Lil' "RUNT" Cherryhead

[Redfoot NERD]

CHERRYHEAD! Another OLD tradition that has plagued this commumity for 25+ years.....

He may be a runt.. but he's tuff! And has a split in the 1st vertebrels scute.. ( the 'keel' scutes - top 3 ) -

He likes the low end of the 'hatchling' enclosure where the water is.

I've not really watched him very long at any given time so I'm not sure how he's eating. They are outdoors and have direct sun available.. but are in the shade virtually everytime I look out on them.

How about those 'black' scales on his legs and head?

Has to stay hydrated -

NERD

 

[Itort]

So, this is the melanistic you were speaking of. Handsome guy.

 

[channy]

what a LITTLE CUTIE! bless...

I love the last pic where you can see all the detail..are the scales supposed to be like that?

 

[terryo]

Could you hold him in your hand or put him near something so we can get an idea of how big he is.

 

[Redfoot NERD]

Boy o' boy what ya gotta do to keep 'em happy!

O.K. so I put my shoes back on.. turn on the outside lights.. grab the camera and the keys to their building.. fumble around with keys in left hand while holding camera with the right [ no pockets ].. unlock building.. stumbled around to pull cord on lights over 'juvie table'.. feel around in the moss to find the baby in their hatchling tub. Find him and woke him up.. blew some of the moss off of him.. trying to manipulate him with the left hand and the camera with the right while holding him under the light to get decent pics. Find little ruler to show size.. place him down next to 'ruler' and here comes one of the 'juvies' to see what's going on! ( I hope you like these pics!!! )

He's just a little one.. see all that 'egg-tooth'? -

Not quite 2" SCL -

He actually 'bit' at that piece of moss -

AND - I love the last pic where you can see all the detail..are the scales supposed to be like that?

Yes but they usually have color on the legs and head similar to this one.. although this one is a quite colorful hatchling.. one of my Northerns! -

Hope ya like....

NERD

 

[N2TORTS]

Terry ... how bout some pics of the parents that produced that guy?
Very unusal color for a Cherry head....I must say ....very neat!
JD~

 

[cdmay]

I'm not sure why but all of the three or four very dark hatchlings that I have produced have also been under sized. They have all hatched with enormous yolk sacs that leave large openings to close on the plastron.

The parents of them have all been normal and it appears to me that genetics plays no real part. The under colored, under sized hatchlings have represented a tiny minority.

My feeling is that they are simply a random hatchling that in the wild may never survive. In captivity we help them along-- but so far all that I have hatched have been like NERD's in that they are little toughies.

 

[allegraf]

Wow, those are not typical for you and your herd. I agree in the wild they would not survive with those huge sacs. I had one that was decent looking but the egg sac was almost as big as it! That one surprisingly absorbed about 60% of the sac by the next morning. How long are your little fugberts taking to absorb their sacs?

Allegra

 

[Redfoot NERD]

Wow, those are not typical for you and your herd. I agree in the wild they would not survive with those huge sacs. I had one that was decent looking but the egg sac was almost as big as it! That one surprisingly absorbed about 60% of the sac by the next morning. How long are your little fugberts taking to absorb their sacs?

Allegra

Who are you asking Allgra? Carl or me?

---

Terry ... how bout some pics of the parents that produced that guy?
Very unusal color for a Cherry head....I must say ....very neat!
JD~

Jeff from Jan. '08.. inside of course - I'll get more recent pics ASAP -

NERD

---

She decided to nest late in the day ( see the shadows? ).. right after a short summer shower! [ not the nest that produced lil' runt ] In the mud -

She came from an unknown, 2nd hand, source that raised her too dry.. but I liked her colors!

See her here in the nesting trance -

NERD

 

[goReptiles]

Wow, I like how dark the hatchling is. Very unique for sure. Will you be keeping this one as well?

 

[cdmay]

Tried to dig up some photos of the other dark runts that had hatched here before but I can't seem to find them. Or maybe I just never took their photo.
But I did find a photo of one of them that hatched out earlier this year. This is one, although still very dark and with very little color on its legs, is by far the most colorful of the runts that I have hatched.

The others that I hatched have looked more like NERD's except that none of mine have been quite that black. I think that most of these that are so dark at hatching will most likely be almost solid black by the time they are half grown. Certainly they will be nearly solid black adults.
So while they might start off as under sized, with good care they will probably end up being very interesting adults.
Think of a Bonsai Galapagos tortoise.

 

[Paige Lewis]

They are all so adorable, they look great!

 

[movealongmosey]

I love all your pics! Gotta love a redfoot

 

[PeanutbuttER]

The others that I hatched have looked more like NERD's ....

I may be missing something, but what do you mean they look like nerds?

WOW! All that black is beautiful. Very pretty hatchling! I love how it is so different from the norm. I think it will actually look really really awesome as an adult! You're so lucky to be able to see so many different sides of redfoots. Is this one you'll be keeping or selling?

 

[terryo]

The others that I hatched have looked more like NERD's ....

I may be missing something, but what do you mean they look like nerds?

WOW! All that black is beautiful. Very pretty hatchling! I love how it is so different from the norm. I think it will actually look really really awesome as an adult! You're so lucky to be able to see so many different sides of redfoots. Is this one you'll be keeping or selling?

He's refering to Redfoot Nerds post.

 

[PeanutbuttER]

The others that I hatched have looked more like NERD's ....

I may be missing something, but what do you mean they look like nerds?

WOW! All that black is beautiful. Very pretty hatchling! I love how it is so different from the norm. I think it will actually look really really awesome as an adult! You're so lucky to be able to see so many different sides of redfoots. Is this one you'll be keeping or selling?

He's refering to Redfoot Nerds post.

Oh! I totally missed that Redfoot Nerd didn't post that picture. That makes more sense. Here I was thinking there was some inside joke about his name or something...