# tegu swallowed some substrate



## homer (Apr 3, 2009)

My tegu was not wanting to come out of his cage today so i gave him some ground turkey for the first time in his cage, he was doing fine until he dropped some in the substrate and ground turkey being very sticky it picked up a dime sized piece of aspen and very small piece of all natural coconut husk, i tried quickly to remove with my feeding tongs but he gulped it down. is this that bad of a problem? thanks in advance


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## ashesc212 (Apr 4, 2009)

It could become a problem if he is unable to poo it out. 

First, try putting either cod liver oil or olive oil in his food for a day or two. If you don't see it come out then it could be lodged and cause all sorts of problems. At that point you should take him to the vet for a cloacal wash.


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## DaveDragon (Apr 4, 2009)

Hopefully if he basks a lot in the proper temps and you give him some warm (85-95Ã?â??Ã?Â°) baths he will digest and pass it. The proper temps and hydration are key to passing an impaction. Don't feed him for 2 or 3 days (to not pack more food behind it) and see what happens. If he starts throwing up his food he's probably impacted and will need to see a vet. Been there, done that.


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## homer (Apr 6, 2009)

he didnt like the warm baths at all, i had to pull him out quick. i fed him some egg today and he hasnt thrown it up yet. hes only gone to the bathroom once since fridays digestion of the substrate, no substrate was in his poop. im going to keep up the humidity and temps and try soaking his next meal tonight in the olive oil. thanks for the help


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## ashesc212 (Apr 6, 2009)

Yeah - I'd use tough love and keep soaking him, like Dave said.


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