Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am ready to breed my panther chameleons. I realize the incubation temps need to be somewhere in the mid to lower 70's. This is a problem for me. Nine months out of the year my house says at 80 or above. Has anyone found a way to keep eggs cool when the temps are warmer?

Start checking the temps in closets, cupboards (such as under the bathroom sink), crawlspaces, etc. in your house. Find the coolest spot for future reference. If no spot stays in that temp range reliably, you may have to set up a controlled temp Hovabator in a styrofoam cooler. I know I've seen articles on how to do this. You could also keep cool packs or water jugs in the fridge and rotate them on top of or next to your egg container? Test it out first.

Another idea. Find a small fridge or chest freezer at a dump or thrift shop to use as the "cabinet" and you could cool it with cold water jugs, ice packs, or even a small portable window air conditioner.

Check with your local appliance repair. They almost always have non-working fridges you can use. Or run a free ad (as in craig's list) requesting a free fridge. You'd be surprised how big a response this sort of ad will get!
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Victor Gomez
gomezvi.tripod.com/sdchamkeepers/
gomezvi@yahoo.com

Last summer I needed 45 days at a steady 62 degrees for my Carpet eggs, and I acheived this by propping open the door slightly on a small dorm-style fridge. Not so good for the electric bill, but it did help hatch out my eggs. I slipped in one of the temp gauges with an extension feature so I didn't have to open the fridge too often, but could easily monitor the temp inside several times per week, if not daily.