Becca
Eternally Confused
I am very upset right now, so forgive me for any errors or anything. This morning when I went to check on my hatchlings, I found my older hatchling from Apopha's first clutch dead. I had fed her the night before, a small pinky. She had taken the pinky no problem and all seemed well. This morning, the pinky was halfway in her mouth (I think she tried to regurg it), but she was dead.
I'm so upset, I don't know what happened or could have happened to cause this. I keep the babies in their own little tupperware container (drilled with tiny holes for air) and a water bottle cap filled with water, on paper towels. I kept them in a small rack that is heated on the back with Flexwatt controlled by a Zilla thermostat. When I checked temps, the back (where the tape is) was 82F, the front (which is the cool side) was 78F. I don't know what happened, or what caused her to regurgitate, but it looked as if she couldn't get the pinky out of her mouth. Could she have suffocated? Has anyone else ever had this problem? Should I be worried about my other hatchlings...they all were fine when I checked on them. Could this be some sort of genetic disorder that the others will get? I'm so upset, I don't know what to do. Any help or suggestions would be so gratefully appreciated.