Vulnerable babies.

[adamanteus]

It never ceases to amaze me that baby Garters survive in the wild at all! I still have a few of the baby radix left, they are over six weeks old now and growing well.
I fed them them last night, and all but one (in 'the blue') ate well.
This evening, while I was cleaning them, I notice that the one who skipped the meal is lying in an odd posture and not moving. When I picked her up I saw she had a loose fold of skin along her flank (which wasn't there last night). At first I thought she was dead, but there was a tiny bit of movement. I lowered her head into the water bowl and she started drinking furiously, as though she'd been deprived of water for weeks! After a few minutes and a good soak, she started to perk-up.
It would seem that she spent the last 24 hours on the warm spot.... inches from the water bowl.... and became completely dehydrated!

I'll keep encouraging her to drink every hour for the next few hours, but I think she'll be fine now. But are they stupid or what?

[jitami]

Wow, stories like this never cease to amaze me... and scare me! Nice save James!

[infernalis]

Sometimes gotta wonder.

Brill save James.

[Stefan-A]

Nice save.

Maybe some of them are stupid. Or maybe it has something to do with the fact that we don't actually replicate natural conditions.

[adamanteus]

It was just a lucky save really. Had I cleaned earlier, or tomorrow, she might have died.

[drache]

I'm sure there are some stupid specimens in every species
glad you saved your little one, James

[guidofatherof5]

Maybe it's like the failure to thrive in some of them. Maybe the thrive for water just wasn't there. I really don't know but this was my thought. Great save.

[adamanteus]

Maybe it's like the failure to thrive in some of them.

Yes, Steve, I think you have it there. Of course, Garters are heavily predated in nature, especially when very young. So the mortality rate is very high. It's as if some of the babies are 'decoys', to give the stronger individuals a better chance, no doubt these weaker, more 'stupid' individuals are the first to fall prey.
After six weeks though, I would hope they'd got passed the suicidal stage.

[Snake lover 3-25]

nice save james that reminds me..... i'll have to see if mine are thirsty..... no point in taking chances....

[Stefan-A]

Yes, Steve, I think you have it there. Of course, Garters are heavily predated in nature, especially when very young. So the mortality rate is very high. It's as if some of the babies are 'decoys', to give the stronger individuals a better chance, no doubt these weaker, more 'stupid' individuals are the first to fall prey.

Well, they're definitely more likely to fall prey than the rest, but I fail to see how that would benefit the others. Unless they're hiding in the same place and that 'tarded baby is worse than its siblings at escaping when a predator comes along, if that's what you meant with "decoy". Then the others obviously benefit from having a dumb one in the litter.

I know gulls usually produce three eggs, of which the last one is normally significantly smaller than the first two, and sort of functions as a backup in case one of the normal sized chicks dies. Doesn't make sense to apply the same logic to garters, since they aren't raised by their parents. But then again, maybe it does, if they're competing for food the same way that gull chicks do.