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He was not walking well, not real active, I went to check and his back legs went straight out(ridgid) and he gasped and layed limp. I actually told my husband he had died.

Within a minute he was moving again, and walked a little.

I believe I have a MAJOR calcium problem here, and he is having Seizures

I guess I will use some calcium syrup and see if it can help this cute lil guy. Dang this really STINKS !

Let ya know how he does.
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PHEve/ Eve

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Really a shame, hes so beautiful plump, but something is not right, he is gasping, I have given liquid syrup calcium a few tiny drops diluted, I had him out in the sun, but don't think hes going to pull through.

A few times he has actually flipped around like a fish out of water would do.

I had a couple baby emerald swifts hatch with seizures this winter, she had alot of kids, so I figured maybe that was it.

I have all new lighting, and have used miner-all indoor for quite sometime to dust with BUT....
seeing these problems with swift kids, I have recently switched to rep-cal calcium with D-3 to see if there would be a difference, but unfortunately I had only swithed to it about 3 weeks ago.

I have no other reasons for this , and have to admit I'm saddened by it all lately, the other one not getting out of his egg. I have to go do some things and get away from this for awhile , GOING NUTS.....

I have been too PREOCCUPIED last few days, so I will get back and let ya know later .
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PHEve/ Eve

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No idea why...some would just freak, and their legs would go stiff. Then they would act normal for a while. I think I had one that actually made a recovery. IT seemed the first 2-3 weeks were the most critical.

So sorry to hear about that Eve. I'm starting to wonder about all the latest greatest supplements/lighting possibly contributing to birth defects and oversupplmentation in hatchlings...

J

Yeah have to wonder. I was speaking with Peter from Holland, he told me he has had several clutches of hatchlings die this year.

They hatch and keep their heads down. Walk in circles and die.

Hes goingn crazy also!
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PHEve/ Eve

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Hi Eve,

I saw the picture of the neonate with the excessive yolk attached. That's a potential indication of a problem, but I would say it has to do with the incubation process, and not necessarily a calcium deficiency. There is also a possibility that the animal was not allowed to remain inside the egg long enough, preventing it from fully absorbing the vital yolk. Many lizards, at least during artificial incubation, remain inside the egg (with their head sticking out) for hours, and any disturbance prompts an early emergence.

Was the animal one of the first ones to emerge, or one of the last ones? Most reptiles hatch in a synchronized manner in order to minimize predation and increase the chances of survival. This can be done through hormonal signals sent once the first egg begins to pip (other forms of communication, such as in crocodilians, include vocalizations, etc.). The problem with this "survival" technique is that not all eggs develop at the same rate, at least not always in captivity, so when the signal for hatching begins, all of the eggs will hatch, including those in a premature state. Some people have found ways to cope with this problem. I have had good success incubating eggs by placing them at least once inch apart. Doing so prevents all eggs from hatching at the same time, and allows those that are under-developed to hatch a few days later.

Another potential problem is the temperature and the relative humidity at which the eggs were kept during the incubation process. Low humidity in crocodilians appears to have an effect on the size of the remaining yolk, many times being too large for the animal to absorb, leading to bacterial infections.

Hopefully you'll be able to identify the problem and learn from the experience.

All the best,

Fabián

I had had a private email conversation with Brock N last night. I had said to him (I had never had a hatchling with such a long umbilical cord, ever)

Also the hatchling that did not ever get out of the egg (who by the way was alive hours before, I saw him moving in the egg) The next day when I realized he was not moving anymore and opened the egg, to find him dead, I had told Brock there seemed to be an excessive amount of thickened yolk matter at the bottom of the egg .

The dead neonate did not have anything attached to him at all, his tummy was clean. He was extremely thin as compared to the guy I'm talkign about now. This one has a FAT tummy as if he had a large meal.

Never had this happen. Something to ponder on for sure.

Thanks for your thoughts, always appreciated my friend.
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PHEve/ Eve

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