lineatus hatchling

[Jackp308]

as much as I hate to write this , the 2nd hatchling just died. I figured it was a to good for me as my luck has it. So instantly my great day is just one I wish never happened. I know its my fault that the gecko died which is just a shame and Im pretty upset more than I wish to even explain. I have to take this as a lesson and just learn from it. I do try my best and sometimes I guess things just get by which is no excuse. Regardless the animal is gone due to my negligence.

She ingested a bunch of substrate and basically suffocated. It was loose coco fiber. I should have just kept paper towels or bare bottom. I figured naturalistic was ok. The 1st one did/is doing fine in the same set up and is doing well. Has even ate a cricket tonight and moving about the viv.

I left for 3 hrs after lights came back to find 2nd hatchling with mouth full of dirt all the way in throat. On ground not looking well. I try to assist maybe making thing worse quicker. I ended up pulling out gobs of fiber out of throat after passed with forceps . I feel I let the gecko and everyone down so I apologize.

 

[lauraleellbp]

Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear it!

Thanks for being open and honest about your experience, I hope it helps save some other babies down the road.

 

[pakinjak]

Oh man, don't beat yourself up over this. Learn and improve, but anybody who has kept these guys for any amount of time has killed one somehow.

I've got some eggs cooking right now that I think I may have killed during incubation... maybe they'll hatch, but they're going longer than I thought they would so I think I may have screwed it up. Sometimes it feels like keeping uros is one setback after another, but if we didn't perservere then where would these animals be in the trade?

I'm giving you a big virtual manly shoulder hug right now, dude.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Hi Jack ~

Really sorry to hear about your 2nd hatchling's passing due to substrate ingestion. Never had these, so the opinions go to the experts. Just wondering though whether it would be "safer" to keep the first hatchling on paper towels for a while too? Would not want the same thing to happen to him.

 

[luevelvet]

I've never seen any Uroplatus die from ingesting coco fiber, even babies. If you've ever seen them pass away, it is a very melodramatic event and they often writh on the ground biting and snapping at anything in the way. While I've never seen one die from ingestion, I've almost always found them with a mouth full of moss or substrate when they pass. Don't beat yourself, it's most likely *not* your fault and could have been a weak baby. We've had our share of weak baies and sometimes they simply don't have what it takes. We just lost an aff.henkeli baby that didn't make it's way out of the egg. He was half way there, but died during the process... his clutch hatched perfectly and is doing quite well right now.

Remember, they can't all be strong enough to survive. Be thankful for the one hatchling that is doing well and learn from this experience moving forward.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Luis

 

[sikorae]

Really sorry to hear this, as already been said don't beat yourself up about it - good luck with the other one

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

Bummer to hear about the baby. But use it as a learning experience. Try to figure out what went wrong and you'll know better next time.

 

[Jackp308]

on a good note, I just cleaned few cages and rounded up 12 fertile sikorae eggs from 3 separate pairs, and still have 1 more female cage to clean but I'm exhausted. unfortunately I checked but no more lineatus eggs though:? I'ts been since sept since I found any from her. So 2012 is going to be a big year for me I hope.

Ill get some more pictures tomorrow of the 1st hatchling and post a few thoughts on the one that passed. Thanks everyone for helping me keep my head up. Jack

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I love it, Jack, Uroplatus sikorae hatchlings for 2012......

Keep us updated with your thoughts on #2 please :sad:

 

[D.B.Johnson]

Jack,

You are being too hard on yourself. That hatchling in no way died from your negligence. Negligence would be saying 'well I don't feel like spending money on gecko food or I have better things to do than to take care of my geckos...' and let them starve. From what I can tell you were attentive and trying to care for your geckos the best you could. You were able to give them an environment that encourages breeding and hatch the eggs...That's a major difference.

I personally agree with Luis and believe that you had a weak hatchling who most likely wouldn't have made it no matter what substrate you choose. It's disappointing to be sure, but I can't see how you deserve any blame for the geckos passing. I think I'm right in saying that we all have lost hatchlings who were weaker than others. Enjoy the healthy little guy, and be excited about all the eggs you found!

 

[Jackp308]

My initial response was minutes after having the gecko die in my hands .That prompted me with a reaction that was more of an emotion Id say.I was pretty upset as Im new to all this and I was just so excited from them even hatching. Death after hatching never crossed my mind once which is something I learned may and will happen.

As for the 2nd hatchling I do think something was wrong and she would have perished on any substrate. It just happened to be in cage with coco so she got a mouth full. As Luis pointed out.

Also the 2nd hatchling could never climb well at all.She didn't remove her shed from hatching and it was obviously interfering with her climbing ability.There was a silhouette of skin surrounding her whole body except head. So I placed her on horizontal log in terrarium thinking she would get at it as soon as lights out.

The 1st hatchling didn't shed either until the next night but she had no signs of shed either and had no problems climbing glass right out the egg. She just had dirt stuck all over her skin though.Which sprayed off eventually.

 

[Jackp308]

I still continue to keep the first hatchling in a naturalistic environment , a 12x12x18 Exo terra with expanded clay balls, layer of coco, orchid, and small umbrella plant. I don't feel that she is in any danger of her environment. I have never even caught her near the bottom ever. Ill post pictures of her later.

I have been trying to cup feed though to make sure there is no issues with eating the coco. I have large plastic cup she can walk right into under the orchid. Also a small water dish .

Soon she will be transferred to a 18x18x24 screen I believe are the dimensions. Fully furnished with bamboo and and live few plants.

 

[Jackp308]

not the best picture

her hanging out in the orchid sleeping.

It's a strange orchid that started growing on top of another one.

 

[Jackp308]

Her checking out the other geckos. Waving her tail at the pair across from her.

 

[Jackp308]

one more

 

[Jackp308]

I have a good feeling the female will be laying any day now. Its been 4 months.

Last night 3 hrs after lights out. I hear strange sound coming from their cage. A shreeking noise. Sometimes for 30 seconds straight. Sound like dinosaurs or birds.

After reading here I realized that the females release a pheromone within couple days before laying, as they aren't receptive since carrying these eggs they are about to lay they ward off the males that sense the pheromone. It all makes sense since everyone of my females sikorae and lineatus and even chameleons all breed/mate within 24 hrs of laying. I also noticed her looking huge lately too.

I read that info from a post by Jadrig and it seemed spot on with my situation. Thanks for that bit of information that I did not know.



Side note. Little hatchling is doing well so far, and seems to be adapting nicely to her surroundings. I caught her with a cricket in her mouth at 3 am. on her orchid.Guess I was lucky since I don't see her eat much but she is eating apparently.

 

[Jackp308]

2 more eggs

Well, I was right! She laid 2 nice looking eggs last night . I have yet to retrieve them , will do shortly though.


Do you recommend ventilation in my containers. Im using small glad Tupperware half full of moist Coco. Last time I was using small cricket container for my lineatus, but Im running out of space to incubate. So these small tupperware seem to work good and stack nicely. Would like some opinions wether to put few small holes in each container. Im probably going to since there was plenty of ventilation on my last container and plenty of ventilation naturally. Just curious had anyone hatched in sealed containers.


I would like to post more pictures of the little girl but my photo skills aren't not giving her any justice. So Im going to wait till I capture some nice photos to share instead. I actually have videos of her as well I may post links to when I figure out this youtube stuff. I really love watching her tail wave.

Have a nice weekend everyone!
Jack

 

[pakinjak]

I'm by no means an expert, having just hatched my first Uros ever... but I put three 1/16" holes in EDIT- "each side" of my container and they hatched just fine. I don't think the container will dry out with a few holes, but I use a thermometer and hygrometer inside the tupperware just in case. The lowest it ever got was 90%

 

[Jackp308]

Pics from tonight.

 

[lauraleellbp]

She really is stunning, and I'm so glad she's doing well!