Breeding Oustalet’s Chameleons

 

Introduce a pair by placing the female into the male’s enclosure, and allow them to remain together for several days. If any violent behavior is detected, separate the chameleons and try again in a few days.

One breeding provides the female enough sperm to produce many viable clutches of eggs. If a female is not bred often enough, the clutch viability drops off due to the lack of usable sperm. This sperm retention ensures subsequent viable clutches even in the absence of a male.

Approximately three to four weeks after copulation, try palpating the female for eggs. Hold her in one hand. Using two fingers, carefully massage her abdominal wall in a gentle circular motion moving toward the spine. If the female is gravid, eggs the size of jelly beans can be felt.

A gravid female pacing back and forth in the bottom of the enclosure or exhibiting other restless behavior is a good indication that she is ready to lay her eggs.

Optimal conditions allow females to always have egg-laying sites in their enclosures. If this is not possible, use an egg depository. Most chameleons, including Oustalet’s, seem to respond to the good old trash can method for egg deposition. Place a 30-gallon trash can filled with fresh potting soil in the enclosure where the female can see the soil. Try placing it below her favorite branch, and position another branch leading to the soil in the can for easy access. The soil’s depth should be twice the female’s body length. It should not be sopping wet but damp enough to allow a tunnel to be dug. Mix single cups of water into the potting soil until the soil sticks together when squeezed in your hand.

A gravid female may spend hours or days digging test holes before laying eggs. When she is finished laying she will look thinner, and when all the holes are covered and the chameleon has returned to her tree, it’s safe to excavate the eggs. Dig in the soil carefully; most of the eggs will be found together, but some strays may be elsewhere in the soil. A female Oustalet’s lays 30 to 40 eggs per clutch three or four times per year.

Being aware of your chameleon’s habits helps you recognize that the female may be ready to lay eggs. Inspecting females’ claws every morning and evening to look for signs of digging is a good practice during the springtime laying season. Remember, wait until the female has covered all holes and returned to the tree before excavating the eggs.

After a healthy female chameleon has laid her eggs it is usually safe to reintroduce her to a male two weeks after egg deposition. Breeding the female shortly after egg laying ensures sufficient sperm retention for viable future egg clutches.

Most chameleons that are acclimated to our seasonal springtime will breed then. Some species breed as soon as they reach sexual maturity, and they will mate and lay multiple clutches throughout the year. Wild-caught or imported chameleons are not on the same seasonal rotation as in the U.S., which may cause them to lay at odd times. I recommend always having a laying site available for imported females.

 

Egg Incubation

 

Place eggs in Tupperware or a similar plastic container with a resealable lid. The container should be half-filled with dampened vermiculite. Mix the vermiculite with enough water so that when you squeeze it, small droplets emerge. Too much water drowns the eggs, and not enough dries them out. To check dampness during incubation just pick up a pinch, and squeeze it. Only a drop or two of water should be present when squeezed.

Place the eggs in rows in the vermiculite so they are half-covered. Seal the lid, and incubate the eggs for nine to 12 months at 68 to 74 degrees. Simulate a spring rain after seven months by adding more water to the eggs. I recommend placing a high-low thermometer in the incubation container. Open the container once a week to check the temperature and the dampness of the vermiculite.

When the eggs begin to swell and/or sweat, purchase some fruit flies or pinhead crickets — hatchlings are usually hearty eaters. Separate hatchling Oustalet’s chameleons into individual enclosures within a week or two if possible.

 

Oliver's Worst Thanksgiving

 

Oliver the Oustalet’s chameleon was at the center of my worst chameleon experience. In the midst of a cold snap I was bringing Oliver in at night to sleep on a large Ficus plant, and then returning him outside when the sun came up.

On Thanksgiving night I returned home late and forgot to bring Oliver inside. When I woke the next morning I went to put him outside as I had been doing all week, and only then I realized I didn’t bring him in the previous night.

In a panic I ran outside to his enclosure and was horrified to find Oliver frozen in the bottom. The automated sprinklers had turned on in the early morning, and this resulted in a layer of ice crystals covering poor Oliver.

I was so mortified I could hardly contain my tears. As I cradled him in my hands, Oliver opened one eye, just a little. In a flash I got him under a dome light and began dabbing him with lukewarm water to wash-off the crystals.

After what seemed an eternity he was puffing-up and taking deep breaths like a person who almost drowned. Slowly he started to wiggle and began walking around. It was truly a miracle.

I never forgot to bring Oliver inside at night during a freeze again!

 

In Conclusion

 

Last August, at the National Reptile Breeders Expo in Daytona Beach, I tried to find people who were selling or breeding Furcifer oustaleti. I have found them at this show in the past but was disappointed after two passes through the booths not to find any Oustalet’s. To my knowledge, only one of my customers has been breeding these chameleons. I sincerely hope that in the future people will consider this giant chameleon for a breeding project. The species could go extinct. The natural habitat of Furcifer oustaleti, like much of Madagascar, is suffering the strain of human encroachment.

Always take safety measures when handling your chameleon. Don’t go bike riding or perform gardening with a chameleon that doesn’t like human contact. If a chameleon jumps away when you attempt to hold it, it doesn’t want to be held. Don’t stress these individuals by frequent interaction, and definitely no bike riding with them!

I hope this article inspires you to consider trying your hand at keeping Oustalet’s chameleons, so together we can raise and protect them for generations to enjoy.