When it comes to incubating lizard eggs, your lizard is probably not looking to eat a boiled egg, but these reptiles are capable of eating just about anything. Overall incubation temperatures for leopard chameleon eggs vary from 70 degrees to 90 or higher for some species. And the temperature at which you incubate your eggs too can determine the gender of your hatchlings if kept at an acceptable level. Of course, it is important that you do not overheat your lizards because this can have serious consequences for their health.
If incubation temperatures are high enough, your lizard eggs will hatch in about three weeks. This means that you may need to keep checking the humidity levels in your enclosure to make sure that they are holding up. Otherwise, your hatchlings could be born with blistery skin and possibly deathly symptoms such as pneumonia or shock. In general, it is better to incubate lizard eggs for about four weeks to allow them to reach their full size.
Male lizards lay more than female lizards, so it is always best to know which sex your hatchling is before buying him or her. You may also want to know the sex of your hatchlings because you will be able to choose the appropriate cage for them. Many species of lizards will lay both eggs and young in the same species, so the two sexes will rarely be distinct. There are also species where one gender is almost always dominant over the other. You will need to identify which species your lizard belongs to before trying to hatch lizard eggs.
Most species will start incubating their reptile eggs a day or so after they are born. However, there are some species which may take up to two weeks before they are ready to be weaned out of their eggs. Lizards that lay eggs frequently, however, are usually ready to be weaned out of their eggs a few days after they hatch. If you are trying to incubate lizard eggs for a long time, it is possible to over incubate them and this can cause the eggs to hatch too early. This can be dangerous to your reptile because he or she could become seriously ill.
It is recommended that you remove any excess moisture from the nest when you are preparing to start incubating the lizards’ eggs. Excess moisture can attract both mites and rot. You should check regularly the area where the lizard is nesting and remove any excess moisture, especially near the nest or the roost where the lizards come together.
When the incubation period is complete, you should remove the eggs from their nests and transfer them to a cooler or wet paper bag. Keeping the incubated eggs in an airtight container is advisable. If you are planning to breed the lizard, then you must remove the eggs from their shells immediately. This will make sure that there is no bacteria present on the eggs.
Different species of lizards have different requirements for their incubation temperatures. Some species require slightly lower temperatures than the other species in order to lay their eggs. Generally, reptiles that lay eggs in the wild tend to have their temperatures around 60 degrees Celsius. Reptiles in captivity, on the other hand, may have their incubation temperatures as low as forty degrees Celsius. The reason why some lizards tend to have lower incubation temperatures than the others is because of their species and the space available to them in their enclosures.
Once the incubators in which the eggs are incubated reach their appropriate temperatures, the eggs will hatch in two to four weeks. Some species of reptiles may take longer to hatch. In case the eggs hatch successfully, make sure to remove the live lizard from its container to feed it with the crickets and fresh water. Continue to monitor the hatchlings and their surroundings to make sure that everything is going fine.
