Pygmy egg question

[CanadianJackson]

anybody know if pygmy eggs are triggered to hatch when others begin to like veileds?? I have a couple clutches in the same container just worried that when the first ones hatch, the ones that aren't ready yet are gonna be stimulated to hatch out too early. Maybe I'll just play it safe and switch them now.

Thanks

[Trace]

Did someone mention pygmy chams? My favourite topic!

Yup, the older, hatching pygmies will cause the newer, younger eggs to start hatching, or, at least sweating and you'll have the possibility of loosing those subsequent clutches. I did it once a few years ago and never again. Stupid me.

Good luck with any pygmy eggs though, we need more CB animals in the gene pool up here. How far along is that first clutch?

Cheers!

Trace

P.S. Like I tell everyone else working with the Rhamphs, make sure you've got plenty teeny-weeny little bugs for them to eat, AND KEEP THEM COOL!!!!!

[Ethan1]

What type of species of Rhampholeons do you have Trace?

[CanadianJackson]

thanks for the info, I moved them to different containers already. The first ones are due around mid-september the same time as a couple clutches of veileds and my jacksons are due around then, its gonna be a busy fall for me lol. I'm incubating them at 22c is that cool enough??

[Trace]

Right now I'm working with the R. brevicaudatus, the R. temporalis and the R. uluguruensis species. I'm up to my armpits in gravid females, eggs and babies. These little buggers keep me very busy, BUT I love every minute of it.

22c is fine. I wouldn't go too much hotter than that. I think that warmer temperatures will get them to hatch faster, but I don't think the babies are as healthy and strong for it. Currently I'm incubating any Rhampholeon eggs at 20-21C with a natural fall of temperatures at night.

Again, good luck with the eggs... and yup, you will be busy next month! Post some pics of the little guys when they hatch.

Cheers!

Trace

[CanadianJackson]

Mine are at constant 22 do you think that is OK?? the temp in my house fluctuates too much, so I felt it was safer to use an incubator since I had an empty one sitting around.

Thanks
Rory

[Ethan1]

I bet you do like every minute with them. I really miss mine. The Bearded Pygmy Chameleon is really neat, like the buzzing they do and they are very cute. So are the Ulu's. Good Luck Breeding them Trace. I am thinking of getting a Jewelled Chameleon as my next chameleon.

[Trace]

Mine are at constant 22 do you think that is OK??

I would think that would be fine. Since I posted last on this thread, I went downstairs and checked my temps for you. Currently the R. temporalis egg container is at 21.7C... not much off from what you've got. I don't have an incubator, I like the natural rise and fall of temperatures for any chameleon eggs I'm incubating. That being said; the temperatures in my house vary greatly just like your place. I find the lower levels of my house are cooler and that's where I incubate the Rhamphs and any montane species of chameleon eggs I get. My heat loving species of chameleons (calyptratus, pardalis etc.); their eggs are incubated on the top level of my house, which is the wamrest floor. Follow me?

The things I do for my dang animals.

Cheers!

Trace

[CanadianJackson]

Cool thanks, just one more question and I'll leave you alone, lol

Whats the average clutch size for R. brevicaudatus?? One of my females laid 7 eggs the other day all the others have been 3 or 4.

thanks

[Trace]

7!!!!!!!!!!!

Holy cow! That's a big clutch. She must have looked like a sausage before she laid those. Normal clutches are between 1 and 4. One of my females, "Tank" regularly lays 5 at a go and I thought that was a large amount each time.

Are you sure you've got an R. brevicaudatus there? Some of the other Rhamph species will lay larger clutches of eggs at a go.

Cheers!

Trace

[meow_mix450]

haha, i wanted to grab some food for my self, but then i droped by my pet store and they had silkworms and butter so i got those instead, never got my food, they get better food then i do, lucky little guys

Meow

[Ethan1]

1-5 eggs is probably right.

[CanadianJackson]

Yeah I'm pretty sure thats what they are they look exactly like pics of brevicaudatus. I'll try and get some pics posted of them tomorrow, just in case.

[latazyo]

Trace, how do you keep your hatchlings

we kept our 4 hatchlings in a 2.5g aquarium with bed a beast, etc and the little buggers died...my guess is starvation as in they were unable to find the tiny fruit flies in such a "large" area

any recommendations for a hatchling enclosure?

[Trace]

LOL!!! You are probably correct with your species of chameleon there. The brevs are mostly what I see as WC imports these days, up here in Canada anyways.

Post some pics though, I'd like to see her. And, more importantly, document this particular clutch. Date laid, date hatched, temps... all that good stuff. I've personally never heard of a 7 egg clutch from a brevicaudatus female, but stranger things have happened. I'm, by far, the expert (although trying hard to be) on the Rhamphs.

Cheers!

Trace

[CanadianJackson]

I keep track of all that stuff, have too with so many things laying and hatching its too hard to keep track of whats happening when without writing everything down.

I was told the ones I bought were captive bred from wild caught imports.

[Trace]

My hatchlings are kept in SMALL kritter keepers. And I mean small, like the 3"x6"x4" ones, a few sticks and that's it! No dirt, no plants, nothing. The entire clutch goes into one container and are left in there until ,well, they outgrow it. So far all of my babies are still in their small keepers! They are misted lightly once daily in the morning and given 4 or 5 appropriate sized crickets each in the evening.

Again, I can't stress this enough, keep the babies cool.

Cheers!

Trace

[dank7oo]

Let me know when the few you have are for sale (two 2 males was it).

Jason

[CarlC]

Not to take this thread away from Trace but I thought I might chime in on how I raise my brev babies.
I tried right afetr hatching putting them in a 1 gallon enclosure. I kept them in there for 3 or 4 days. They would not eat. I moved them into the smallest size critter keeper. Worked like a charm! I use no substrate and just put a few small twigs or vines in. I also could not get them to eat pinheads. They would only start with 7 day old crickets. So far this has worked with 2 clutch's with 6 babies total.

Carl

[meow_mix450]

7 day old crickets wow thats small

Meow

[CarlC]

They are pretty small. I get them all the way down to 1 day old from my supplier and they are tiny.

Carl