I keep vermiculate in the humid hides in my enclosure, and have noticed that some of the feces have vermiculate in them. Why would a gecko eat this?
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AIM sn: z10silver
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Vermiculate comsumption
z10silver
Apr 06, 2004 12:33 PM
Replies (7)
lilroach56
Apr 06, 2004 02:06 PM
they probably swallowed some while eating a cricket. If you feed crickets either stop or change the vermiculate with paper towesl.
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0.1 "Tremper" looking Albino Leopard gecko (Lex)
0.0.1 normal ball python (felix)
1.1 Feral cats that we adopted (Fuzzy, and Bear)
"There are six genes which determine the amount of melanism present in a person's skink"-meretseger
z10silver
Apr 06, 2004 02:46 PM
I only feed mealworms, and there is no way the mealwomrs could have gotten into the hide. I also offer a dish of calcium, so why would a gecko purposely eat the vermiculate?
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AIM sn: z10silver
TLB
Apr 06, 2004 02:58 PM
Hi
Is there anyway that after your gecko would have been laying in the humid hide and then went to his corner to go to the bathroom that some vermiculite could have just stuck to the underside of him near or at the vent and when he went to the bathroom, that it got stuck to it when it was coming out.
Take Care, TLB
z10silver
Apr 06, 2004 03:31 PM
I've thought of that, but some of the feces are solid vermiculite.
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AIM sn: z10silver
Mizar 21
Apr 06, 2004 04:53 PM
Anyway, you should get that out quick, before your leo have serious impaction.
Mizar 21
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1.0 Collared lizard (Ganymede)
1.0 Florida banded water snake (Serpentard)
1.2 Cats
1.0 leopard gecko (Gethsemani)
Bunch of tropical fish
aliceinwl
Apr 06, 2004 07:33 PM
I agree, get it out! I have had the same problem with some of my girls, so I can no longer use it in my hides. My geckos are fed mealworms in a dish and have calcium available at all times, but some still feel compelled to eat vermiculite. It is not accidental consumption because I noted repeated solid vermiculite feces from one of my otherwise healthy girls until I removed it. I now use bed-a-beast in my hides and have never encountered any problems with it.
-Alice
z10silver
Apr 06, 2004 08:52 PM
I switched too moist paper towels right away...however now I'm afraid I didn't catch the problem in time. One of my males hasn't been eating and upon inspeciton I found a hard free-moving lump in his abdomen... I have been soaking him in warm water daily, anything else I can do?
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AIM sn: z10silver
