Tweezie's story

[lizardgrrl]

Warning! Two of these pictures maybe unsettling for children or squeamish adults. This documents
her unusual hatching. She is beautiful, and doing very well now!

Tweezie is out of the late egg, an enormous egg, hatched on August 1st, a week after her clutchmates, smaller than any of her siblings, but wonderfully feisty. She had a small yolk sac on her belly and also had a gash on the back of her head, with what appeared to be enough yolk for another baby hanging out of that gash. She also has a spot on her tail that looks like it was cut out and a wrong-sized piece of a different dragon inserted. When the clutch went to the vets, the conclusion is that she is twins that started to develop, but never separated, the second twin being reabsorbed into her. Twins, two dragons in one, not developed like Zak-n-Wheezie, just one, so Tweezie!



Egg Number 19, with everyone else starting to hatch

17 is out of the egg in this picture, taken on July 25th and everyone else has hatched, only #19 left!

August 1st - She's out! I was startled to see her with what appeared to be a wound on the back of her head, and you can see the oddly placed and bloody sac hanging from the top of her head, also what looked like globs of mucus on her. She was completely alone when she hatched, so no one could have bitten or scratched her. She worried me, but was active and alert despite her extra baggage. Her own sac does not show in this picture, but is under her belly in the normal place for a yolk sac.

This is after the twin's sac had dropped off, but still hanging on to her own yolk sac.

The gash was still healing when she first saw the vet on August 15. He confirmed that she was the survivor in an incomplete attempt to develop twins. He was not certain whether the gash would ever completely close, remaining open to the brain or the spine, but I used the Neosporin Triple Antibiotic ointment on her for her first six weeks, and it appears now to be closed. She shed the skin with the gash toward the end of September, but I did not record the date. She grew slowly at first, unlike her clutch mates, and I have kept her in separate housing from her hatching. She was at 4 grams all through August as the rest were doubling and tripling in weight. She reached 5 grams and 5 inches on September 6th, 6 grams and 5 5/8 inches September 20, and 9 grams, 6 1/8 inches on October 9th. I will get some of her newer pictures up sometime later this week, as she is a real cutie now, with only the crescent on the back of her head as a reminder of her twin!

 

[CoopersGrandma]

oh what a little sweet heart and proved to be a real fighter too, being the last and the smallest and a twin to boot . proved that she/he was supposed to be here for a reason , thankyou for sharing her<?> story . good job with the little one and all the others .

 

[fresnowitte]

Aww MaryAnn what a sweet little thing.
I've been waiting and watching for Tweezie's introduction.

I have to agree with CooperGrandma what a fighter, to survive such a strange ordeal.
She/he definately has the will to live.
Your doing a wonderful job with Tweezie.
BTW I love his/her name that is to cute. :love5:

Thanks so much for sharing Tweezie's story with us.

Now I'd love to see a newer pic of Tweetie. :wink:

Hugs & Bugs to your whole crew. :love5: :love5: :love5: :love5: :love5: :love5: :love5: :love5:

An a great big Monster Hug for you for all the love and care you give to so many beardies! :love5: :love5: :love5:

 

[sunkist]

Awww... I swear I feel like that's all I say but I'm sooo glad she's doing soo well.

 

[Jasper's Mom]

I'm so glad to hear she's doing well! She's really pretty. The doctors suspected that I absorbed my twin in the womb, so I guess Tweezie and I have something in common. :lol:

 

[diamc]

Unlocked as requested by Mary Ann. We would love to see some current pics of her.

 

[duke11]

She is so adorable!

 

[lizardgrrl]

Thank you, Diane, for unlocking the thread for Tweezie's unique story, and Duke, for your comment with which I am in complete agreement! :laughing6: I am going to be updating Tweezie's story with current pictures of this dear little girl. She turned 2 years old on August 1st, pretty good for a dragon that might not have survived a month. She topped out at a tiny 11 inches long one year ago, and over the last year, gradually doubled her weight, currently about 70 grams. But it is Tweezie's spirit and heart that delight me, as big as any dragon I've ever met, and I've got a great group of personalities here. :love5: :love5: :love5: :love5: :love5: :love5: :love5: :love5: :love5: :love5: :love5:

Here is Tweezie, in December 2008, about 7 inches long and 15 grams

and my girl working on a little shed, taken this last Thursday, 9 Sep 2010,

My little butterball,

"Whaddya mean, I gotta belly?!?!?"

Demonstrating eye bulging, "I really just want to finish shedding around my eyes, and this will help!"

I also have some video of her attacking a worm container, but will have to trick that camera into letting me download it. I will try to get it posted this week.

 

[Jasper's Mom]

Tweezie is so cute! I'm so glad to hear that she's still going strong.

 

[fresnowitte]

Thanks MaryAnn and Diane for opening this thread of Tweezie's story back up.
It's so nice to have an update on her....Tweezie's a special little girl. :love5:

Tweezie's spirit and heart that delight me, as big as any dragon I've ever met,

I could not agree more :mrgreen: ...I have had the pleasure of meeting this little girl an I'm tickled
pink that she's still with us all. A perfect example of the power of love. :mrgreen:
What a crazy start to life she had...even though she's a Micro Baby she's got spirit for days. Of course the love of MaryAnn
and the fact that she believed in her suvival played a HUGE part. :wink:

 

[Livey]

wow Maryann!
Tweezie is a stunner!
Such a little fighter!
Congrats!!!!

 

[Twobeardieguy]

:love5:

 

[lizardgrrl]

Thank you, Sandy, Barbara, Livey and Lance!

The reason for Tweezie's survival is simply her will. :notworthy: I have kept her clean and well-fed, :whip: and the rest is her spirit. The initial description, referring to the matter hanging from her head as yolk is probably inaccurate, as I have looked more at the photos. It is placental material of some sort, though, and I suppose may contain matter from the twin that she did not reabsorb. In any case, keeping the wound clean was the biggest factor in her early survival, and it did close completely, leaving no opening to the brain or spine as the vet had feared. :laughing6:

I raised those clutches on silkworms and phoenix worms, and made sure their mom was well fed before and after laying the clutches. I only got her two weeks before she laid the first clutch, and she ate like a pig, which helped all the babies get a good start. I did make sure she had a little liquid calcium as well as the regular supplements of calcium and vitamins, just to be sure she was not depriving herself to build babies. All of the first two clutches were 4.25 inches long or larger, up to 4.875 inches, including Tweezie at 4.25. By the third clutch, Astarte was tired, and did not put on as much weight, and the babies were smaller, 3.875 - 4.5 inches long. All of the babies, including the third clutch, passed Tweezie in size by the end of September. Tweezie was housed by herself from the start to prevent anyone picking on her, but from the time the wound healed, she has been healthy and spunky and a pure joy. She just does not grow, but she doesn't know it. She is definitely the biggest dragon in her world! :love5:

 

[fresnowitte]

Where do you think she got that "will" MaryAnn? From your love...give yourself some credit here my friend. :wink:
The power of love is an amazing thing...much like with Zak-n-Wheezie...do you think for a minute that if I'd not love them to pieces and believed in them their "will" would have been so strong...I think not.

 

[lizardgrrl]

Okay, Barb, point taken, and thank you! :love5: I certainly do love Tweezie dearly, and all my guys. :laughing6: that bond is very strong, and I do know what a part it played in Zak's and Wheezie's survival as well. :wink: We do whatever we must for our babies! :love5: :love5: :love5: :love5: :love5: :love5: :love5: :love5: :love5: :love5: :love5: