egg records......

It concerns me that looking after Lily 'properly' could, ultimately, shorten her life just as much as getting things wrong! :( I guess I shall have to be 'cruel to be kind' with regards to food, as I would love to have Lily around for a good few years yet!
 
When a veiled chameleon lays eggs, you want to feed her well for a couple of days so she will regain her strength...but then from my experience, cutting back on the feeding seems to keep the female from producing too many eggs in the next clutch. This control of diet at that time seems to keep the number follicles ovulating low. I'm saying this from experience...I don't know of any studies that have proven or disproven it yet. All I know is that I seem to be able to keep the veiled females from laying any eggs at all (or laying small clutches) by the way I keep them.
 
I would love a female to go with my male(not to breed i dont trust myself yet) but im worried about getting things wrong, especially with the laying situation :(
I'd feel so bad if i lost a girl cos she'd layed too many eggs.
 
I would love a female to go with my male(not to breed i dont trust myself yet) but im worried about getting things wrong, especially with the laying situation :(
I'd feel so bad if i lost a girl cos she'd layed too many eggs.

Your female wont die from laying to many eggs in her first clutch, its only if she is being mated and laying eggs lets say every 4 months that will probably kill her in less than a year.
So maybe if you want a fertile clutch mate her only once a year, and cut down on food and temps if you dont want her to lay any infertile clutches and that should make sure she stays healthy for atleast 5-7 years.
 
The problem is that they develop eggs, mated or not, when conditions are right. If conditions are sub-optimal, they will delay develepment of eggs usually. It's very hard to get them laying small clutches after huge clutches. They tend to follow a trend for a while, especially if you have no means of really cooling them down - low 70's or 60's at night.

I've been keeping veileds for about 15 years, and I've tried all sorts of things. What works best for me is low feedings (it's healthier for them, and cheaper for me), and cool night time temps. I usually had clutches in the 30's and 40's in Raleigh. After moving to the mountains, where temps are never higher than the 70's at night (and almost always cooler), I've not had a clutch over 35 - all but one were under 30. And I've increased feedings compared to when I lived in the warmer lowlands.

I never limit their light, and I never let them go for long periods without food. Those things may be effective in keeping non-breeding females from developing infertile eggs, which will probably increase their life expectancy. I'm not looking for unnaturally long life, but a very long, natural life - I breed all my females, and I want them to live as long as possible while still breeding them.

If you have a single pet, you want to listen to kinyonga - She's got the "long lived, non-breeding, female veiled" thing down pat.
 
Thats a little more than average.
And average amount is from about 30-50.
Was she mated are the eggs fertile?

Yes, she was mated and all of them appear to be fertile. I could tell she was getting a lot bigger than I expected. I am not planning on breeding her again in the near future. At least wait another year or so, maybe not again, who knows.
 
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