Be extremely careful not to rotate or change the position of the eggs when removing them to the incubation container. This is essential because each egg contains an air pocket. When the eggs are laid, each embryo is oriented in the egg and if the air pocket moves, the embryo may suffocate. Some keepers mark the top of the eggs with a dot in non toxic marker in order to be sure that the eggs are properly oriented throughout the entire incubation.

     These eggs should be placed in incubation containers. Tupperware type plastic containers have been the choice of many breeders. In these containers, you will need to place the incubation medium, a.k.a. the stuff the eggs will be sitting in. Keepers have had success with a variety of products. Vermiculite, perlite, moss, peat moss, and sand have all proven to be popular. Some have even used regular soil for the incubation of their eggs. Personally, I prefer vermiculite because of its ability to retain water and to ward off fungi. Vermiculite comes in coarse and fine grades, either of which are suitable for reptile egg incubation. The humidity in the incubation container is integral, thus you will want the medium of choice to be moist, but not wet! Some keepers mix 1 part water to 1 part of vermiculite by weight to achieve a proper mixture. A quick test is to pinch the moistened medium between two fingers. When pinched, only one drop or sometimes a little less should come out.

     Once you have a proper consistency of incubation medium, place a thin layer, around an inch thick, on the bottom of the incubation container. Now, use your thumb to make thumbprints in the medium. This will make a place for each egg to nestle. Space the eggs about an inch apart to allow for the growth of the eggs. Place each egg in the thumbprints and then add some medium around them to hold them in place. Many keepers will leave half or one quarter of the egg's surface exposed while others will completely cover the eggs. I choose to cover them halfway so that you can easily monitor their progress.

     Over the incubation period, any infertile eggs will go bad, turn dark yellow or brown in color, and eventually grow mold. Until you are sure they are bad, leave them in the incubator because you never know if they contain a viable chameleon offspring. Eggs that seem to have dents in them may be dehydrated and the humidity may be too low. Healthy chameleon eggs are usually leathery to the touch, white, off white, or yellow in color, and oval in shape.

     To determine viability of the eggs, some keepers choose to "candle" the eggs. Candeling is a popular practice in herpetoculture in which a small beam of light is passed through the egg while you observe the opposite side. This will illuminate the egg's contents and red veins and possibly an embryo may be visible.

     Incubation in chameleons may last anywhere from two or three months up to twenty four months, as is sometimes the case in Calumma parsonii. The norm is usually around six to nine months. The length of incubation will vary with species, temperatures and humidity levels. Temperature and humidity will vary with each species, but generally temperatures should be between 68 and 82 degrees F and humidity is usually above 85%.

     When the end of incubation is near, the eggs may have doubled or tripled in size. A short time before hatching, little beads of water may form on the egg's surface which is called "sweating." The eggs may then deflate a little, and the baby will use an egg tooth to cut open one end of the eggshell. Often, they will make a star pattern on one end. They will then push their head through. They may take a brake for a while and then emerge from the shell. Some newborns will have the yolk sac in place when they emerge, but this will soon dry up. Most chameleons will hatch within a week or two of their siblings. It is believed that the chameleons will know when the others are hatching, thus producing a mass hatching. This is probably the most effective way to tunnel out of their nest in the wild. Ahh…..the miracle of baby chameleons, by far the greatest and most rewarding part of keeping chameleons in captivity.