chamelions

Question
I just lost my female this mornin. I manages to retrieve the eggs from her. I have had alot of pets but this is the first experience with the chamelions. They are my children as well and now since I have lost her any pointers on keeping the eggs. I have a plastic lided container like a shoe box. With two holes in the top and a mixture of reptile dirt and reptile sand mix. I have all 43 of them laying on the top and keeping the temp between 75 and 80. Am I doing the right thing? or what do I need to do different. Any help will be wonderful.
Thank you
Jessie

Answer
Hi Jessie, I'm so sorry about the loss of your female, I'm guessing from that clutch size that she was a veiled? You are on the right track with the eggs. The medium should be slightly damp and I usually like to have the substrate about  1/2 way up the egg. I use vermiculite but I think your mixture should be fine. You can just make an impression in the damp soil with your thumb and place each egg in that. It's important that they not be rotated. If you  keep them within one inch of each other you will find that they tend to hatch out all at once. If the eggs are spread further out from each other they tend to hatch out over the course of several days. You will likely need to slightly re-dampen the soil through out the incubation. Just a few drops in between the eggs should do. If any eggs collapse and become mouldy during incubation they should be removed. Veiled eggs can take several months so be patient. They also tend to look almost dead when they first start to emerge and will lay there for a while which can be a bit shocking when you first see it. Make sure there is enough room between the soil and the lid for the hatchlings. Best  of luck with them.