A Good Day Gone Wrong...

[eyelids]

So today started off great… Both boxes of geckos I sent had arrived before 10:30 and that granted me a good amount of relief… Haley (Zynx_Keekeio) was able to let me know not long after that her two new babies were alive and well, albeit, mighty thirsty… The second box had to be sent to Chris’s (Yellermelon) grandmother’s house because of work (?) and it wouldn’t be until the late afternoon before I’d hear of their condition…

All three geckos were DOA and upon learning this I broke into tears… At first I couldn’t think of a reason why this happened because of the state I was in… This was my first time shipping 7x7x6 boxes in cold weather and I completely blew it… For some reason (utter stupidity) I thought I could put two heat packs in the box as I had done in the past with larger boxes… Right now my mind is stuck in a loop of seeing them trying to escape the heat and eventually succumbing to it… The tears are back…

Some might think, “Well at least the only money exchanged was for shipping”, but this is far from the thoughts in my head… I only bred five females this year and have gotten thirty-three babies thus far… Since I have such a small collection it’s very easy to get attached to each and every one of them… Furthermore, I don’t consider people any better/more important than animals so my geckos are literally a part of my family… Words cannot express how I feel, but I wanted to post this to help “vent”…

The ONLY thing that makes this day not a total calamity is the baby Bell head popping out from an egg right now…

Thanks for taking the time to read this…

*Chris got back to me after writing this and I feel a lot better, but am still pretty bummed...*

 

[malt_geckos]

Sorry to hear that Michael! It's very sad to lose one, let alone ones you bred yourself. I hope things look up for you.

 

[Kitsune]

Oh no Mike. =( I'm so sorry.

 

[eyelids]

Thanks gals I really appreciate it...

 

[bubblez825]

Awwwwwwwww im so sorry....I know how easy it is to get attached to geckos....i see this big male gecko at ********(he is one big lovable teddybear. He will just keep licking my fingers and curling up on my neck/shoulders) and i want to take him home but he is $89.99 and mom says its too expensive.

Also, i would DIE if anything happened to any one of my geckos . I had a breakdown when my teachers HY lost her tail. I was sooooooo worried about her dying cuz i had already lost 3 babies to tail loss(petstore geckos anyways) and they had been my first geckos(b4 i found u guys)

I am really sorry for your loss . But remember, with each death brings new life. U have other geckos and u need to stay strong for the ones you have now and hope they live long and happy lives


Emily


P.S. Congrats on the new baby too. reflects exactly on what i said above "with each death brings new life"

 

[yellermelon]

Yeah Mike it was very sad..I hate it happened. You have such awsome Bells and I was uber excited to get to work with them! Bad things happen somtimes...I think the most of us on here get attached to our geckos as we are the loving caring breeder types. Its strikes hard when one passes whatever the reason may be..

 

[eyelids]

Thanks for the thoughtful post Emily...

Chris, if I don't hatch out something you like from what's still incubating you'll surely find something next year... We'll definitely get some speckly Bells from MS Bell x afghanicus (absorbed her eggs and is on hold 'til she's bigger) or my MSBBB Enigma group (1.4)...

 

[lytlesnake]

Oh man, I'm really sorry that happened Michael. I know how you must feel. I had a yearling king snake die this summer because I failed to give her water for a few weeks. I felt so horrible, and it took several weeks before I could stop thinking about it constantly. You will eventually get over this, but it will probably take a while.

We all know how much you care for your geckos, it must be difficult to live with yourself right now. I won't even say anything like "try not to think about it too much", because I know how bad it feels when something like this happens. You'll just have to work through it. You have a good support group here. If you need to talk to someone just send a PM and you can call me anytime.

 

[gothra]

Michael, I'm so sorry that happened!

 

[eyelids]

Thanks for the condolence Bonnie...

Jason, you're the man!

 

[Kristi23]

I'm so sorry that happened to your babies. I've been able to use 2 heating packs with no problems so far. It's such a shame that yours were not ok with them.

 

[eyelids]

Thank you Kristi... It's too bad there wasn't a better way to keep them warm... To me it'd be worth paying whatever for a controlled heating device...

 

[Halley]

I’m sorry for your loose.

The only thing I can recommend next time when you need more than 1 heat pack is to use the longer lasting ones, as they don’t get as hot.

 

[paulnj]

Mike that blows!!!!!!!!!

I will always advise you if you are in doubt, so ask away if you are unsure.

 

[thestack510]

I'm sorry to hear that happened. I haven't had to ship any Leos yet, but I'll definitely keep this in mind for future reference. I'm very attached to each of my Leos too. I know how you must feel. Look at it this way, maybe they're up there rallying the troops for next season. Who knows? I'm not trying to make a joke of what happened, just trying to lighten the mood a little bit. I'm sad for you. My condolences 420 and Yellermelon.

 

[thestack510]

That's nice of you...

Mike that blows!!!!!!!!!

I will always advise you if you are in doubt, so ask away if you are unsure.

Very cool.

 

[fallen_angel]

Oh my Mike, I have just read this for the first time and am put to tears myself. I am so terribly sorry about what's happened. We just shipped a 7x7x6 box today too, and we too debated on whether or not two heat packs were needed. It's an honest mistake how it happened, try not to beat yourself up over it. Our collection is small as well and we too get attached to our geckos just like family. Our hearts are aching for you and I just cannot express how sorry we truly are. This is so sad, our thoughts and hearts are with you. I am glad that the new baby that hatched today has at least brightened your spirits a bit.

 

[eyelids]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU EVERYBODY! Your words all mean so much to me...

Paul, I should've asked... You're the man as well!

 

[PacHerp]

Mike, how tragic, I'm so sorry to hear about this... you are in my thoughts...

 

[paulnj]

Cold weather shipping is quite tricky at time, don't beat yourself up bro.