Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hello. out of my clutch of 21 eggs that hatched 3 have died already and a few more look pretty close to being next.

I dont know what is wrong here. Does this happen in most clutches? This is my first time breeding so I dont know. Im very concerned.

They have a basking bulb,a hot rock thats controled by a rheostat,fresh dusted veggies everyday, dusted crickets everyday and a shallow water dish plus daily mists. Am I doing anything wrong? Are they all going to die on me? I hope not. Now only a few will even go after the crickets when I throw them in. Before they all went charging. Please help. I dont know what to do. Thanks.

Could be possible parasites or some disease is spreading through the clutch o and get rid of the hot rock.You should keep them away from any other animals and get them to a vet.

No, it's not normal. Let's get some basics here first. How many are you running together? You say they have a basking light but what's the surface temp? Cut the cord on the heat rock, it won't get you anywhere but trouble. What substrate are you keeping them on? How many times a day are you misting them? How big of crickets are you feeding and are you removing the uneaten ones? Were the parents related in any way? Did they hatch on time and appear healthy or have they looked sickly from the beginning? and finally what color is your kitchen sink? lol just kidding on the last one but I'd asked just about everything else. We'll try to help you through this but we really need to know the other info.

Sean
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Heart Mountain Herps

My first move would to be get rid of the heat rock for sure! get an indoor outdoor thermometer and check your basking spot temps and then check your temps at the other end of the cage. They should be betwwen 110- 115 at the basking and around 80-85 at the other end. I kept 6-8 hatchlings together in a ten gallon tank for the first 4-6 weeks and then you'll need to move them to another larger enclosure.

The diet sounds fine. If I were you I woudl get some fecals done ASAP! If they come back clean.....uh ohh.... Are the parents still healthy? Where did you get the parents? What are some of the symptoms your babies are getting when they begin to die?

Also if your using sand or walnut shell as a substrate and feeding pinheads there is a possibility they could be impacted. If you are feeding crickets larger than 1/4" there is also a possibility that they could be impacted. We really need to know what symptoms they are displaying before death.

I'm sorry your having to go through this as I know what it feels like. Hopefully this helps and we can get everything lined out for you.

Robert
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A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,
adored by little statesmen, philosophers and divines.
Ralph Emerson

A few other questions.

You mentioned you were dusting the greens, are you dusting crickets as well? Are they eating the greens at all?

It is better to dust the crickets with calcium with D3 and multi-vitamine with every insect meal for the first couple months then cut back to once a day. It isn't good to do dusting of insects and greens, this could give them too much D3 and other vitamines. If you are just dusting greens and they are not eating any or enough then they are missing out on needed nutrients and D3.

It would be best to take the unhealthy ones away from healthy bearded dragons. Take them to a vet experienced with bearded dragons or reptiles. Dead specimens should be refrigerated and brought to a vet for a necropsy to help determine what is wrong.
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PHLdyPayne

the hot rock might be cooking them! and make sure you are feeding them crickets that arent too big( that causes hind leg peralesys) i doubt i spelled that right!
hope that helps!