do females have shorter lives if you breed them?

[sarahlynne]

do females have shorter lives if you breed them??

 

[nightanole]

Yes. In the wild if you live to see your eggs hatch you are the 1%.

Id be happy to get 4 years out of a breeder. And no i would not be breeding all those years.

 

[sandrachameleon]

yes, it is generally believed that females that lay a lot of eggs (whether or not those eggs are fertilized) will not live as long as females you keep in conditions that limit egg production.

 

[tracysimpson]

yes, it is generally believed that females that lay a lot of eggs (whether or not those eggs are fertilized) will not live as long as females you keep in conditions that limit egg production.

That's sad what if u only do it once or twice???

 

[deadhd5]

Her life can be prolonged if you reduce feeding to about 5 adult crickets (or equivalent other feeders) every other day as well as keeping her "basking" area from 80-83 degrees.

You can normalize her food intake when you breed her, and then work it back down after she recovers from laying. Breeding will still reduce her lifespan, but this method will minimize the impact.

I have read that a girl can go her whole life without laying if this schedule is respected and she is never bred.

 

[Miss Lily]

I have had two females - the first one I fed her all that she wanted (before I knew better) and kept her too warm. This pushed her into laying two infertile clutches of over 100 eggs each and she only lived for 18 months. My second female I fed less from 6 months of age and kept her cooler (around 83F) and she only laid one clutch of infertiles and lived for 3 years. That is all the proof that I need that laying larger clutches/laying more often does shorten their lives ( which are not long enough anyway).

 

[bifidus]

Nope.
Chameleon females will lay a unfertilized eggs if you breed them or not. No difference. If you will not make correct conditions to lay eggs than eggbound die immediately. If you do not let them copulate they will lay eggs later but they will. I believe by proper breeding strategy (do not let them copulate prematurely) the reproducing females will live as long as those laying unfertilized eggs.

Temperatures affect life span at most, especially high night temperatures (when the organism is not "switching off"). Overfeeding as well.

My personal opinion if you do not want breed do not purchase female. By most species males are more pretty and easier to care for. Chameleons have life strategy "breed as soon and big as possible". You can not fight with it.
Leave females to breeders, choose male like pet.

 

[EnterTheDragon]

I think it looks like there are so many factors involved, but the ammount of eggs is more important than whether they have been fertilised or not.
I am not totally sure, and I have never bred from chameleons myself, but I don't think it can be the sex which shortens the life, it is the pace at which the female chameleon will eat and digest that makes the biggest effects. So temps and food are the major things, assuming all other care is ok.

 

[sandrachameleon]

That's sad what if u only do it once or twice???

Do what once or twice?
Like I said, its the egg production more than the fertilization that is the important factor. the more eggs, the short the life.

what type of chameleon are we talking about?

 

[sarahlynne]

panther chams

 

[sarahlynne]

thanks everyone xx

 

[tracysimpson]

Do what once or twice?
Like I said, its the egg production more than the fertilization that is the important factor. the more eggs, the short the life.

what type of chameleon are we talking about?

I have a ambilobe she's two wanting to breed her in a couple months

 

[sarahlynne]

I have a ambilobe she's two wanting to breed her in a couple months

Well I wish you the best of luck xx