A heavily pregnant Flap-necked chameleon was helped to deliver its eggs by Friends of Free Wildlife on 22 June 2021. The chameleon died a few days later but hope lived on for the new eggs.
Picture: Friends of Free Wildlife
A total of 32 chameleon eggs were delivered and the first chameleons started hatching on 29 December. The first seven hatchlings were kept in an incubator until their umbilicus broke off from the shell and were then moved to a terrarium. In a post on Facebook, the organisation said that the hatchlings soon learned how to hunt tiny fruit flies.
Picture: Friends of Free Wildlife
The eggs were delivered by cesarean by Dr Jean Davidson at the Bryanston Avian, Exotic and Small Animal Clinic (BAESAC). Sr. Cassey Ure incubated the eggs at her home where she has incubation facilities, she is also a vet nurse at Craighall Vet Hospital.
As of 4 March the last chameleons, a total of 17, had hatched. After the hatchlings had all joined the group and were seen to be capable of hunting, all of the 17 little chameleons were released together at the Crocodile River Reserve where the team at Friends of Free Wildlife ‘hope the babies have a long and wild future’.
Picture: Friends of Free Wildlife
Flap-necked chameleons usually live for around five to eight years in the wild. They have a short mating season, which is the only time females (the larger of the sexes) will allow males to approach them. The gestation time is about a month, after which the female usually buries her eggs in a hole. They hatch after around nine months, and reach sexual maturity within a year.
To help this organisation with their efforts in rescuing, raising and releasing wildlife follow this link.
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