Chaco egg incubation temps????

[tortadise]

Ok I've heard a few different techniques from the vary few people that have hatched chacos. It's going to be breeding (egg laying season pretty soon) and I wanted to hopefully have a successful hatching this time.

Please let me know if you have had success.

Thanks,
Kelly

 

[Tom]

Sorry Kelly. I don't think any of us have any experience with this one...

 

[tortadise]

I never realized how much of a rarity these guys were. I knew they were few and far between but hopefully I will get it right and be able to start offering a nice captive bred line out there for people.

 

[Benjamin]

See if I can recap. I hatched one while working at the zoo herpetarium, it was 2003 or 2004. I used the method for incubating pyxis eggs. Incubated 82F for about 35 days. Cooled to mid 70s for 35 days, then back to the incubator. The total time on this egg to hatch was 344 days. It was a male.
A friend hatched about six of them shortly after using a similar method. His eggs were laid over the summer and kept in a warm room for several months. He then moved them to a cool spot in his house for the winter, mid 60s I think. After the winter cooling, several months, they again were moved to a warm sunroom . Incubation lasted about 100 days after being warmed back up. All clutches hatched at the same time and both sexes were produced.
The eggs were kept on the dry side. Substrate used was vermiculite.

 

[tortadise]

I definitely wrote this technique down in my log. I'm going to try both methods. I usually get 4 eggs from my huge female. What relative humidity should I try 40% or less?

 

[Tom]

What kind of a rainy season do they have in their native territory?

 

[tortadise]

im not too certain. I know there spring and summer are kinda short. november-april is the rainy season. I have noticed that mine will become super active and breed when its very hot. i figured this out 1 year by the ac unit going out in one of my old tort buildings and it was 113 degrees in there. everyone was in the water and not liking it. I freaked out got them all outside in the shade and sprayed them down, but the ones who werent in the water were my chacos. they were loving it. couldnt get the male to stop breeding with the female. so every year around august-september when its ridiculously hot here in texas they begin to breed and lay eggs. so im gonna maybe do more research on the weather patterns and maybe simulate that for the eggs. which makes sense why there would be a diapause. maybe diapause and incubate half of the year and see what happens.