Vibrant Chameleons
Avid Member
What's the best way to Acclimate gravid WC female Panthers? Will they drop their clutches of eggs like normal? Has anyone had problems with a WC becoming egg bound when they were shipped gravid?
Acclimating Gravid WC Females?
- Thread starter Vibrant Chameleons
- Start date
Chameleon Nation
Avid Member
wild caughts
Most of the wild caught females that were shipped to me were gravid. All but one laid their eggs as normal. However, one female walked around the enclosure dropping eggs all over the place. She dropped all of them on the bottom and was fine afterwards. She is already receptive again so I was thinking of throwing her in with one of the new males soon.
Most of the wild caught females that were shipped to me were gravid. All but one laid their eggs as normal. However, one female walked around the enclosure dropping eggs all over the place. She dropped all of them on the bottom and was fine afterwards. She is already receptive again so I was thinking of throwing her in with one of the new males soon.
CleanLineChameleons
Avid Member
In my opinion, wc gravid females are the most difficult to deal with. Many times they can hold their clutches for months until they feel conformable. Also it can be hard to tell if they are gravid because non receptive coloration is very close to if not the same as gravid coloration. Also, I personally do not like to start worm and parasite treatments while females are gravid, so this is where complications arise. But, no I have not have any become egg bound...nock on wood. Good luck with them!
-chris
-chris
Justin Carl
Avid Member
Hello!
Well, I just thought I would post on here.
I recently got a female WC ambilobe.
She has been in my care for a week tomorrow.
She seems to be acclimating very well.
She is eating 6 1/2" crickets a day and seems to be a closet drinker.
The first two days I had her she drank like crazy, but not as much anymore.
She is still a little on the slow side.
She likes to sit under her basking light all day with her tail curled up.
Chris, I hope she dosent hold a clucth for several months!
She is a massive 40g, but looks gravid which she most likely is because she has love scratches.
Well, I just thought I would post on here.
I recently got a female WC ambilobe.
She has been in my care for a week tomorrow.
She seems to be acclimating very well.
She is eating 6 1/2" crickets a day and seems to be a closet drinker.
The first two days I had her she drank like crazy, but not as much anymore.
She is still a little on the slow side.
She likes to sit under her basking light all day with her tail curled up.
Chris, I hope she dosent hold a clucth for several months!
She is a massive 40g, but looks gravid which she most likely is because she has love scratches.
Last edited:
Vibrant Chameleons
Avid Member
Love scratches... I love it hahaha. On a serious note, have you tried to pulpate her belly Justin? Do you have a picture of the love scratched beauty?
Justin Carl
Avid Member
Love scratches... I love it hahaha. On a serious note, have you tried to pulpate her belly Justin? Do you have a picture of the love scratched beauty?
Yea, here ya go.
Let me know what you think.
ChromaChameleons
New Member
thats one hot female...hubba hubba
Justin Carl
Avid Member
You should see her now!
That was the day I go her, so she was a bit stressed.
Now she is about to shed, so she has that nasty, green, funk skin.
Hopefully it will be off by next week.
That was the day I go her, so she was a bit stressed.
Now she is about to shed, so she has that nasty, green, funk skin.
Hopefully it will be off by next week.
chamlover
New Member
How can a female hold a clutch for several months without becoming egg-bound? I recentlly purchased a female and male w/c NosyBe who were mating the day i bought them. She is quite large weighing in at 86 grm. She has only gained a couple of gr since i got her but her belly looks very large. While pulpating her abdomen i dont feel any eggs but i still swear she is gravid. No signs of digging or anything else though. But now you have me worried.
Debby
Debby
Vibrant Chameleons
Avid Member
Very nice looking Justin. The color of her casque is awesome. It looks like "love scratches" but it could just be from being shipped too. She's either gravid or non receptive, hard to tell.
Justin Carl
Avid Member
Debby, I was thinking the same thing.
I would say Chris has more experience then myself.
Can they delay the development of the eggs?
We will see in the next couple of weeks.
No, I didnt feel any eggs today, but I only held her for a few minutes.
Here you go Vibrant!
I would say Chris has more experience then myself.
Can they delay the development of the eggs?
We will see in the next couple of weeks.
No, I didnt feel any eggs today, but I only held her for a few minutes.
Here you go Vibrant!
Justin Carl
Avid Member
Alright, so, captive bred chameleons are incredibly lazy!
I just got done feeding everyone this morning, and, for once, I had time to watch everyone eat.
You already know that I have a WC female ambilobe, but I also have a MONSTER Florida WC veiled.
After I sat down to watch them I eat Girl, female veiled, was going crazy eating 10 crickets in about a minute.
She only shoots her tongue about 7-8 inches.
Chester, male veiled, is pretty slow.
He just sits and waits for something to come by.
He wont shoot his tongue further then 6-7 inches, and I've even seen him walk up to a cricket with his tongue sticking out and just poke it.
Lazy ass!
Now for the wild caught chameleons it's a different story!
I've never seen a tongue come out so far!
My little 40g WC ambilobe will hit 10 inches like it's nothing!
She also likes to hold prey in her mouth before chewing it.
My WC veiled is a sniper!
Well over a foot and a half if you hand feed and make him stretch out.
Anyways, I didn't know where to post this, but it seemed alright.
Not to mention Chris is online and I wanted him to see the thread.
I just got done feeding everyone this morning, and, for once, I had time to watch everyone eat.
You already know that I have a WC female ambilobe, but I also have a MONSTER Florida WC veiled.
After I sat down to watch them I eat Girl, female veiled, was going crazy eating 10 crickets in about a minute.
She only shoots her tongue about 7-8 inches.
Chester, male veiled, is pretty slow.
He just sits and waits for something to come by.
He wont shoot his tongue further then 6-7 inches, and I've even seen him walk up to a cricket with his tongue sticking out and just poke it.
Lazy ass!
Now for the wild caught chameleons it's a different story!
I've never seen a tongue come out so far!
My little 40g WC ambilobe will hit 10 inches like it's nothing!
She also likes to hold prey in her mouth before chewing it.
My WC veiled is a sniper!
Well over a foot and a half if you hand feed and make him stretch out.
Anyways, I didn't know where to post this, but it seemed alright.
Not to mention Chris is online and I wanted him to see the thread.
Vibrant Chameleons
Avid Member
Debby, I was thinking the same thing.
I would say Chris has more experience then myself.
Can they delay the development of the eggs?
We will see in the next couple of weeks.
No, I didnt feel any eggs today, but I only held her for a few minutes.
Here you go Vibrant!
The color of her head is just awesome Justin! She's going to be a nice bloodline to work with, that's for damn sure
CleanLineChameleons
Avid Member
There are a few things that I have learned working with wild caughts and a few things that still puzzle me. Ok first what I have learned, they come in very very dehydrated and sometimes after a few months you feel you have them completely hydrated and where they need to be and then boom, they keel over. Not a pleasant thing but I have had 2 out of about 40 look to be completely healthy, eating and drinking and strong, then the next day I found them on the bottom of the cages I work very closely with Matt Wheelock and he does full fledge autopsies on any that I bring him. Well the two that that died unexpectedly had enflamed livers which could very well be linked/caused by dehydration. So, I feel that the average hobbyist should not buy a WC unless it has been stateside for a few months. But now back to WC females, I have only seen maybe one or two wild caught females come in showing receptive colors, it is a rarity. Also almost all the ones I have gotten have been gravid, from the beginning (jelly belly stage) to the stage where you can feel calcified eggs. I have had some lay eggs within a month and I have had some lay eggs 4 months after I received them. For example, I had two wc female nosy bes come in at the end of this January showing gravid or non-receptive colors. The smaller of the two laid 4 clutches in 4 months and the larger of the two just laid one clutch in May. The first two clutches out of the smaller one were not good and the last two are, the one clutch out of the larger one also is good. I honestly don't think that we have it all figured out, I know I still have a lot to learn. There is also one more story that I can't figure out, I have a F1 female that I waited until she was a year old to breed. I bred her the beginning of last November. She laid clutch one on December 25 then the next clutch February 20 and then a third on May 3. There was no additional breeding in between clutches. Each of the first two clutches have one egg that isn't looking good and the last clutch that was laid in May has about 5. This puzzles me because there is 6 months between breeding and her last good clutch. So, basically I guess I am trying to say, I honestly don't know how long they can retain sperm and I don't know how long that they can delay egg development. But I do think with WC stress is a huge factor from the amount of good eggs to when they decide to lay them.
Remember these are just a few odd cases, most of mine lay a month after they bred and then another clutch about a month and a half after that.
-chris
I work very closely with Matt Wheelock and he does full fledge autopsies on any that I bring him. Well the two that that died unexpectedly had enflamed livers which could very well be linked/caused by dehydration. So, I feel that the average hobbyist should not buy a WC unless it has been stateside for a few months. But now back to WC females, I have only seen maybe one or two wild caught females come in showing receptive colors, it is a rarity. Also almost all the ones I have gotten have been gravid, from the beginning (jelly belly stage) to the stage where you can feel calcified eggs. I have had some lay eggs within a month and I have had some lay eggs 4 months after I received them. For example, I had two wc female nosy bes come in at the end of this January showing gravid or non-receptive colors. The smaller of the two laid 4 clutches in 4 months and the larger of the two just laid one clutch in May. The first two clutches out of the smaller one were not good and the last two are, the one clutch out of the larger one also is good. I honestly don't think that we have it all figured out, I know I still have a lot to learn. There is also one more story that I can't figure out, I have a F1 female that I waited until she was a year old to breed. I bred her the beginning of last November. She laid clutch one on December 25 then the next clutch February 20 and then a third on May 3. There was no additional breeding in between clutches. Each of the first two clutches have one egg that isn't looking good and the last clutch that was laid in May has about 5. This puzzles me because there is 6 months between breeding and her last good clutch. So, basically I guess I am trying to say, I honestly don't know how long they can retain sperm and I don't know how long that they can delay egg development. But I do think with WC stress is a huge factor from the amount of good eggs to when they decide to lay them.Remember these are just a few odd cases, most of mine lay a month after they bred and then another clutch about a month and a half after that.
-chris
