eggs thining?

[chamer]

Hi, hope you can help. This is my first clutch of eggs. they are about 4 months old and doing well. My daughter says she has seen them moving? My question is some of the shells are looking thin? With whiter spots? The humitity is still good at about 95%. Is this normal? I just lost the female panther she just kept laying eggs 4 in a row!! and I breed her only one time. I would hate to loose her eggs too!

 

[laurie]

We will let people who have expierence with panther eggs but in my limited knowledge the eggs should not be "moving". Do you actually mean seeing movement of the eggs or within the eggs? Sounds strange either way.

 

[kinyonga]

When they are getting close to hatching the eggs can move as the babies move around inside them. It shocked me the first time I saw it happen...thought my imagination or wishful thinking had gotten the best of me!

They also get marks on them that look like someone spilled vegetable oil on them (I call them windows) as they get closer to hatching.

Since you lost the female and because she was dropping eggs a few at a time, you should look at your husbandry. Why not post it here and we might be able to figure out what needs to be changed?

Can you post a picture of the eggs too?

I've never candled chameleon eggs, but I have candled many of the other species that I have had eggs from. Its amazing how you can see the babies moving around inside the eggs!

 

[chamer]

Thanks for the information, so close to hatching could be still a month or more away right? The female was doing well, she layed her first clutch that was infertal, after being breed only one time. She then continued to lay appx 40 eggs ever other month for the next 6 months!! She just would not stop and I feel she just was too weak. I had increased her calcium and I have had cham for many years just had never breed them before. I am still getting over the loss, but the thought of the babies keeps me going. I am not good with computers so cant post photos, maybe when my husband comes home this week end we can try. Thanks again I will just keep my eye on them

 

[jojackson]

'windows' in the shell, weaker patches, can indicate calcium deficiency during gestation, but if they otherwise look ok they probably are.
Good luck with the hatching, congrats.
Abundant food will trigger a females reproductive cycle and larger clutches, which draw enormous reserves from the lizard.
Sorry about your female.
Best wishes

P.S Laurie, actual slight movement of eggs by the developing babie (pers obs var sp.) has been noted on occasion, as when candling, the embryo turns to avoid the harsh light.
Its quite cool!

 

[kinyonga]

I have had no success yet stopping panther chameleons from continuously producing clutches...I can only seem to get the number of eggs per clutch to be lower. The method of diet and slightly lower temperatures that I use for veileds doesn't stop the panther females.

Hopefully the windows are only the thinning of the shell as hatch time approaches and not from a lack of calcium in the mother...but only time will tell.

 

[chamer]

Thanks for the kind words, if they are at 4 months might they hatch next month?

 

[Julirs]

Panther eggs usually take longer than 6 months-you probably have a few more to go. My last 2 clutches hatched at 8 months and 7 months incubated at room temp here in Tampa.

 

[chamer]

Thanks Julirs, I saw you just had a lot hatch, how many babies made it? So if the eggs are thining they may not make it?

 

[Chameleon Company]

They also get marks on them that look like someone spilled vegetable oil on them

I wish that I had enough imagination to put it like that ! Next life.

Chamer, outside of maintaining a proper substrate moisture and temperature, there is nothing that you can do at this point but wait and hope. Panther eggs can hatch in as little as five months with a rushed diapause (not recommended), and better timed at about 6 1/2 months with a safer diapause. With no diapause, 7-10 months is the most likely window, but longer is not uncommon. Good luck.