Runts?

[Zen Reptiles]

Are there always runts in the clutch?

I have some approaching 4 months that look more like 2 months. Out of 19 Nosy Be, there are 3 that are exceptionally small compared to the rest.

They're in separate cages and eat/poop just as much as the big guys. Is this normal?

 

[brooklynelizabeth]

Like humans we all grow a little different, will you be selling any?, would love to see pics, lil chams are so adorable

 

[Fidel]

There's always a few. Those are the ones I feed off to the adults.

 

[Dez]

I have had some runts in a few of my clutches.
They where just slow to grow starting out but grew up fine and perfectly healthy.

I never cull runts unless there is some sort of obvious deformities that would cause the baby to die anyway....and that has been rare

 

[laurie]

I have had some runts in a few of my clutches.
They where just slow to grow starting out but grew up fine and perfectly healthy.

I never cull runts unless there is some sort of obvious deformities that would cause the baby to die anyway....and that has been rare

Thank you Dez, I feel better. Just feeding them off because they are small seems so awful to me. a couple of years ago I used to take in all the rungs from forum members just cause I love babies.

 

[jannb]

I separate them and give them a liitle extra care and attention and they all grow up to be perfectly healthy chameleons even my little miracal baby Elly. I would never feed off a baby I always have tons of feeders and if I had one that needed vet attention it would get it and if a baby passed away I have an area on the side of my house where we bury pets.

 

[flyty808]

i have a jackson runt who is just over a month and has almost not grown at all eating and drinking but little to no growing the other 3 i have from the same clutch have trippled in size.i just love my lil runt.

 

[Cainschams]

There's always a few. Those are the ones I feed off to the adults.

Yeah, nothing wrong with that and there is nothing wrong with keeping them.

 

[Miss Lily]

My friend has a cham that would probably have been considered the runt of his clutch. He also suffered slight MBD issues too, but she has nurtured him and he has far more colour than a lot of other male veileds yet he remains small. He is a miniature version of an adult and he is totally adorable! I've never seen any other male quite so colourful and vivid as he is.

I was shocked at the 'feed them off' comment! I could never do that - I would love the runts more than the others as they would be 'special'.

 

[ChameleonRave]

My friend has a cham that would probably have been considered the runt of his clutch. He also suffered slight MBD issues too, but she has nurtured him and he has far more colour than a lot of other male veileds yet he remains small. He is a miniature version of an adult and he is totally adorable! I've never seen any other male quite so colourful and vivid as he is.

I was shocked at the 'feed them off' comment! I could never do that - I would love the runts more than the others as they would be 'special'.

That's exactly how Darwin is! He is smaller than most adult Veiled's. Feeding them off in my book is horrible. :c They all deserve to have a chance at life.

 

[lslcronk]

I separate them and give them a liitle extra care and attention and they all grow up to be perfectly healthy chameleons even my little miracal baby Elly. I would never feed off a baby I always have tons of feeders and if I had one that needed vet attention it would get it and if a baby passed away I have an area on the side of my house where we bury pets.

I used to breed crested geckos, and my first few babies were kinda small, and 1 never grew well...they DEFINATELY did NOT get "fed off"...they were loved until thier time and then were buried in the garden, underneath a weeping cherry tree.

 

[Dez]

I just wanted to share one of my "runts"..

This is Icabod.. when he was hatched he seemed very small and weak.. and I thought maybe he wouldn't make it.

He stayed small for a long time and did not seem to be growing at all for the first 2 months of his life.

I moved him outside when he was 4 months and he has been living in natural sunlight even since.. His growth just took off. Now 7 months old he is a healthy size and has beautiful coloration.. He is a tad on the small side but at only 7 months he is still growing.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Separate from larger siblings. 9 times out of 10 they are just slower growing at first and will catch up. I've only once had an animal that stayed unusually small (and kept it).