Exp. breeders.... info needed

OK. This is a horrible question but it was irresponsible of me not to know before we started breeding. What do you do if a hatchling is deformed to the point of being unable to survive. How can you put them out of their misery w/out pain or cruelty???
Please don't think this is something I would do lightly! I STRONGLY believe physical deformity creates character and inspire strength...whether it be in humans or in animals!
We had a hatchling emerge today healthy, active and screaming like a banshee! ( I love when they get all worked up at being taken from the incubator!)
3 hours later her clutchmate joined us. She had a section of her shoulder/neck nearly fused to the side of her face! Her ability to eat or drink would have been difficult...more likely impossible! My heart is still aching for the little lady! I took her out of the incubator and held her for nearly 20 minutes...she died in my hands. She was very weak and small...so basically nature took care of it for me...But what if it hadn't!!
Man...I am such a SAP!!! I'm crying on my keyboard...she has shattered my heart!
I couldn't have stood to see her suffer or starve to death. There must be a way to deal with something like this??? Is there a way to put them down w/out being cruel or causing them pain?
I pray I am NEVER...NEVER...NEVER in that position again...but it was irresponsible to get into breeding w/out thinking of the possibility!
I still can't think of what went wrong...I've gone over and over it...the clutchmate is fine...a real beauty. The temps and Mom's diet...all was watched carefully! I just don't get it!
Anyone know how to deal with this???

It is a very hard thing to have to do. Many of us have been in your position, it's never easy. Try not to beat yourself up to much. We try to provide the best care for our animals possible. This just sometimes happens. That is the dark side to breeding. Try to focus on the joy that the healthy ones bring, that helps me.

I place the animal into a deli cup and place it in the fridge for about 4 hours then into the freezer for the remainder of a 24 hour period. I hope that you never have to go through that again, if you do we'll be here.

It is not irresponsible to not have thought about this before you started breeding. This is not something you expected to happen, to have a deformed hatchling. So do not get after yourself. As Jeremy said we are here to help you if you ever need to put down an animal. Some of us have large internet shoulders we can share. The responsible thing was that you are here to learn proper ways to work through these situations. I still remember losing my first reptile, a baby Dumerils boa. As hard as it was she really was suffering, the Vet's help was not enough, she lost the fight.

Sometimes there are just one who does not come out right. Putting reptiles in the fridge will slow their heartrate dramatically, then when placed in the freezer there is really no pain because they are not warm enough to feel much, if at all anything.

Good luck with your other hatchlings, if you can post some pictures of the little "Banshees".

Here is a link that explains in detail a very humane and dignified technique.

http://www.alysion.org/euthanasia/

Unfortunatly it does happen, but that's life.

I use the "freezer technique" if it needs to be done. It's very humane and the easiest way to put down a reptile. Reptiles are cold blooded and do not feel cold like a warm blooded animal would. There body shuts down and they go to sleep.

I am very sorry you had to experience this! It is heartbreaking to say the least, and even more so when the obvious decision is to euthanize. I also use the same refridgerator/freezer method by putting the gecko in a plastic zip-lock bag an then placing it in the fridge so it will go into a cold coma first, and then in the freezer. I also agree that the CO2 method described in the link provided by Chad is probably the most humane way to put a small animal down.

Denise,
It is an unfortunate part of breeding.... Sometimes it is human error and sometimes it is just natures way..... Either way it sucks..... Do not get discouraged because the deformities are usualy just a small %.....

To cull deformed leos or anything else I produce, I am fortunate enough to have some reptile eating snakes, lizards, and frogs.... I usualy put them in the cage and they are gone in a second.....

I would not freeze them because I am sure they feel their tissues crystalizing.... I would use blunt trama before freezing..... Put it in a plastic bag and smack it against a wall or floor as hard as you can.... It does not take much to cull a newly hatched leo.....