Bummed

[Sandra]

This morning when we looked into the incubator we saw that there was a little hatchling. My first, and a super snow Bell no less! I was so happy.

But looking closer I saw that it has very small eyes I think it's blind. It also looks quite weak. I moved it from the incubator to a tub and it didn't move much, I was expecting a hiss or it acting scared or something. I think it's small even for a hatchling, although I don't know, it could be just an impression, I have nothing to compare it to. It was still attached to the egg.

I dampned the papertowels in its tub and left it alone, then I had to go to work and haven't seen it since, but my boyfriend phoned me some hours later to tell me that it had dettached from the yolk bag and that it was using one of his hides. That gives me some hope because it was looking so weak that I thought it was going to die within the next hours, and the fact that it is using his hide may mean that it is able to see something.

I don't know anything anymore. I want to come back and see it but on the other hand it pains me to see it. I'm somewhere between hyper and bummed, if that makes any sense. This has been a terrible season for me. I got eight eggs from the same female, three of them were infertile (I expected that much, it's her first time), three of them went bad during incubation and from the other two, see the hatchling I got. The clutchmate hasn't hatched yet, and I'm not sure I want him to. The egg doesn't look too good anyway.

I got overconfident... I saw people that breed them like nothing, that didn't take good care of their geckos or eggs and still got good results, and I thought that since I do my best with them I could casually breed one of my geckos even if I wasn't fully prepared. Next year I'll use Albey's incubation method and a proportional thermostat instead of an on-off one. I'm changing supplementation and diet (switching from mealworms...) too just in case.

Thanks for reading me rambling. I'll keep you updated about my poor baby

 

[fallen_angel]

The yolk sac detaching is very good. It sounds like the baby could just be smaller since it didn't absorb the entire yolk sac, but it should do just fine. It may take some extra special care to get it well started, but many people have hatched smaller than normal hatchlings with positive/great results.

I think your baby will be just fine, please try not to worry so much. I know it's hard, but a few weeks from now, your baby should be healthier and you'll look back on this day and realize that there was no need to worry at all.

I am sorry to hear about what's happened so far for you this season.
What do you mean that the clutchmate egg doesn't look so good? What does it look like?

 

[Sandra]

Thanks for the kind words Jess.

I'm more worried about its eyes than anything. It looked to me like it had no eyes this morning but now I want to double check.

The other egg is dented. It has been denting and undenting through all the incubation period for some reason. It could be that is denting because it is due to hatch but it isn't sweating at all and as I said, it has been denting all along :main_huh: I moistened it a little before leaving though, just in case. It looks fertile and the clutchmate's eggs looked fine all the time so I don't know what can be the cause for this.

 

[Kristi23]

I hope your little baby will be ok.

 

[fallen_angel]

Hmmm that is very interesting to have one egg dent/undent and have another incubate just fine. I am not sure what would be causing that either.

I hope everything turns out okay for you!

 

[Sandra]

I got home and checked it. Definitely no eyes It has like one tiny-almost-invisible eye on one side and nothing at the other side.

It weights 3 grams. Here are some pics, although we couldn't get anything decent shots.

When it hatched.

With my hand for comparison... I think it looks bigger in there than it really is.

 

[fallen_angel]

Oh my, it really doesn't have any eyes. It's size is actually pretty normal, but it's going to have a pretty hard time finding/catching food without being able to see. Perhaps it will have heightened senses due to it's lack of eyesight?

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Oh, I'm sorry about the little one Sandra!

 

[acpart]

I have heard of people who have successfully raised blind geckos who have done very well. It would be a decision for you as to whether you want to spend the time to teach it to feed. Also, sometimes when there's one abnormality, it's a sign that there may be more, some of them unseen. If you do want to see if you can maintain this hatchling, I would recommend after it sheds, to hold it in one hand and gently press a mealworm against its mouth with the other. If it will take worms eventually, you should be able to progress to touching its mouth with a mealworm and teaching it to take it. I think someone on the forum has a blind gecko that eats out of a dish.

Good luck with this one and the clutchmate.

Aliza

 

[Sandra]

He (I can't know if it is male or female, but it feels weird to talk about a gecko like "it", so for now it's a boy ) survived his first day! I was worried about what Aliza said too, that he could have any other abnormalities. But he doesn't look in pain at all, just a little weak.

I absolutely want to give him a chance even if it means giving him a little special attention for the rest of his life. He's my responsibility after all. As long as he doesn't look in pain and keeps trying I'll keep on trying too.

He seems to be quite clever! He knows where his hides are and goes in there to sleep, and freaks out when someone comes near. I don't know how he knows that, but he does! Nobody would say he's blind if it wasn't so obvious. I think that, as long as he cooperates a little, we'll be fine.

I was planning on starting him on slurry after his first shed and when he's a little more confident start feeding him insects with tweezers. I can teach him to each from a dish with time. But well, for that he'll have to survive his first shed first.

 

[fallen_angel]

^^ heightened senses

I hope he ends up growing up and leading a good life, he's a very beautiful gecko and I am hoping for the best for you

 

[acpart]

Just in case, moisten his eye area. I had one that I thought had no eyes and it turned out to be an eyelid deformity which made the eyes gummy and sunken in. She had normal vision and did well.

Aliza

 

[Sandra]

Good idea. That would explain the normal reactions. I have some hopes of that tiny eye on one side to develop a little more.

Do you think that washing his eyes with saline once a day will be enough?

 

[rubym]

I hope he does well for you. One of our last 2 little hatchlings this season has a deformed foot and he was only 1 gram when he hatched. He is now 3 weeks old and doing very well. Orbie is going to just be one of our spoiled rotten pets, lol. These little guys can often surprise us with how resilient they are. I would defiantly try the saline once or twice a day. The slurry would also be a great way to build up his strength. Best wishes to you and your little guy. Keep us updated on how he does.

 

[LeapinLizards]

Sandra, I have to tell you that what you are doing is commendable. I saw the pictures and my heart broke for your little one, but I know he will have a good life with you teaching and nursing him along the way. I REALLY hope you continue posting pictures, and videos would be great Good luck! He sure is a special little one!

 

[Sandra]

Thanks for the kind words everybody :nice:

I think that until I can see what's going on I'll wash his eyes with the saline twice a day. He's so small I can barely see if there are any eyes or eyelides at all in his little face. We'll have to wait until he grows up a little.

I just looked at the records and he hatched after 56 days at 28ºC (82ºF). Does that look premature to you? I don't think so but... I'm such a noob. Still thinking of the causes.

 

[acpart]

I incubate at the same temp and 56 days is just about right. Please don't beat yourself up thinking you've done something wrong. Lots of us have had many more deformities than other years and the most common ones are foot and eye deformities.

Aliza

 

[Sandra]

Oh, no, I'm not beating myself up. I just feel that I can't sit still and just wait for next year to be better.

In the case of you Americans it is quite clear that it was due to the contaminated mealworm bedding. I talked to my provider and he said that he doesn't bring the mealworms from the USA but from the Czech Republic. About the Czech distributor... I have no way to know, if he brought them from the USA, from elsewhere or bred them himself.

That's in my list of possible causes (and that's why I'm switching from mealworms to crickets and roaches for a while) but if there is anything else that can be improved, I'll do it. I just want things to go smooth next time

By the way, the hatchling is still doing fine on his third day I really hope he makes it. Missing eyes and all he's still very cute.

 

[acpart]

I don't think it's entirely clear that the problem with hatchlings in the US was the mealworm bedding. I fed almost exclusively crickets and breed my own mealworms and still had some problems, although not to the extent of some of the larger breeders.

Aliza

 

[Sandra]

I'm sorry to hear that you had problems this season too But it seemed that most breeders stopped having problems when they switched from mealworms? Well, I don't know anymore.

Update: The little guy is still alive and doing good. Yesterday I found what it seems to be poo (these guys sure do everything on a small scale :main_robin: ). I thought they did after eating their first shed but I don't think he has shed yet... At least I don't see any changes in him. I didn't see him getting whiter (before) nor brighter (after). I'll keep misting his tub just in case.

Oh, and I fed him yesterday for the first time. I think more slurry ended up in the tub floor than in his stomach :main_laugh: But at least I'm sure he ate some.