Carpet Chameleon (chamaeleo lateralis) two. These chameleons have very short lifespans. The smaller subspecies only lives to be about 2-3 years. As a result, they reach sexual and reproductive maturity very quickly, in as little as 2 or 3 months. They lay between 5 and 25 eggs, depending on subspecies (larger ones will lay more eggs than the smaller ones), 2-4 times per year. The eggs hatch fairly quickly, in as little as 4-5 months. Wild caught Carpet Chameleons are extremely fragile and sensitive shortly after importation. Initial mortality rates for the C. l. lateralis subspecies are usually very high, but they seem to do well after they are deparasitized and acclimated. The C. l. major subspecies imports much better than the smaller subspecies. In the future, we hope to establish breeding operations for both the smaller and larger subspecies for these reasons.