Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have been using vermiculite in my moist hides. Today I noticed some vermiculite stuck in my males' vent. I gave him a warm soak in a bucket with a layer of wet kleenex and then gently pulled it out. A plug of greenish puss came out too. Is this a common problem with vermiculite? What is a fail-proof substrate for the moist hides?
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1.1 SHCT Leopard geckos Big Papa and Big Mama
2.5 jungle & leucistic morphs Van Gogh, Monet, Manet Pissarro, Speckels, Mouthy, and Mama Cass
0.1 Ragdoll cat Tinkerbell
2.0 Devon Rex cats Gryffindor, Tigger
0.1 Cat Dinah
1.2 Bassett hounds Bogart, Sadie, Hermione
3.0 Feretts Blizzard, Coco, Fuzzums
3.1 Chinchillas

I don't use vermiculite because of the warning on the bag that says, "Do not swallow or put in mouth. Keep from contact with eyes, cuts, or sores. Wash exposed skin thoroughly after contact. Keep out of reach of children." That's not the kind of material I'd want my leos to sleep on.
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chickabowwow

3.2.3 leopard geckos (Rosie, Locke, Lisa, Caesar, Tommy)

I've had babies poop shiney, glittery stools so I don't use vermiculite now. I like green moss (comes dry, spritz with water to keep moist). It holds the moisture well though it will mold if kept too wet. Currently I'm using paper towels, but the moisture has to be monitored more often as they dry out quickly (well, in a day or three).
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Andrea A.

I use a type of coconut fiber that hold moister really well. They seem to like it and they can also dig and adjust the amount of moister by staying closer to the top where it is more dry or digging deeper where it is more damp.

Jeremy

What i use is peat moss. Its not actually moss, but a type of soil that holds moisture really well. Its all natural too, so I dont think it can harm the geckos.

Hi

I noticed that you had said that when you got that stuck piece of vermiculite out that you said a greenish puss came out with it, to me that sounds like he might have gotten an infection in the vent, in my opinion.

TLB

its vent is also where it poops from right? (sorry I always thought this I may be talking about the wrong thing heh)

if so make sure its not impacted. look on its underbelly to see if you can see any bulgy areas where you might thing that its clogged. if it stops pooping, eating ect take it to a vet imediately. If imapaction is caught soon enough the vet can treat it by giving the animal an enima. If caught early enough the stuff wouldn't have caused tissue damage in the digestive track. The green stuff doesn't sound so good eiether. try to get it to the vet or call one to see what it could be and how it could be treated. I wouldn't recommend keeping anything around your gecko that it can swallow but cant pass (things that may look passable may expand causing a clog).
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1.2 Leopard Geckos, 1.1 Crested Geckos, 0.0.1 Green Tree Frog, 0.0.1 Northern Spring Peeper, 0.0.1 Fire Belly Toad, 0.0.3 Red-Backed Salamanders, 0.0.1 Northern Leopard Frog, 0.0.1 Red Spotted Newt (Water Eft), 0.0.1 Bull Frog Tadpole, 38 gal Reef Tank