My new pygmy chameleons!

[FishChum]

Hello
Im new to this forum. Just got two pygmy leaf chameleons. Think a male and female. They have been in my care for 5 days now. Seen them drink and eat lots. Vary Healthy looking. My temps range from aprox 75 at nite to 82 max. Humidity runs from 70% min over night to 100% soon after mysting. There viv is heavaly planted. Substraght is soil coverd in moss with plants planted drectly into the soil not potted. There are grape vines for climbing. The tank was origenaly set you for a Vailed chameleon, but the avalibilty and anticapation was killing me. The viv is a 55 so the pygmy chames are lost in there, lol. could probly add more but for now its just the two.

I dont know much about chame breading, but the female (suspected female) looks to be holding eggs. Can anyone help with sexing the two, and how i can tell if the female is holding eggs?

 

[FishChum]

Couple more shots

 

[FishChum]

Better Pics (any sexing ideas?)

got some better pics! My best guess is a male and female, they look young?

 

[Ionstorm]

They are looking good. Nice tank setup also.

In your 3rd post. Pic1 looks female and Pic2 looks male.

 

[FishChum]

Thanks, thats rock! Was hopping for that. I kinda have an eye for scailly things. So my totaly uneducated guess at the pet shop was good. I suspect the female to have eggs in her. If anyone could point me toword more info about breading that would be vary cool? They are Rhampholeon-Brevicaudatus? Right?

 

[Julirs]

Tank looks great, but you need to get your temps down. Brevs are happiest in the low 70's-mid 70's for a high. In the 80's they go downhill fast. Also looks like you have 2 males there.

 

[FishChum]

Oh well thats not good news. Are you shure? Ill move my tank to a cooler spot. So much conflicting info out there. Is Rhampholeon brevicaudatus right?

 

[Julirs]

Yes they are Brevs, and yes I am pretty sure they are both males. They do look good and healthy. I am also positive about your temps. With that size tank you can add about 6 females and you will have herds of babies in no time!

 

[FishChum]

LOL , Its a 55 gallon, 4 foot x 19 inch x 12 inchs. Can you give me anynmore idea how to tell the sex? The tank is in the warmest room in my home. I set it up for a vailed so the temps where good, Ill move it to a new spot, for now i have covered the heat vent and opened the top a little to drop the temp. Already planing an AC unit for the summer.
Thanks

 

[Julirs]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/sexing-pygmies-101-a-35381/

 

[FishChum]

My best guess and hunch is still that there is a male and female. Im going by the length of tail the spikes on the back and the over all size and shape. But then there is realy just the two to compare. The larger one has a pregnet looking belly when it relaxes (the 1st pic in the 3ed post). Maybe Ill try for better pics. A herd of Chams sounds cool. lol

 

[FishChum]

ok got a few more pics, He/She was hunting just as I started to take the pics and it made a run for it. he/she cought a cricket seconds after this though, so its all good. I have no idea on this, you are the expert. so here goes nothing. lol Allso would you say they look young?

 

[Julirs]

Still looks like a young male to me.

 

[FishChum]

eureka!

eureka! OK now I can tell the difference between males and females, its so easy. Besides all the normal characteristics distinguishing males and females, there is one obvious difference that is allways accurate on mature Rhampholeon brevicaudatus. It's so easy, I don't know how to word this in an unoffensive way. A male has a bulge at the base of his tail where the hempine are stored. Females arch in at the same spot. LOL its so easy.
And Yes I have a boy and a girl.

 

[Julirs]

Ummm-that does not always work on young Brevs.

 

[FishChum]

Eggs?

OK ,not only is she definitely female. But she look to have a few eggs ready to come out any day. Id say looks like 3 or 4 lumps in there. She has been avoiding the male and mostly eating and sleeping. Some links for info about breading would be vary helpful right now. How can i tell if the eggs are fertile? I hope to let them incubate in the tank. Will loos crickets be a problem to eggs? Is it recommended to remove them to incubate them?
Thanks for any help at all

 

[Julirs]

OK ,not only is she definitely female. But she look to have a few eggs ready to come out any day. Id say looks like 3 or 4 lumps in there. She has been avoiding the male and mostly eating and sleeping. Some links for info about breading would be vary helpful right now. How can i tell if the eggs are fertile? I hope to let them incubate in the tank. Will loos crickets be a problem to eggs? Is it recommended to remove them to incubate them?
Thanks for any help at all

If a female has eggs you can feel them, like tic tacs in her stomach. If your substrate is moist enough, you can incubate in the tank. I have done both. You can also prepare vermiculite or perlite and incubate as any other chameleon egg. At least this way you KNOW when the babies hatch. The female should not be sleeping during the day. Crickets should not bother the eggs, but have been known to attack and eat neonates.

Gravid females are really quite round, and it still does not look round enough to be a gravid female-maybe take a picture from the top or front?

 

[FishChum]

I'm not going to Disturb her for a pic. She seems healthy enough to me. I can see what looks like 3-4 tic-tacs in her belly when she is relaxed. If she wants to have a nap I'm going to let her, lol. She is a young gravid female, who's to ague with her if she wants to sleep. Not to mention i have only had them 6 days. They probably have traveled a long way to get to my tank, lazyness is to be expected if you ask me.

 

[FishChum]

Here is the working thery now, at the pet shop she looked vary female. After traviling and being housed with the male she then turned male looking, she did that to put off the male, becase she has allready mated sucsecefully and dosnt want his atention. So as a chameleon she did what she does best and comoflaged her self as a male.

 

[Julirs]

OK-LOL! The fact is what will happen will happen. ANY chameleon closing eyes during the day is a sign that something is wrong-but with pygs, there is absolutely nothing you can do anyways, so your methodology of leaving them alone to do what they will do is actually perfect!