. Here is a pic of loui

based on the pic, you have a few things to learn before you breed your cham. glass is very bad. take a look at my site, read the care sheet, then i'll help you with the breeding. plus, the substrate needs to go, you are risking impaction.
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groups.msn.com/JEChameleons
2.1 Chameleo Calyptratus
1 Chameleo Melleri

I apreciate you initial concern on my set-up.

My reson`s for choosing this set-up are valid in my opinion.

I stay in Scotland and i feel that mesh cages would potentially expose him to much coldness, therefore i chose the glass custom aquarium to overcome that. The overall tank dimensions are 48"x12"x36". The hood is well vented and an electronic fan run 24 hours a day to allow fresh air therefore stagnant air is not happening. As for the sand, it is Calci-Sand and it is impossible for the risk of impaction as it is 100%digestable plus the fact that i only feed him from my hand the risk of him ingesting any anyway is next to zero. The U.V light is an Exo-terra(hagen)8.0 which is replaced every four months for optimum eficciency. The Basking area has a temp of 100F and the cool end is 75F with the humidity being between 50-70%.

The tank is misted daily and although he only drink still water i have a waterfall dish with a fogger included just for appearence.

I hope this puts you at ease over my set-up although i would appreciate any further points you may have for improvement!

the point that you have made is understood, however, you appear to have forgotten that chameleons in general are solitary animals, and veileds are especially aggressive. he is currently staring at his reflection all day long, which will cause him to be in a state of agitation, which can stress him out, and lead to a shortened life. also, when you place a female in with him, he may be feeling aggressive already, and take it out on her. glass is not suitable for chameleons. as for your colder temperatures there, you could have tried a higher wattage heat lamp, like a 160 watt mvb, along with other lights aimed at the cage from different angles to create different temperature areas. try being creative with it. after all, this is a veiled, and they can stand some pretty low temperatures, a good low temp would be around mid 70's daytime, pretty easily accomplished with a low wattage bulb. also if you were to breed and have a gravid female, the stress of staring at another chameleon all day (reflection) could cause her to become egg bound, and you may lose her.
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groups.msn.com/JEChameleons
2.1 Chameleo Calyptratus
1 Chameleo Melleri

i specialize in bearded dragons, and i know for a FACT that calci sand is NOT digestible at ALL, tests show it. The package says only bull[bleep]. Ive had 2 bearded dragons die from digestion of calci sand before i did research, and have been doing that research for many months/years. Included is a picture of a baby/juvi beardie, and all the sand flushed out of him, just in the knick of time (thanks Cheri)...also, i agree with jcunitz, get rid of the glass, higher wattage bulbs can work, and if the temps are that low, get a low mtnence heater for that room.

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~David - KDRKreatures
My Main Herps-
1.2 Bearded dragons (Ralph, Artemis, Cheech)
1.0 Veiled Chameleon (Chiquito)
1.0 Black Racer Snake (Chong)
2.2 Eastern Box Turtles (Athena, Mercury, Gizmo, Galapago)
0.0.2 Leopard Geckos (Nee, Unnamed)
1.0 Ball Python (Carson)

KDRKreatures-Home Page
My Email

Yes! You need to put them into an all screen enclosure ASAP to prevent respiratory problems and long term stress.

I appreciate your comments everyone.

As i said he only feeds from my hand so ingesting the sand is not an option and as he spend s nearly all day 3 feet above the bottom that`s not going to happen. Secondly i find it hard to believe the reflection theory, as his tank is well lit and so is the room which he is in therefore the reflection would hardly be visible, if at all. Think about it, you do not see your own reflection in a window during the day when its well lit, but at night when your lights are on and its dark outside then yes you see your own reflection. He display`s no aggression towards me or the tank at any time although i did have to move him out of my bedroom because of a mirror in the opposite wall. His colours are always neutral, never displaying any dark or obscure patterns.

But still i take on your comments and i will research them thoroughly, as this is what these forums are all about.

Thanks

not usually the reflection, it's the transparency. You seem to have the ventilation solved, and the reflections are usually not a problem if the lighting's right. But the one thing that is hard to fix is the transparency. chameleons will try to climb through glass, simply because it doesn't "register" as "there" in their visually oriented mind. IF the branches are oriented correctly, this might not be a problem. If he spends any time clawing at the glass, it is. This'll drive them crazy, and it's very stressful.

You CAN get glass tanks to work, it just isn't usually as easy or cost effective as screen cages, so they aren't as good a choice, because there are so many problems to overcome. They CAN be overcome, but it usually is not worht it.

I would recommend getting a big screen cage, and a 150W bulb. The temp drops at night should be fine for him.