Not shedding :(

[DrCarrotTail]

I knew this first season was going too smoothly and I've encountered my first difficult issue :main_thumbsdown:

I had two hatchlings hatch out on 5/24. They both looked a bit off with the thin rather wispy tails like in the picture below. One was a tiny 2.5g and the other was a normal 3.5g at hatching. I was hoping for the best but its not looking good. Neither of them will eat on their own, however, if I coax them to open their mouths they will chomp down and eat any mealworm I give them so I’ve been hand feeding them 3-5 small mealworms a day for the last 3 days. The tiny one seems to be doing well like this but the other seems to have additional issues. She hasn’t shed since she hatched. I’ve even kept her in a closed 6 qt bin with a damp paper towel for the entire 10 days but it doesn’t seem to be helping. Her sister was in the same bin until she shed and I moved her into a less humid enclosure. I’ve also had a dozen other hatchlings start successfully in this set up so I don’t think that’s the issue. It’s not just a patch of shed but her entire body so I’m not sure I know how to help get it started without hurting her. She’s starting to look desperate and I’m thinking the best and most humane thing to do at this point may be to put her down. Does anyone have experience with this? Know anything I can try to help her or as a last resort? Have any experience or advice that might help with the second hatchling as well?

Thanks in advance.

 

[acpart]

Are you saying that the one not shedding is all dull colored, looking like she's about to shed, but she just hasn't shed yet, or that she shows no signs of starting to shed? I may be able to comment if I have that additional info.
As far as the other one goes, I have had it happen quite a few times that a hatchling doesn't eat on its own or grow that quickly for quite a while. I keep hand feeding and nearly all the time, eventually the eating "on switch" gets flipped and the baby will start eating. Last season I hatched a baby with some minor defects that grew very slowly and needed hand feeding. Eventually I gave it to someone who runs a gecko rescue. About 6 months after giving her away, she reports that the gecko is finally understanding what "food" is all about, eating on her own, and nearly ready for a "pet only" placement.

Aliza

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Thanks for responding. Unfortunately the one with shedding issues passed away last night but she did look cloudy and "thicker" like she had several layers of unshed skin building up. I was at a loss about what to do since humidity did not seem to he helping her

Thanks for the advice and hope on the second one. I'll continue to hand feed and hopefully she continues to eat and grow.

 

[CharmedMom]

So sorry to hear about your loss.

 

[favrielle]

So sorry for your loss.

How is the second baby doing?

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Thanks all. Second baby is still okay! Gained .3 grams since hatching (now 2.7g) and is getting more feisty about being hand fed but still isn't really eating on her own. She has mealworms in her bin 24/7 and I'm hand feeding her 3 medium ones before bed every night so she may not be hungry enough to hunt for those in her bowl? If she hasn't started to snack n the ones in her bowl by the time she gets to about 4g I'm planning to give her a night to work up an appetite and see if that changes anything

Here's a pic I just snapped of her. She's getting bigger but the wispyness of her tail tip is getting more pronounced as she grows. She's a cute little bugger regardless!

 

[favrielle]

Awww... she is cute!

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Thanks! Her tininess definitely enhances the cute factor IMO

I was worried about the rest of the clutches in my incubator as I understand her issues could have been caused by temperature but came home today to find her two sisters perfect and happy.



My female laid three clutches in pretty rapid successions - only 8 and 10 days between them. These two hatchlings with issues came from the middle clutch so I wonder if it could have been lack of egg development by mom? That or genetics is my best guess. I wish there were a definitive answer with a solution so I could make it never happen again :/

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Dubia won her over! I decided to throw a few in her bin to see if she would jump on faster moving prey and she did! She pounced on and wolfed down several little ones. No more hand feeding for this gal!

 

[geckos9]

Thats good :main_thumbsup: hopefully everything will turn out fine now

 

[favrielle]

Yay! Glad to hear she's eating on her own.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Aaand she has a new home as a classroom pet! However, I'm going to keep her for the rest of the summer to make sure she grows and thrives and has a suitable temperment for a busy environment before handing her over