Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am thinking about getting into mountain and quad chameleons but I want to see if it is even worth while. I heard that they can be difficult to breed and lay rather small clutches. I can find some information on how to house adults, but very little on breeding (only that is is difficult) and nothing on incubation (temp. or how long it takes the eggs to hatch). If anyone can help (Either tell me a website or yourself), it would be greatly appricaited. Thanks

In keeping both these species in the past I have found that successful breeding comes down to keeping these species as close to thier natural environment as possible. Low temps very high humidity and simulating the rainy season is the best way to go about breeding them. As for the small clutch sizes you are correct in that aspect clutches are generally 6-10 eggs for montiums and 12-16 eggs for quadricornis. Incubation temps for montiums should be between 73-76ºF during the day with a night time drop into the mid-high 60's. Incubation time for montiums is approximatly 4-6 months. Incubation temps for quadricornis is between 70-74ºF during the day with a night time drop to about 65-67ºF. Incubation time for quadricornis is approximatly 5-8 months.

Thank you very much for that information, that helped alot. But just another quick question, how many clutches per year can a female produce?

The gestation period for the females seems to be longer than most other species of chameleons. Generally 6-10 weeks for montiums and 10-16 weeks for quadricornis. Montiums in the wild only breed during the rainy season in captivity they will breed more frequently so I would say between 3-4 clutches from montiums and 2-3 for quadricornis. It also depends on the female and the time you give them between breedings. I recommend at least 2-3 months from the time she lays to the time you would breed her again.