Why don't all my Veiled Chameleon eggs hatch?...

[Mark's Chameleons]

I breed Veiled Chameleons and I don't use an incubator. Usually, it takes 10 months for the eggs to hatch. There are times when all the eggs in a batch will hatch and there are other times when only 3/4 of the eggs in a batch hatch and the rest just sit there, eventually shrivel up and need to be discarded. Very frustating. Those eggs seem just as viable as the ones that have hatched... it's like they didn't get the memo that it is time to get up and go. I do let the babies crawl over the eggs for a while since I heard that could be a factor in getting the others to wake up. Honestly, I think it is some type of chemical thing that hatching eggs or baby Chameleons release because the hatching always starts at one end of the container and migrates to the other end. However, sometimes it just stops migrating... kind of like doing the wave in a stadium...but one section isn't paying attention and the wave just stops. Thoughts?...

 

[kinyonga]

Please describe how you set up the container. Do you lay the eggs in rows separated by a space? What substrate do you use? Is it moist enough to produce condensation on the sides of the container? Is the container in the darkness all the time or an opaque container?
Whats the maximum temperature it reaches? Do you take the lid off often?

 

[Mark's Chameleons]

Do you lay the eggs in rows separated by a space? No. What substrate do you use? Hatchrite Is it moist enough to produce condensation on the sides of the container? Yes Is the container in the darkness all the time or an opaque container? Opaque kept in open closet shelf
Whats the maximum temperature it reaches? Mid 80s Do you take the lid off often? Once every two to three weeks. Here’s a photo of a recent batch.

 

[kinyonga]

A study by Robin M. Andrews said..."changes in temperature during incubation increased the among-clutch variance in incubation length relative to constant temperatures"...so the fluctuation in your closet temperatures may have something to do with your problem.
Also...I know Robin also said that at high incubation temperatures development is disruptive and eggs have a high mortality, development rate is low and hatchlings grow slowly.

Your container is see through, not opaque...and light also causes problems.

 

[Mark's Chameleons]

Thank you for your feedback. ?

 

[kinyonga]

Hope it helps.

 

[Chase]

@kinyonga hit it on the head as usual.

I think the temp fluctuations and the light is what Is causing it.

 

[Mark's Chameleons]

The thing I find interesting though… Is that I keep all my egg Tupperware containers in the same place… Just stacked up. I had a 60 Egg batch hatch just before it with a 100% hatch rate. Batch before that was 30 eggs with 100% hatch rate. Then this one only 75% hatch rate.

 

[kinyonga]

Do you change the order of the stack at any time?
If not...What position in the 75% one in in the stack.

 

[Mark's Chameleons]

Yes, stack order changes. Babies hatch kind of in a wave... from one side of container to the other. This time wave stopped 3/4 of the way.

 

[kinyonga]

That's strange. Did you cut open the eggs that didn't hatch?

 

[Mark's Chameleons]

I opened 2. One was alive and. looked completely viable. It died within minutes. The other i think was alive but was a bit smaller. It never moved. Due to seeing these two, I thought maybe they needed some more time to brew. However, within next two weeks, they all shriveled up.

 

[kinyonga]

Was the substrate evenly moist? Beads of moisture on the inside of the walls of the container and underside of the lid??

 

[Mark's Chameleons]

Yes. I use Hatchrite.