It has now been a full week since the triplet cherryheads were separated from each other. They are all eating although the smallest one, Peanut really just picks at food right now. I am pretty sure that once the yolk sac membrane sheds off that his appetite will increase.
I measured them all today and these are their straight carapace lengths:
Huey--4.0 cm
Dewey--3.9 cm
Peanut--2.8 cm
A typical cherryhead hatchling from any of my females is usually 5.0 to 5.5 cm one week after hatching. I wait a week before measuring them as this gives them time to absorb their yolk and get their shells straightened out. Peanut, at 2.8 cm, is just a little larger than a hatchling mud turtle. But the little guy is showing signs of growth and that is a good thing.
These are the measurements and hatch dates of the eggs from the April 22 clutch from which the triplets emerged:
T 4/22 #1-- 5.15 X 4.4 cm pipped 8/26
T 4/22 #2-- 4.6 X 4.3 cm pipped 8/23
T 4/22 #3-- 4.8 X 4.5 cm pipped 9/3--triplets
T 4/22 #4-- 4.3 X 4.0 cm pipped 8/23
As you can see, the egg that the triplets came out of was not particularly large although it was the second largest of the clutch. All four eggs were fertile and hatched.
Here are some (not so great) photos of all of the hatchlings that came out of the clutch. The triplets are fairly easy to spot...
While the three 'normal' hatchlings look huge compared to the triplets, they are in fact only average sized.
This is Peanut with the sibling that emerged from the largest egg, T 4/22 #1 that pipped on 8/26...
The three little ones. Huey is at the bottom, Dewey is the top one...
Last photo. Peanut taking some finely chopped mushroom...
You can see some very slight growth occurring along the scute seams. Maybe he will make it after all?
I measured them all today and these are their straight carapace lengths:
Huey--4.0 cm
Dewey--3.9 cm
Peanut--2.8 cm
A typical cherryhead hatchling from any of my females is usually 5.0 to 5.5 cm one week after hatching. I wait a week before measuring them as this gives them time to absorb their yolk and get their shells straightened out. Peanut, at 2.8 cm, is just a little larger than a hatchling mud turtle. But the little guy is showing signs of growth and that is a good thing.
These are the measurements and hatch dates of the eggs from the April 22 clutch from which the triplets emerged:
T 4/22 #1-- 5.15 X 4.4 cm pipped 8/26
T 4/22 #2-- 4.6 X 4.3 cm pipped 8/23
T 4/22 #3-- 4.8 X 4.5 cm pipped 9/3--triplets
T 4/22 #4-- 4.3 X 4.0 cm pipped 8/23
As you can see, the egg that the triplets came out of was not particularly large although it was the second largest of the clutch. All four eggs were fertile and hatched.
Here are some (not so great) photos of all of the hatchlings that came out of the clutch. The triplets are fairly easy to spot...
While the three 'normal' hatchlings look huge compared to the triplets, they are in fact only average sized.
This is Peanut with the sibling that emerged from the largest egg, T 4/22 #1 that pipped on 8/26...
The three little ones. Huey is at the bottom, Dewey is the top one...
Last photo. Peanut taking some finely chopped mushroom...
You can see some very slight growth occurring along the scute seams. Maybe he will make it after all?
I really hope they all make it!
