So I was feeding my Leopard Gecko about 15 minutes ago, he already ate one cricket but on his second one he ingested a little bit of Spaghnum Moss that was like on his paper towel. I don’t have much experience with impaction and this is my first Leopard Gecko so idk if I’m being to sensitive or not.
What should I do?
As long as it was one small piece, he should be able to pass it just fine. Remember, the wild isn’t as clean as we’d like to keep them, but we want them to be as safe as possible. Wild Leo’s probably snatch up a fair amount of debris as babies/sub adults.
=)
Impaction is a worry when there’s excess. Like a Leo without proper calcium and vitamin kept on a heavy grain sand. They will try to make up for it and munch too much sand.
Another concern is eating too many large crickets or mealies at a time when they’re younger. Cricket legs and mealworm skin can be tougher to digest, so make sure the meals are appropriate sized for him
I’m not a leopard gecko person, but SM is commonly used in the reptile world and I assume in the leopard gecko world too. If there was a toxicity issue or impaction issue then I don’t think people would be using and recommending it. My gut tells me your baby will be just fine. I’m sure others with more knowledge will chime in.
Ok, thanks for the quick response, is there any precautions that I should be taking for the next few days? (More/less food, more heat, feces observations, etc.)
I would just keep an eye out for the poops. They can weirdly tell you a lot sometimes!
If it looks like the poop is mostly made up of little substrate piles or moss, that can definitely be an issue. Then I would move them to a paper towel or tile bedding immediately because they’re picking up too much sediment. Make sure they’re getting enough vitamins and calcium
If the poop has a lot of bug parts in it or looks like a bunch of mealworms stuck together that can be a couple different things.
Thank you so much! 