I notice every time my tegu eats she ends up throwing her food around, getting it covered in aspen bedding, and then eating it. Is it safe for her to be digesting pieces of aspen bedding? I don't want her to get any intestinal blockage.
Reptile & Amphibian Forums
Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.
ingesting substrate
blue_tegu
Jan 11, 2004 01:13 PM
Replies (2)
willis1234
Jan 11, 2004 09:27 PM
it is ok if she is only eating a little bit because it will get digested, but if she is eating a lot then you might want to feed her in a seperate box because if she eats a lot of it at one time she could become impacted and die.
RSCBR
Jan 12, 2004 11:27 AM
It is my belief that impactions (if this truly occurs and is not a herpetoculture myth) happen due to improper overall husbandry (low temps, poor food items, etc) rather than the occasional ingesting of substrate.
We have alot of tegus here and I mean alot. They are kept in groups, outdoors and indoors, on various mulches and sands. Food is introduced and is thrown around, dragged through every concievable area of the cage and almost certainly some of it has substrate matter on it and gets ingested. To this date I have never had an animal die from an impaction.
Now that doesnt mean that we should just roll our animals food in their substrate before feeding 
but its not something to worry about in most cases. If its a concern at all then a large bowl or tray should solve the issue.
Ron St Pierre
RSCBR
