Do Chameleons Lay Eggs?

If you are in the market for a chameleon cage that will provide your little friend all the necessary comfort, you should know that we wrote an entire article about chameleon cages – check it out here. Finding the right habitat for your pet is super important as it is where he/she will spend most of his/her time, and that is why it needs to be chosen with the utmost attention.

We love our pets so much and we want to keep them strong, healthy, and happy in order to stay with us for many years to come. Having a pet is all fun and nice, but you are also responsible for his/her wellbeing. This means that you need to know as much as possible about him/her in order to offer everything he/she needs.

When it comes to chameleons, there are many interesting things that you should know about in order to be able to take proper care of them. So, if you are the lucky parent of a chameleon, you should definitely have a look at this article as you will find out many exciting things about his/her habitat or reproduction.

Characteristics

Chameleons are fascinating little creatures mostly due to their ability to change colors that will perfectly match the environment they live in. There are more than 160 subspecies of chameleons around the world, but the most common places where they can be found are Florida, California, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Asia, and Portugal.

Their bodies are wide and when you first look at them you might have the impression that they are a bit puffed up. Their head is narrow and if you look at the chameleon from the front you are able to see his/her shoulders. Their eyes are very interesting as they are wide and they are located on the sides of the head and their tongues are also wide and long.

Another interesting characteristic that not too many people are aware of is their prehensile tail that allows them to grab things and also hold onto things. They also come in various sizes and while some species are as little as 1.3 inches, others can be as long as 24 inches. Chameleons are very popular and they are loved by many people that have them as pets.

They are so good at blending in with their surroundings that can make it difficult for many people to spot them. Although you know where the chameleon is located, you might find it challenging to find him/her right away, and you shouldn’t feel bad because it happens to most of us. That is why you will need to focus on a specific area and have patience until you can spot it.

Moreover, chameleons are timid little creatures that will prefer to hide when they feel in danger and most of the times they will avoid any open fight. Thanks to their ability to change the way they look, it is easier for them to stay still and wait for the danger to pass instead of trying to eliminate the danger themselves.

That is why they make great pets – they are so calm and chill that they will create no problems for their adoptive parents. It can also be very fascinating to watch them as they change colors and they are also believed to be a very intelligent species of lizards. Anyhow, they still need proper care in terms of food, heat, and places to climb in order to stay happy and healthy.

Diet

Most of us know that chameleons are insectivores which means that they mainly eat various insects, but you should also know that the large species also like to feed on small mammals and reptiles. Moreover, some chameleons will also feed on plant matter, and as an example, we can remember a very popular species known as the veiled chameleon.

In the wild, chameleons will manage to catch their prey by creeping along very slowly and once they get close enough, they will get out their suction cup tongue that will stick to the prey. One of the most interesting things about these amazing creatures is that their tongues can be twice as long as their bodies when stretched out to catch the prey.

Chameleons, just like other reptiles, have periods when they eat very little or when they don’t eat at all, and that is why you should always provide them with food even if they don’t touch it. You shouldn’t assume that something is wrong with them if they didn’t eat anything as it is something normal and this usually happens when the weather changes.

Making sure that you offer your little friend a well-balanced diet with all the necessary nutrients is super important in order to keep him/her healthy and strong. Most pet stores have various foods that your little one enjoys such as crickets, wax worms, and super-worms. While insects should be your chameleon’s primary food, certain treats will add variety to his/her diet.

Another way to keep your chameleon safe is to gut-load the insects before you feed them to him/her which means that the insects will be fed with nutritious food that will then be passed to your little friend after he/she eats them. Larger chameleons can also eat mice, especially pinkie mice – those newborn mice that don’t have fur and have a pink color.

You need to remember that they have a high fat content which means that they should only be given to your pet occasionally. It is recommended that you only feed your chameleon a pinkie once or twice a month as a treat.

Reproduction

Chameleons are even more interesting when it comes to reproduction as they are different from many reptiles. Jackson’s chameleon, for example, can give birth to 30 young at one time and the gestation lasts four to six months. Although the young are born alive, it is important to know that they actually started as an egg.

It can be confusing, we know! Mothers, instead of laying the eggs in a nest, actually incubate the eggs, minus a shell, inside of their bodies. There are other species of chameleons that lay eggs that have an incubation period of 4 to 24 months. It is important the size of the chameleon as it will tell you how many eggs one can lay.

While smaller species can lay 2 to 4 eggs, the larger ones can lay between 80 to 100 eggs at one time. The mating season is not the same for all species as it can vary depending on the time of the year and where the chameleons are located.

Let’s not forget that life can be very hostile in the wild, and chameleons need to protect their babies against predators. That is why they create a nest that is several inches under the surface of the soil or sand, and besides offering protection against enemies, this type of nest will also keep the eggs warm.