Second batch of eggs and size Oh My!

CasqueAbove

Chameleon Enthusiast
So my girl finally laid her eggs. This would be a hold over clutch.
Backstory.
Her last clutch, she was over fed but not fat, was 59 eggs. This was Dec 23. Since that point I learned more, and decreased diet, monitoring weight.
So now it is 4 months later, no breeding this time of course, and she finally lays , I knew she was gravid.

So we know they can hold over so no surprise there. But what was unexpected was egg size. 36 eggs this time, but they are 1/3 the size.

I just found this interesting. I included pick of one next to first eggs. IMG_0515.JPG
 
Are you incubating them anyway?

No doesn’t seem right. Even if fertile, are they gonna be healthy?
I have read second clutches can be weaker babies. This seems beyond that.
I am a little curious but no. I won’t hatch something I believe will die.
 
So my girl finally laid her eggs. This would be a hold over clutch.
Backstory.
Her last clutch, she was over fed but not fat, was 59 eggs. This was Dec 23. Since that point I learned more, and decreased diet, monitoring weight.
So now it is 4 months later, no breeding this time of course, and she finally lays , I knew she was gravid.

So we know they can hold over so no surprise there. But what was unexpected was egg size. 36 eggs this time, but they are 1/3 the size.

I just found this interesting. I included pick of one next to first eggs.View attachment 264540
What's a hold over clutch?
 
What more would you like me to tell you?

Tiny eggs are usually infertile in my experience...but they should also be yellowish if they're infertile.
 
I do know that eating less can affect follicle size...so if the follicles are smaller I would guess that they would lead to smaller eggs...but now I'll have to see if I can find that and also what it does to hatchling size.
 
What more would you like me to tell you?

Tiny eggs are usually infertile in my experience...but they should also be yellowish if they're infertile.

Oh , just that you have seen them. I could not find any info. I figured, but wasn’t sure. I did not expect the size difference.
 
I'm looking for information. I do remember years ago having a batch of Panther eggs that were smaller than normal to start off with and the hatchlings were fine....but the female wasn't on the diet.
 
I know of one case of two gecko eggs in the same clutch where one was almost double the size of the other and the result was that the gecko from the smaller egg hatched smaller and became a smaller adult...but it was not part of a study...just one person's report.
 
One obvious thing I don't know why I did t catch..is that the new egg in with the clutch from several months ago?? If so, you do know that eggs grow as they incubate don't you?

(I think I need some sleep. Can't believe I missed that. Geesh!)
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom