Reptile & Amphibian Forums

if you have premie babies, do you 'let nature take its course' with them, or cull them out?

I've got two babies in my litter with BIG yolky bellies, they're both very lethargic compared to the rest of the litter and while it's too soon to really get concerned about them, I am just thinking about my options... I abhor the idea of throwing them in the freezer, but at the same time I don't want them to be suffering needlessly.
-----
65 animals... and the number keeps growing!

They will come around.....I would imagine it's a defense mechanism built into their little brains. They stay still until done digesting so they don't get eaten by predators....just my theory. Keep them moist and let them digest that yolk and they should come around for you. I had some premies last year that had the yolk on the outside and I kept them moist and they turned out to be great little healthy, thriving Boas. Good luck!

yeah, it makes sense for them to 'chill out' until their yolks are digested, and both of them are parked RIGHT over the warm side (they've even pushed away some of the less-yolky siblings in the tub) to help with digestion.

I hope they do come around, because they're the lightest two in the litter (although I remember reading somewhere that premies do tend to be lighter?)
-----
65 animals... and the number keeps growing!

If they still have yolk to absorb and there more than 2 days all I'd get rid of it, the yolk can spoil....
-----
1.0 Poss super PC Salmon 05 (Rich Ihle)
0.1 Dubay Pastel 04 (Clay English)
1.0 Sharp Albino 05 (Mike Wilbanks)
0.1 Normal BCI 04 (????)

Make sure the temps are adequate. They need to be able to digest the excess yolk in their bellies. If the temps are not up around 89 the yolk will harden and they will die. Be careful about placing them to close to heat if they are unable to move themselves.

Best of luck,
Justin

I really hope your babies pull through well, but if you have to make a difficult decision, I think you might want pull a few reptile euthanasia articles if you're going to do the deed yourself. From what I've read, freezing the animals isn't the best way to go because of the pain caused by forming ice crystals. Reptile brains can apparently survive for a while separated from the body, so decapitation isn't great either. From what I've read, it seemed that the best way to euthanize snakes without a vet's assistance was to refrigerate (not freeze) them and then quickly crush the skull or pith them. But I'm no expert, and I've never had to do it myself; I'm only going on what I've read. Good luck.