Orange Discharge

[Tihshho]

Sadly yesterday was the first day of a loss of one of my recent Xanth babies from my recent litter. Upon checking everyone this afternoon it seems I lost another. This time I found the little one clinging on life with a slight orange discharge from it's rear.

Rather than go through the form, here are some key husbandry things:

- Twice daily feedings of fruitflies
- Twice weekly dusting of calcium
- Once weekly dosing of LoD
- Automated misting x4 daily
- Hotend 82-85 / Lowend 72-74

 

[The Wild One]

Pictures

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Jill is going to be the one helping you, I’m sure she’d appreciate being able to see the whole picture. You can only benefit from posting the complete form.

 

[StephDay]

I'm not sure what the problems are, or if this is related, but @JacksJill advised me to not go over 80 for temps with my xanth until she was over 9 months old, so I'm guessing the temps are a little high.

 

[JacksJill]

I can only guess from here but that is too warm for babies. The orange could be urates and a sign of dehydration. I don't know why it would appear as a discharge.
Jackson babies are very delicate and can be hard to raise.

 

[Tihshho]

I went through and reduced the temp. Not sure why temps are causing an issues 10 days in when nothing has really changed...

 

[kinyonga]

@Tihshho said..."Not sure why temps are causing an issues 10 days in when nothing has really changed"....most creatures can survive a certain length of time in less than appropriate conditions and then they can't go on any longer.

 

[kinyonga]

Many creatures release the contents of their bowels and the urine upon death...this happens with chameleons very often too.

 

[Tihshho]

@Tihshho said..."Not sure why temps are causing an issues 10 days in when nothing has really changed"....most creatures can survive a certain length of time in less than appropriate conditions and then they can't go on any longer.

Very true, I just found 10 days to be somewhat fairly long for juveniles/babies of a species that is notoriously known for being difficult at this stage.

One concern I have is that I've not seen gaping (in the means of trying to cool themselves) nor have I seen any other signs of dehydration in feces left on the plants. Just seems odd that this is happening with one daily up until yesterday.

 

[JacksJill]

I can only give you my best guess on this. I can tell you they like more heat than is actually good for them neonates and adults alike. I think it comes from living at altitude and having the drive to access heat when it is available. They have a get it now or not at all attitude IMHO.
The person I got one of my females from said it best when he said "it seem like the babies just look for ways to die" he was telling me about one that exhausted itself to death trying to get out of a feeding cup that was too deep.
There is a learning curve with these guys and I'm still on it when it comes to breeding, so I don't have any concrete answers for you. You might get more help from the Jackson's Chameleon Community page on FB. There are a bunch of breeders there and Bill Strand and Petr Necas are moderators both are here sometimes as well.

 

[Tihshho]

I'm trying to find ways to keep these guys safe and happy.

One thing I've noticed are that there are a few who 'crawl' up the sides aimlessly and get nowhere. I've added more fake vines in those areas so they can walk, but I'm keeping a 4-5" gap between the screen and the plant. This is some work as the shefflera is shooting up fast daily and throwing new sprouts.

 

[Tihshho]

One thing I just noticed this morning while washing out my dusting cup was that Repashy LoD turns the same orange as the discharge I saw when exposed to water. I wonder if my dusting schedule for them is just too much?

 

[JacksJill]

This is what you are seeing in the RCPLoD "Calendula Flower, Marigold Flower, Paprika, Hibiscus Flower,"
It could be passing undigested thru your neonates. Too much Calcium and D3 can slow digestion. I don't know if that is related or not.