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#115164
Jendragon
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My babies are hatching!!! PLEASE HELP 
Actually, just the first one is hatching, but a few more are sweating. I have the strongest desire to "help" it out of its shell, but I am resisting, though I’ve checked on it about a hundred times since I got home and discovered it poking out! It moves once in a while to assure me it is still alive! It cant get choked by the shell around its neck when its head is poking out, can it???? I am so excited! I hope I’ve gotten the right idea from the postings in the past--please correct me if I am wrong-- Put the hatchling in its own empty container in the incubator for about 24 hours, then into a 20 gallon tank is ok with lights, etc, but not much else--a rock for basking (flat bottomed), paper towels, no climbing wood, right? Certainly no substrate. I should expect them to eat no earlier than three days and as much as a week? Veggies super small and pinheads ok? Water? And when they start to diverge in size I move them to different containers to avoid nipping. does that sound like I am on the right track? The sad thing is that I have to give them up/sell them,whatever by next week. I’m in New York if anyone is interested in the whole clutch. I’d love to see it through but I cant be around to take care of them for two weeks. The timing could not be worse! I met some people at the last Westchester reptile expo that seem interested, they REALLY want the mom, who is a beautiful sandfire flame, but I love her too much to consider! But I think all of you are so amazing I’d love to see them in your capable hands. If I could keep them I know they’d do well at the next reptile show in September, but I can’t. Anyone have suggestions? I’ve walked into some pet stores, but it is hard to let them fall into who-knows-what-hands. I guess that’s the down side to breeding on a small scale!
PS She (mom) eats like mad, still, but only just in the last week or so started to look "bumpy" like she did for a while before she laid this clutch. Does it make sense to start "showing" again in two months? Maybe this next clutch I’ll be able to really take care of them for longer, but then I don’t know how I will ever be able to give them up!!!
Please let me know if you have any advice, and I know some of you will want to chastise me for not thinking ahead too well-- you are right that this is a huge responsibility and not for everyone! Normally, I have a quiet life and can give all my time to my much-loved pets. I am heartsick that I can not keep these babies, but it would be stupid to leave them to suffer when I don’t have the ability to do the right thing for them! Anyone know a local buyer or breeder who will buy them? Not for profit, just costs... Thanks! Jen
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08/05/04 10:11pm
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#115337
Mijani
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Message To: Jendragon In reference to Message Id: 115164
My babies are hatching!!! PLEASE HELP
First ...dont help them out of the shell...they will be able to get out on their own in thier own time. No,the shell should not choke them. Yes,your newly hatched info seems on track. My babies were eating at 2 days old...but 3 seems to be the average around here. Mist them for watering. Yes, it makes sense to show as early as two months...for some theres only a month between laying. As far as the getting rid of the babies in a week part....i have no advice there. Hope i helped some.
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08/06/04 1:10am
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#115401
Jendragon
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Message To: Mijani In reference to Message Id: 115337
My babies are hatching!!! PLEASE HELP
You did help, thanks! I am glad you mention misting because this morning one is completely out and has vermiculite on it, so I was thinking I’d like to help get it off a bit. The first one to poke out still isnt totally out though. I’m worried about that one  but there are three new heads poking out today! 
Thanks to all of the regulars on this forum, the advice I’ve gotten through reading has been an excellent help!
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08/06/04 6:32am
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#115402
Desire
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Message To: Jendragon In reference to Message Id: 115401
My babies are hatching!!! PLEASE HELP
the babies only have to stay in the incubator after hatching untill their umbilical cord is absorbed and they need to be in a separate container on a moist paper towel other then that everything you listed looks right to me.. good luck finding them a good home and congrats on your new babies.. 
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08/06/04 6:39am
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#115405
Jendragon
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Message To: Desire In reference to Message Id: 115402
My babies are hatching!!! PLEASE HELP
YIPEE! The one I was worried about is out, and boy is he fast!!! He still has a big bump of a sac still, so I’m taking your good advice about the wet paper towel. How soon is ok to try feeding? I grow parsley so I thought I might try that and I thought if I overnight a pinhead cricket order it will be here tomorrow. Will that work? Are pinheads too big?
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08/06/04 7:41am
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#115479
Heartmountain
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Message To: Jendragon In reference to Message Id: 115405
My babies are hatching!!! PLEASE HELP
Parsley isn’t good for them, it’s a calcium binder. Check beautifuldragons.com for a really good food list. I usually start offering food as soon as I move them into their regular tanks. Finely chopped greens and soaked pellet (i crush it up a bit so it’s smaller) first, then about a week or 2 later I start in with the live food. Pinheads are too small, 1/4" seems to work pretty well just make sure they aren’t bigger than your babys head. Everything else said sounds about right. Good LuckSean
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08/06/04 10:55am
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#115920
Jendragon
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Message To: Heartmountain In reference to Message Id: 115479
My babies are hatching!!! PLEASE HELP
OK, great, I’ll do the greens and crush and soak some pellets (mom and dad wont eat them...) but OOPS! I actually got some tiny little pinheads and tried it already and two lizards ate them right up! Should I wait 2 weeks now or keep offering??? I can not tell you how amazing it is to have this wonderful advice! I am so glad tomorrow is Saturday so I can watch the cute little guys all day!!! Thank you thank you thank you...
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08/06/04 10:16pm
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#115959
Heartmountain
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Message To: Jendragon In reference to Message Id: 115920
My babies are hatching!!! PLEASE HELP
You can keep feeding them crix, i just find it easier to get them to eat salad if you start them on it first and then move on to live food. Great to hear that they are eating so soon. Have a great time with the little guys, they are amazing to watch grow up (and they do it so fast). I would get an order in to one of the online cricket suppliers and get in a couple thousand, it’s a lot cheaper than buying them at the pet store. 1/8 to 1/4 inch is about the right size for babies and i have a cricket care sheet on my site www.heartmountainherps.com that will help you care for them. Have fun and as you have questions feel free to ask, i usually check this board 3-4 times a day (it’s my favorite one, not full of petty arguments like some others). Sean
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08/06/04 11:29pm
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#116475
Jendragon
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Message To: Heartmountain In reference to Message Id: 115959
My babies are hatching!!! PLEASE HELP
Thanks so much, Sean. Your advice is always excellent and your care sheet is one of the best I’ve ever seen!All 14 are out now, as of day 58 and everyone looks healthy. They are not eating much, licking at the greens but not chomping them down like their parents do. Hard to tell who has eaten what... Do you suggest vitamins in the water I mist with at all? They have great energy, though they just fall asleep in the middle of a frantic scratch at the tank’s glass! LOL!! And they all pile on top of each other, I should take some pix tomorrow. it’s so funny, with all the room in the tank they are all in one corner!! Their color is quite dark considering mom and dad are both light, and there is not much redness which I’d like to see, but the markings are very nice. They have a slate blue color that neither parent has! The color will change some as they grow, right? When can I give them a perch to climb and when do I need to separate into smaller groups to avoid nipping? Right away? Hope my questions are helpful to others as well! Jen
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08/07/04 11:54pm
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#116546
Heartmountain
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Message To: Jendragon In reference to Message Id: 116475
My babies are hatching!!! PLEASE HELP
Hey Jen, Thanks for the compliment, I do what I can. They won’t eat much at first but they’ll get the hang of it over the next week or so. Licking at the greens is a good first step. I don’t add anything to my water, I prefer to use dusts on the salad; Minerall (or any calcium w/d3) on every salad and a good vitamin dust twice a week for babies. That blue/grey is baby skin and will slowley fade over the next couple weeks and they’ll pick up color as they shed. The dark color could be a couple things, babies are just that way sometimes or they may be a touch on the cool side. Check their bellies and if you see lines you might want to bump up the temp a touch. You can give them a perch after a couple days, I like to wait that long just to give them time to get their feet under them. You can separate them anytime, my highest grade animals never even see another dragon, they get their own enclosure from hatch to ensure a perfect animal (it would be nice if I could do this with everyone but it’s just not feasable.). Give them a few days to get settled and then make sure you play with them. A short 15min/day will make a world of difference in babies attitudes, plus it’s fun. Good luck with them.Sean
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08/08/04 3:01am
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