Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone,

Just a quick update on our baby tribbie, for those who are interested.

We had a really close call yesterday -- ended up noticing that the baby was dying of dehydration!! We've been keeping him in a small plastic critter cage and using a paper towel as a substrate, so we could monitor his poop. I work from home and have a home office, and junior is in the office next to me all day. Until now, I've been misting the container several times daily, basically as soon as the water droplets dried up, I'd mist the entire container again. I didn't provide a water dish, because I thought all the misting would be sufficient. As it turns out, it wasn't.

Upon close examination yesterday, I saw how sunken junior's eyes were, which is usually a sign of severe dehydration, and that's when I realized that maybe he needs a water dish. I put a jar lid filled with water in with him, placed him in the middle of it, and sure enough... his head went under and he chugged. Poor baby!! I feel so aweful... At any rate, he already seems to be doing better. This morning, his eyes are no longer sunken.

After that long drink, we saw him nab one of the pinhead crickets. Then he went back to sleep. LOL I sprinkled some powdered day gecko food in the feed dish so that the crickets would have something to eat, and this morning, all the powder is gone! I seriously doubt the few crickets ate all the powder, so I'm thinking that junior ate the powder! If that's the case, that would be a good thing... the powder is very nutritious.

I'm still very worried about him, though. He sleeps a *lot* and he still looks so skinny. I hope that bout of dehydration didn't affect him too much. Anyway, now I know to keep a water dish in there.

I guess this proves that no matter how much experience you have keeping lizards, that you can still make stupid mistakes. *sigh*

Sorry for the rambling... and thanks for listening.

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Julie Williams
www.baskingwonders.com

Cant you keep Junior with his parents??I suppose that what is good for his parents is good for him.And his mother will teach him what he should and not should eat.
All of us can make mistakes that sometimes can harm our beloved babies(sniff...sniff...)

About being skinny, my own trib was VERY skinny until he reached sexual maturity.He was soo skinny his limbs looked like hair!After he reached sexual maturity he became chubby!I didnt change his food so i think his fatness has something to do with hormones.

I have 2 juvenile monkey skinks that used to sleep a lot.They could spend days in a row only sleeping.Now, that they are getting older they are sleeping much less.Perhaps sleeping too much is common(in the skink family)among babies and juveniles?

Hi Flavia,

Thanks for your input! We did think of putting junior in with mom, but so far, mom hasn't really proven to be a good mother; one article I read stated that tribs protect their nest and incubate the egg by laying it in an optimal area and keeping it moist. The first egg she laid, she just left it there to dry up, which is why we started removing them and incubating. That egg she left wasn't infertile either -- we opened it and there was a dead embryo inside. So we're worried she will not be much help and might even attack it.

The adults both love mealworms, so we've been offering very small (1/4" long) freshly-molted mealworms. He doesn't seem to show any interest in *any* food so far, except that one time he nabbed the cricket. We also found some poop a few days ago. So I guess he is eating, just not very much. Maybe it's normal for newborns. At any rate, since we've been keeping a water dish in there, he looks much better and is fairly active (when he's not sleeping, that is, which is most of the day...). LOL

I guess all we can do is just keep offering different foods and hope that he will eventually eat. *sigh*

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Julie Williams
www.baskingwonders.com

Guess i shouldve told u about tribs being rather semiaquatic. Some provide different substrate for tribs to see wich they like best. You could use moss, cool gravel, water, & a sponge to see its preferences. Try to give some waxworms for the baby. They are supposed to be good fatteners & for stubborn feeders. Get your hands on small butterworms to if u can. They are usually ordered online.

n/p
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Edward
Carpe diem

Get a dog, or better yet a pet rock.

It disgusts me to see the advice you give people and the abuse you subject your herps to.
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E2MacPets
http://www.e2macpets.com

Wow! Thanks!