what to do?caught my gecko with substrate in his mouth!

[tony_16]

i have 3 small babies/juvinilles.. im not quite sure what they can be considered there about 5-7 moths old i think ..i got them on september for my birthday from lllreptile.com ..the 1st is a bit over 4" and is a dalmation morph i believe the 2nd n biggest is about 4.5" and is a tiger morph n the 3rd n the smallest is a under 4" by a bit and is also a dalmation morph..is that small for how old they are?

i caught the smallest one :yikes:.cheddar (named after the cheese reminding color it has lol) with substrate in its mouth..i wasnt 100% sure if it was but was pretty certain that it was because it caught a cricket that somehow managed to get in the tank..the substrate i use is Trex jungle bed which i have sort of sifted to get rid of the big clumps of fibers to leave mostly the dirt like stuff with small chunks of coconut bark..
i tried to take off whatever i could so i could minimize the amount it ate..
what can i do?..i dont want this to become a problem..i know removing the substrate and using paper towels would be better..but i want the tank to b realistic..so im going out today to buy some moss to cover my substrate to help stop the substrate ingestion and to give the tank a whole new look as well..
is there anything i should do with the gecko so it wont get sik or...perhaps later on..die due to impaction or choking??.. :shock:

 

[Martinotti Reptiles]

He'll be fine, don't worry about it. A little bit of substrate here and there is not going to hurt a healthy animal.

 

[strakey]

Best thing is paper towels until they are adults then graduate to coconut fiber. No chunks there and the risk for gut impaction is really low. Hope this helps

andy

 

[*ZERO*]

.. better yet use a glazed bowl from now on for peace of mind..

 

[Holly12]

Paper towels would be the best thing at this point cuz thier is always impaction to worry about and we don't want that to happen so put the paper towels in thier make it more safer in thier.

 

[Suebee]

I use repti carpet. It looks better than paper towel. Sometimes he gets his mouth "caught" on it when grabbing a cricket but I'm hoping this isn't as bad as a mouth full of substrate.

I made the mistake of using Coconut fiber for my hatchling (didn't know any better, it's what the pets store suggested) and my baby got a mouth full of it and swallowed some. It was heartbreaking to think of his tummy hurting and having to pass it, but I gently sprayed him with warm mist once a day to make him move his bowels and he finally pooped out a little clump of fiber :-( I really thought my baby could die and I was terrified for a week or two. He made it luckily!

 

[Scarlet.Escapist]

I agree that it shouldn't be too big of a deal if it consumes a bit a substrate. Try to decrease chances of impaction by as a member suggested using a glazed bowl or container. Imho, it is best to raise younger geckos on paper towel and when they've polished their hunting techniques upgrade them to other substrate.

I use repti carpet. It looks better than paper towel. Sometimes he gets his mouth "caught" on it when grabbing a cricket but I'm hoping this isn't as bad as a mouth full of substrate.

hmm... I've heard/read that repti carpet isn't that good of an idea either (there was a leopard gecko that was on it and it got it's teeth caught...I don't remember where I've read it >< sorry lol otherwise I'd link the thread). I would assume/speculate that if he gets his mouth caught on it and is unable to release himself from it he can potentially break/sprain his jaw. Crested geckos tend to have a "softer" jaw compared to most insectivorous geckos as they consume nectars/fruit along with insects. So imho I would just stick to paper towel for now. But hey if it works for you keep to it .

 

[Suebee]

hmm... I've heard/read that repti carpet isn't that good of an idea either (there was a leopard gecko that was on it and it got it's teeth caught...I don't remember where I've read it >< sorry lol otherwise I'd link the thread). I would assume/speculate that if he gets his mouth caught on it and is unable to release himself from it he can potentially break/sprain his jaw. Crested geckos tend to have a "softer" jaw compared to most insectivorous geckos as they consume nectars/fruit along with insects. So imho I would just stick to paper towel for now. But hey if it works for you keep to it .[/QUOTE]

My poor little gecko! ok paper towels it is until grown! (twelve months, right?) Mine is 8 months.