DrCarrotTail
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- 3,590
- Location
- Ridgewood, NJ
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.
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.