Heat related neuralogical damage, is it permanent?

[angllady2]

Pretty much as the title says. My last batch of eggs had another small temp spike a few days ago; now the babies, which have all hatched, appear to have some damage from it.

They all seem to lack muscle control and coordination. Something like a spider wobble. Are these babies doomed to have this for the rest of their lives, or is there a chance they might grow out of it now that they've hatched?

I am not a happy camper about this. First a wicked spike ruined my long awaited fire clutch, now the blasted homemade incubator ruins a pied clutch as well.

Well, I think it goes without saying one way or another I will be getting a reliable incubator before breeding starts again. It will be a cold day in the Sahara before another clutch of mine goes into this cheap piece of offal my husband built.

[DooLittle]

I have never yet bred, so I have no experience there. But I am so sorry to hear that.

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[Stewart_Reptiles]

On animals that young not sure, but I had a female that made a full recovery from overheating it took a few months, now as far as your babies damage could be more severe either way only time will tell. Their ability to eat on their own will definitely be a good sign if they can do that.

[xFenrir]

I'm so sorry that this happened! Poor babies.
If they can eat, my bet would be that even if they retain some measure of the damage, they will at least be able to be great pets. I mean, look at Spiders. Lots of them have wobbles, but 90% of them are able to grow and thrive, and even the ones that aren't breeding material make wonderful pets.

And yeah sounds like buying a REAL incubator will prevent any misfortunes in the future. Not knocking on your husband though 'cause it sounds like he did his best.

[Skiploder]

Pretty much as the title says. My last batch of eggs had another small temp spike a few days ago; now the babies, which have all hatched, appear to have some damage from it.

They all seem to lack muscle control and coordination. Something like a spider wobble. Are these babies doomed to have this for the rest of their lives, or is there a chance they might grow out of it now that they've hatched?

I am not a happy camper about this. First a wicked spike ruined my long awaited fire clutch, now the blasted homemade incubator ruins a pied clutch as well.

Well, I think it goes without saying one way or another I will be getting a reliable incubator before breeding starts again. It will be a cold day in the Sahara before another clutch of mine goes into this cheap piece of offal my husband built.

Gale:

If the damage was done during the formation of the neurological system, it would be permanent. I am unsure what the timeline for development during incubation is, so I can't say whether it's reversible or not.

On what day did the spike happen and how high of a spike was it?

[satomi325]

My pin has a slight wobble. Barely noticeable. I'm assuming its from a temp flux in his breeder's incubator. He's about a year old and I can say his twitchy head is much better compared to when he was younger and he's my best male eater.

Either way, I'm sorry this happened to you. Sounds like you've had a rough year. Good luck with your future projects.

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[angllady2]

Skip, I would call it on day 63 or 64. These eggs were incubated at 83-84 degrees. They began pipping on day 67, and they all emerged within 2 days.

I am taking it one step at a time for now. Once they shed I'll see if they can eat. And just go from there.

Gale

[BHReptiles]

Skip, I would call it on day 63 or 64. These eggs were incubated at 83-84 degrees. They began pipping on day 67, and they all emerged within 2 days.

I am taking it one step at a time for now. Once they shed I'll see if they can eat. And just go from there.

Gale

I'm not a breeder yet nor an expert on reptiles so take this with a grain of salt: most animals develop their neurological and cardiovascular system first since it is not only the most complex, but the most vital for life. My guess would be that the damage was done late enough in incubation that it may not be permanent.

[gsarchie]

I'm very sorry to hear this, Gail. Did you produce any pieds and what was the pairing? I will be building my own incubator and would hate to have what happened to you happen to me, so would you mind if I ask what you how you built your incubator? I am thinking of doing the strip of heat tape down the sides and across the bottom of a cooler with some water bottles laid in the bottom and I will be using a solid thermostat with it to control the temps.

[angllady2]

There were two pieds in the clutch, and three hets. They all exhibit symptoms. I just hope they will eventually get better.

The incubator my husband made out of melamine, because we had it from our first homemade rack. It's a basic rectangle shape, with flexwatt running down the back and both sides. It has no insulation, and this was a huge mistake. It is impossible to keep the temps steady, they fluctuate with the room temp. Water bottles help, but do not solve this problem. I think our main issue however was the thermostat. It's a more affordable unit, and now of course we know why.

My plans for next season are to convert an actual insulated cooler or fridge, to stabilize temps, and the best thermostat I can find and afford. This troublesome unit cost me problems with no fewer than three of my four clutches. Next season I could end up with as many as eight clutches, no way on earth I'm risking a repeat of this season.

Gale