Mating Panthers

[HarleyGirl]

I am having a problem mating my panther chameleons. The female is about 9 months old. She has been laying clutches every 10 or 11 weeks, but they are not fertilized eggs.

I introduced her to my male and she seemed to have good colour, but nothing happens. She just goes to one side of the cage and he goes to the other. Every now and then he seems to be courting her (with his "head bob") but it is shortly lived and he doesn't seem very aggressive. Once on a while she is aggressive (she opens her mouth and flares up). When this happens, I take her out and try again the next day. But this does not happen often. They just don't seem interested in one another.

Is there a particular time to put her in? By this, I mean how long after she lays a clutch should she be mated?

Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Dean Pulcini]

She might be to young , I wait until they are 1 yr before mating. And you have to be sure the act was actually committed. After a successful mating she can get 3 clutches or so . Then I wont breed her again for another year. This way she will last a long time and have future viable clutches.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

I think she is too young, I would wait a few more months.
But, here are some questions that, when answered , might help you get the answers you're seeking.
Can she see the male from where she lives normally?
How much are you feeding her and what have the clutch sizes been?
How old was she when she laid her first?

-Brad

 

[Justin Carl]

also, how old is the male?

 

[HarleyGirl]

Here are some answers...

Justin, the male is 2 years old in one month.

Brad, here are the answers to your questions:

-she cannot see the male from where she lives normally (she is in a separate room)
-she eats a variety of things: usually between 12-24 crickets she can eat in a day or a day and a half or she can eat a few wax worms/butters/and occasionally silks, when i can get them (she can eat a few of those in a day. usually no more than 3 or 4, but i try to find smaller ones for her)
-i have also been giving her the powdered calcium on her food every couple of days (usually twice a week)
-the clutch sizes have been between 20 and 24 eggs (she has had 2 clutches so far) The clutches have been about 10 or 11 weeks apart
-she was about 7 months when she had the first clutch

i hope that helps clarify my situation
Thanks for the responses. I think i will wait until she is 1 year old

 

[Ashley]

What size are your crickets? I think you are overfeeding her... by quite a bit. My female gets like 4 or 5 medium to large crickets a day. I also dust with calcium about 4 or 5 days a week. Calcium is extra important when she is gravid and right after she lays.
Her laying eggs so often could be a direct correlation to the amount you are feeding her.
Let's hear what everyone else says though.

 

[Kent67]

HG,

How many clutches has she already laid?

As to your question about the problems with breeding them....No one has mentioned that the female is not your problem, even though some may think she's too young. If the male is not interested in breeding with her, that's the first problem to solve. You could maybe try showing him another male or his own reflection to get him fired up and aggressive. Let him think he's won a battle with a rival male and then show him your girl again. Might change his whole attitude. Otherwise, it could just be a seasonal thing for whatever locality yours are and he will be more interested in a few months.

 

[HarleyGirl]

"Ashley" - I find that she usually eats about 1 dozen 1/2" crickets a day (on a good day). I guess I should have clarified, sorry, I tend to keep the crickets in and I find that in a day or 2, all 12-24 are almost all eaten, so I guess you can say she really eats more like 6 1/2" crickets per day and sometimes closer to 10 on a bigger appetite. I just figured she eats more to gain strength. When there are no crickets left, I don't want it to ever be empty, so I pretty much always try to have about 12 crickets in there once she has eaten them (or I sometimes substitute for the worms I stated above).
I was told that in the wild they can eat like 100 bugs a day, so in captivity about 12-24 is not bad for them. Is this too much then?
I dust calcium a little more often when she's closer to clutch time (like every other day). So far she has had 2 clutches since I have had her. I got her at about 5 months old. Is it really true that feeding a lot can lead to sooner clutches? What is the normal period between one clutch to the next? She seems to lay eggs every 10 or 11 weeks. Is that normal?

"Kent67" - I will try what you said about my male. Maybe it is a seasonal thing, since it is winter here, but I didn't think seasons mattered very much when they are indoors most of their lives. My male is very calm all the time. He has never really been aggressive at all, so maybe you are right about the mirror idea. I can try that out. I just thought that when he does that sort of "mating dance" where he bobs his head up and down, that it means he is interested in the female. Why do the males do that?

Thanks for all the responses.