well, i can say i've viewed my crested geckos do the same thing, but i think there might be a few factors to why you lineatus is doing this. you just got him...so im guessing that the enclosure is pretty new. in that case, the substrate hasnt really had a chance to settle, therefore making it a lot easier for the geckos to chomp down a mouthful as they dive for their prey. my crested geckos are really aggressive feeders, i can often hear them throwing themselves into the cork bark and other cage furniture through the night as they eat. like you, i let the crickets go free-roaming. i have never seen my satanics have a problem with gulping down substrate, nor my pietschmanni or henkeli. i find that most of them feed while above the ground, since the crickets often tend to climb on whatever is available. since you lineatus is young and probably still perfecting his hunting skills, you have several options since this eating substrate could lead to impaction. first of all, like you said, you can try the deli cup feeding method. i've tried it before, and it makes it fairly simple to clean and all, but my henkeli love pooping in feeding and water dishes. you could try live moss, which still keeps the humidity up and looks very nice in natural setups. i use dried moss for my crested gex, and they seem to know when they've gotten a mouthful because they often find a way to pull it back out of their mouths. its also cheap and easy to change out (i buy big bags for $2 at michaels art supply store). another option is waiting for the substrate to settle a bit more, but even in that case your lineatus is likely to get a mouthful now and then. hopefully some others can provide some input, but i would say your best bet is sticking with the deli cup for now, since thats how he was raised.

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