Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I currently line my WTF's cage with moss and I recently read that if they accidentally ingest it, it can cause impaction and death. What is impaction and what can I replace the moss with? Although, I usually feed him outside the cage with tweezers.

Should I replace the moss with some other substrate?
Should I make sure to feed him outside the cage only? (which is not a problem)

Thanks for the help

I've read up on it a little more and I now know what impaction does. If it would occur, is there anyway to cure it?

Yes, but it's a serious problem without an easy fix
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...the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin and Hobbes (Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink', 1991)

Thanks for the insight....but you didn't bother to tell me how to fix it.

I do have the means and I don't mind spending the money *if it were to happen. I would just like to know in case it would so that I wouldn't be freaking out.

Can impaction be cured by meds?
Can it be treated from home or would I have to take him to a vet.

I did not mention a cure because I am not aware of any safe home remedy. Impaction is serious enough to require a vet to diagnose and treat it. It is definitely better to try to prevent it first!
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...the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin and Hobbes (Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink', 1991)

I'll make sure to find a vet.

I have another question also,

How do you "gutload" crikets and what kind of vitamin do you dust them with? I'm assuming I can buy the stuff where I got the frog, but what is it called?

You can change to bed a beast or eco-earth or similar products. It is 100% natural and won't harm if it is ingested. So now you can feed inside the tank instead of taking the frog out at every feeding.

Prolapses are a problem that are sort of related to impaction but slightly different. I mention them because you can treat them at home, or at least you can do things at home before you go to the vet that will help the frog survive. With actual impaction, well, I had a frog that got it, and he died even with a vet's help. But I've gotten 2 frogs through prolapses that recovered fully. (I think I figured out what I was doing wrong, after the second one. Apparently feeding them as much as they want to eat is a bad idea, especially for pacmans and pyxies)

Anyway, to treat a prolapse, keep the frog in a moist and very clean environment, like paper towels. Do not let the prolapse dry out. Put sugar on the exposed tissue to help it shrink. Then call the vet.

That's all I know about that.
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Eryx - All the fun of a boa in a convenient pocket size!

Thanks for your advice, I will keep that in mind. And I hope that I never have to do anything like that.