Umbilical Cord

[Fatal_S]

I'm putting this here because I'm looking for answers, not guesses. So please only reply if you have a good reason to back it up.

I have a baby from yesterday (25th) who's cord didn't detatch. When I found him he had the yolk part down his throat, but the cord kept him from eating it. The cord was dried up. I cut the cord near the mouth so he could eat the sac, and he's doing well, but the cord is still attached at his belly. Gentle pulling doesn't detach it, and I do not want to hurt him (thus wanting only real answers). Should I pull it off, cut it, leave it alone? The baby is doing quite well, is on paper towels, and is alert, active and eating. Are there any risks with the cord still being there?

I've put a call in to my vet and am waiting for a call back, but I thought I'd ask here too in case anyone else has gone through this.

[Jeff]

I have had it happen a few times. When I had time to think about it, I decided to cut the cord close to the belly and just let it fall off itself. That worked fine and it fell off within a week.

On another occasion I found the mother eating a baby's yolk sac that was still attached. I kind of quickly tried to pull the mother off because I wanted the baby to be able to eat its own yolk. and i didn't want the mother to accidentally bite the a baby The result was pulling the cord off the baby right where it was connected. This didn't seem to have any negative affect on the baby either. It went on to be perfectly fine.

My conclusion is that it probably doesn't matter what you do, but I would carefully cut it close and let the tiny stub fall off itself.

[Fatal_S]

That was exactly the kind of reply I was looking for. Many thanks Jeff. I think I've been more worried about it becoming infected or meaning there was something wrong with the baby. This baby is adorable and full of life, so having this issue has been freaking me out.

[Fatal_S]

The vet agreed I should try to leave it be and it should come off on it's own. I did trim it so it's not a big thing trailing behind. He took a piece of my finger to say thanks.

The vet also said to keep it clean. If something seems off I can take it in anytime and she'll make time for me.

I'm glad I'm not the only one to go through this. Bomber had issues last year, but only for about 30 min. This had me scared.

[Lea]

Use a strong thread, nylon or cotton will do, and tie close to the tummy on the cord. The blood supply will be cut and the cord will drop. This is a natural process and there is No pain, since the umbilical cord has no nerve fibres. Most mammals chew the cord to separate the baby from mother, which poses so many risks! Strangely, even in these unsanitary conditions, all that mouth bacteria, there are rarely infections. But because we don't have to use our teeth, a clean technique is all that's required, sterility is always good, but probably not necessary.

I haven't personally done this for reptiles, but have in plenty of mammals. The umbilical cord serves as a way to nourish and provide blood supply and there is no pain when cutting blood supply. It's good to tie first, as cutting before the cord "dies", can unintentionally cause a haemorrhage.

[Scotts1au]

Sometimes they retain them for a few days, I have seen a couple get a little red after a few days (and smelly) so, might be worth a quick wash once it falls off just to remove any residues at the site that could go bad, otherwise no need to do anything.
Scott