Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Got home from the pool a few minutes ago and found our little brevicaudata lying on the bottom of her tank. She's gone. She seemed fine this morning, when I misted her....I don't think it was falling, this is just a small critter keeper. We've been feeding her pretty often since she laid the egg, to build her back up. Her abdomen seems somewhat distended...maybe she was egg-bound? Could it have taken that long (two weeks) after she laid the first egg, for her to die? Or maybe she's impacted, although all I have in there is cocoa fiber and crunched up leaves. My poor son is really bummed....I hope that egg is fertile...

Is there a point to a post-mortem?

sorry to hear

My first chams were a trio of brevi's. They came from one of the best US breeders (I don't think they breed brevi's anymore, though), 4 months old, I had them for 4 months then all 3 died within 2 weeks of each other - it was heartbreaking (no kids involved, just me, the big kid!). I was so baffled, as were others) and I found an out of state vet who was willing to do a necropsy if I sent him (Bart was the last to go). It was like donating him to the science of the collective cham community. I was so glad that I MIGHT find out what happened. On the way to my vet to get him prepped for the trip the alternator in my car went about 2 miles from home. It was about 8:00pm and all but begged a neighbor to take me (45 minute drive) but she would not . He would not "keep" another day so I had to forgo the whole thing.

OK, why did I tell you all this? Mainly that you will probably be hard pressed to FIND a vet who has any experience in doing one on such a tiny animal and then there is no guarantee of an actual finding. This vet was willing to do it for free, but I had to pay for prepping and shipping. When I had one done on Luna, my veiled, last summer it cost $120 (and worth it to me under the circumstances).

I think if I had a brevi die I would not have one done unless I could do as I tried the first time.

I know that some folks here do their own, but not sure if you have the inclination (and stomach) for it. If so, you might find someone to walk you thru it. It may become obvious early that she was eggbound.

Sorry so long, and again, really sorry (keep my fingers crossed that the egg IS fertile!)

lele
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Chameleon Help & Resource Info
1.0 Nosy Be Panther Chameleon - Cyrus
0.1 Veiled Chameleon - Luna. She's now hanging from her big jungle gym in the sky
1.0 Beardie - Darwin
1.1 Side-blotched lizards - Ana and Stan for now
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Lita
0.1 African Clawed Frog - Skippy
0.1 Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula - Rosa Leigh, Died 4/21/06
0.1 Goliath Bird-Eater Tarantula - Natasha, donated to science 4/4/06
?.? Pinktoe Tarantula - no name yet

Lele,

What a bummer, your first three babies! And you never knew what killed them? It would have taken me a long time to get a cham again....

Well, wierd me, I DO have the stomach for it. I tried it before on a pictus gecko, but I froze him first (couldn't do it for a couple days) and that was useless....I mainly wanted to see if he was impacted. This time, though, I went ahead and checked her out before my son buried her. She DID have another egg. It's much yellower than the first one, and it has a purple spot on one side. I'm guessing it's not alive, if it ever was; but I put it in the same container as the first, although not particularly close to it.

So now I wonder....why didn't she lay the second one? About four days after the first, we moved her to a different cage, b/c the one she was in was really soggy. So the second is dryer, and maybe didn't have a good nesting spot...but I thought she would have already laid any more eggs by then. She couldn't have formed another (infertile) egg since then, could she?

I'm really bummed. I'd love to get another brevi...but I don't think I'll rush to do it. We'll watch these eggs for a few months and see what happens.

What a cool little critter she was!

Thanks..

Wow, sorry to hear about your little one...
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TFFF
(Tootie Freakin' Fruity Feenie)