BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

3 weeks ago, one of my blotched gave birth to 2 babies. One was still born and the other is not thriving. It rarely moves around, refuses all solid food (it licks it a bit) and overall feels very limp and bloated. In picking it up and gently squeezing it's stomach, large amounts of fluid came out it's vent the other day. I don't know if it has edema from possible genetic defects of an organ or maybe impaction when it ate it's placenta off the substrate. Anyone have any ideas?

Kim

Sorry to hear the baby is still not doing well Kim. I have nothing to offer in the way of advice, but have you checked with a vet yet?

I've heard other people talk about failure to thrive in alpines - some are very slow to start eating. I have found a few tips to getting them to start:

-Let them lick up some raw egg (or syringe it slowly into the mouth).
-Make some scrambled egg ( no milk butter etc)
-Crush up a snail from the garden - chop it up with a knife (the smell seems to have a stimulating effect)

I have also found that raising the temperature to a constant 33C helps and don't allow the temp to fall too much at night. Their bodies are tuned to not want to eat if they are not confident that temps are going to stay warm enough to support them digesting their food - remember they come from a cool climate but respond well to hot conditions.

Another tip, I find the range 23C at night and 33C during the day to be the best all round. When they think it is summer, they feed better in the morning once warmed up - effectively they become crepuscular in summer.

What substrate were you using? I recommend that newborns are kept only on newspaper etc for a few weeks, next best is recycled paper, definitely not on woodchips, hard shavings or bark as the diameter of their intestines is tiny. I had one die from being on compressed rice hull cat litter (this is a real don't). Went on for a long time - the vet did suggest that there was a possibility of giving it an enema but it was too late.

I have heard of success with people giving animals with blockages, Olive oil to help objects slip out. It does sound like a potential blockage to me.

wonder if it is septicemia perhaps from being with the stillborn baby. This is total speculation. I'd agree with Jeff sounds like a vet is in order here.

Typically I do cover the substrate prior to giving birth. This one caught me by surprise because I was not expecting anything for at least another month. It was born on cypress mulch which can be as bad as any substrate if ingested. I did not take the animal to the vet because it is so small I doubt any vet in my area has the expertise to do much. If it has impaction, it's too young for surgery and unlikely anything outside of vomiting it out will help. I am keeping it hot and trying to at least get liquids in it.

Kim

i had a similar case with a premature litter once kim,only 2 were born alive,a few born dead and quite a few slugs,the babbies appeared translucent,color hadnt developed,unfortunatly i couldnt get the 2 live ones to thrive and lost them with in 2 months of birth,there was no fluid coming from them though,sounds like you are doing all you can,mine didnt want to eat either,but would drink a bit,good luck,hopefully the lil tyke comes good

I was away for 2 weeks on a family vacation and while I was gone the baby blotched did die. It now looks like I'll have 0 blotched babies this season.

Kim

So sorry to hear that. Sounds like it was only a matter of time. Hope you have better luck next year!

I'm really sorry to hear that Kim. I know this year has been terrible for your blotched, but I am quite sure that it will be the exception. You had so many challenges this year, that it would have been a miracle if you ended up with many babies.

I am confident that next year will go much smoother, and you will have so many babies that you will have to sell them at a discounted price.

bummer kim,theres always next season mate,like jeff said,im confident it will all work out next season,your holdbacks if u still have them will probably be of size to join the efforts there to

how did that adult female go ,is she back to normal

Sorry to hear the sad news.