{"id":6293,"date":"2017-12-13T13:30:29","date_gmt":"2017-12-13T12:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.madcham.de\/?p=6293"},"modified":"2021-05-24T11:18:51","modified_gmt":"2021-05-24T09:18:51","slug":"inkubation-der-eier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.madcham.de\/en\/inkubation-der-eier\/","title":{"rendered":"Incubation of eggs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Successful breeding of a chameleon species is the goal of many engaged chameleon keepers. Only those who breeds chameleons can help a species survive and last in captivity. Additionally, captive-bred chameleons decrease the demand for wild-caught specimens. So, when your chameleon female finally laid the longed-for eggs, it is time for incubation. The word incubation comes from Latin incubare<\/em> which means as much as “brooding something”. In captivity, incubations mean exactly that: Brooding chameleon eggs artificially.<\/p>\n

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Incubator or brood inside the cage?
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Generally, there are two options on how to hatch chameleon eggs. The first is to let the eggs simply inside the terrarium or cage. Some people call this “natural brood” although it has nothing to do with nature, eventually, brood is done inside an artificial terrarium. Disadvantages of this non-controlled incubation inside the cage of the eggs’ parents are elongated incubation times, the early death of embryos due to inappropriate soil temperatures (floor heating, cage location) as well as lack of diapause<\/a> and partially, weak hatchlings. Furthermore, most chameleons are not picky concerning their food. Most parents would eat their own offspring when hatched in the same terrarium.\u00a0 Nevertheless, in species with low demands on incubation conditions of eggs, letting the eggs brood inside a terrarium may work sometimes.<\/p>\n

For most Malagasy chameleons an incubator is the better choice. You can adjust the temperature exactly, control humidity and substrate and sort out unfertilized eggs. There are incubators especially made for reptiles, but you can also convert models for poultry, fruit flies, or bacteria culture mediums. Before buying an incubator, it is important to know what the incubator should be able to do for the respective chameleon species. Cheaper incubators, for example, can often heat but not cool. This is sufficient for some common species. If you want to incubate chameleon eggs that need a cooler phase, you usually have to dig a little deeper into your wallet. Also, night setback, battery operation in case of power failure, and alarm in case of too strong temperature deviation are possible, but not built-in with every incubator. \u00a0A few of the models we have used over the years are presented below:<\/p>\n