Four weeks ago today we had a cherryhead red-foot egg that started to hatch. Two days later we discovered that the egg actually held triplets that were somehow all alive.
This is a brief update on their growth since they hatched.
The two larger siblings named Huey and Dewey are looking like, and acting like, typical month old red-foot hatchlings. They are aggressive eaters, are not shy and are growing fast. But since they started out being much smaller than normal red-foot hatchlings they are just now the size of a new hatchling--and a small one at that. Still, I have no doubt that they will eventually be very normal adults.
Several people (who know much more about the subject than I do) have told me that as the three neonates were all connected by the same yolk sac, they are genetically identical. They may have slight differences in their appearance, but from a genetic standpoint, they are identical. You can see from this photo that Huey and Dewey do look very much alike--more so than the other members of their clutch...
The smallest triplet (named Peanut) surprised us by continuing to live. Although he is developmentally behind his siblings, he has come a long way and now gives every impression that he will continue to thrive. The first couple of weeks Peanut seemed to have trouble walking normally but this may have in part been a result of him having a large yolk sac with its attached tissue on his belly. Still, there was something not quite right about him. However his gait has improved and Peanut can now ramble about fairly well-- although I hope his spindly little legs get stronger as he grows. I think that as he is just so small and somewhat 'preemie' he simply needs more time than a normal hatchling requires.
The foods we have offered Peanut have been soaked Mazuri tortoise chow, finely grated mushrooms, finely chopped romaine, baby lettuce, finely chopped hibiscus flower, some cooked sweet potato, very limited amounts of banana, blueberries and strawberries that have been mashed and then some soaked ZooMed 'Repti Sticks' for aquatic turtles. Some of these food items I don't really care for (Mazuri) but in this case I am just trying to get some size on the hatchling so that he can take in better foods later. Here are some images on Peanut eating that are undeniably cute...
A photo of the three taken at four weeks...
As you can see, Huey and Dewey have shed off their yolk sac membranes. Peanut is in the process of losing his now.
They look much than when they were first separated!
All three were weighed and measured today and here are their stats:
Huey--22.8 grams, 4.7 cm
Dewey--24.5 grams, 4.7 cm
Peanut--7.3 grams, 3.15 cm
Huey and Dewey weighed only 14 grams each when they were first separated so they have put on some good weight. Peanut was only 4 grams (how is that even possible?) at that time so his weight increase is very encouraging.
We plan on keeping the three for at least the next six months to monitor their growth and to of course, baby them.
This is a brief update on their growth since they hatched.
The two larger siblings named Huey and Dewey are looking like, and acting like, typical month old red-foot hatchlings. They are aggressive eaters, are not shy and are growing fast. But since they started out being much smaller than normal red-foot hatchlings they are just now the size of a new hatchling--and a small one at that. Still, I have no doubt that they will eventually be very normal adults.
Several people (who know much more about the subject than I do) have told me that as the three neonates were all connected by the same yolk sac, they are genetically identical. They may have slight differences in their appearance, but from a genetic standpoint, they are identical. You can see from this photo that Huey and Dewey do look very much alike--more so than the other members of their clutch...
The smallest triplet (named Peanut) surprised us by continuing to live. Although he is developmentally behind his siblings, he has come a long way and now gives every impression that he will continue to thrive. The first couple of weeks Peanut seemed to have trouble walking normally but this may have in part been a result of him having a large yolk sac with its attached tissue on his belly. Still, there was something not quite right about him. However his gait has improved and Peanut can now ramble about fairly well-- although I hope his spindly little legs get stronger as he grows. I think that as he is just so small and somewhat 'preemie' he simply needs more time than a normal hatchling requires.
The foods we have offered Peanut have been soaked Mazuri tortoise chow, finely grated mushrooms, finely chopped romaine, baby lettuce, finely chopped hibiscus flower, some cooked sweet potato, very limited amounts of banana, blueberries and strawberries that have been mashed and then some soaked ZooMed 'Repti Sticks' for aquatic turtles. Some of these food items I don't really care for (Mazuri) but in this case I am just trying to get some size on the hatchling so that he can take in better foods later. Here are some images on Peanut eating that are undeniably cute...
A photo of the three taken at four weeks...
As you can see, Huey and Dewey have shed off their yolk sac membranes. Peanut is in the process of losing his now.
They look much than when they were first separated!
All three were weighed and measured today and here are their stats:
Huey--22.8 grams, 4.7 cm
Dewey--24.5 grams, 4.7 cm
Peanut--7.3 grams, 3.15 cm
Huey and Dewey weighed only 14 grams each when they were first separated so they have put on some good weight. Peanut was only 4 grams (how is that even possible?) at that time so his weight increase is very encouraging.
We plan on keeping the three for at least the next six months to monitor their growth and to of course, baby them.