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Reptile Care: Preventing & Treating Impactions

Learn about reptile impactions, causes, signs, and home care tips to avoid or manage this common issue in pet reptiles.

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Reptile Care: Preventing & Treating Impactions

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  1. Home care for the Impacted Reptile Gillian Gouchie Atlantic Veterinary College Envirovet Alum 2010

  2. What is an impaction? • Impactions can happen anywhere in the body where something is supposed to drain • Gastrointestinal tract + something that isn’t moving at all or easily

  3. Which reptiles can become impacted? The answer is: ALL OF THEM The better question is: “Which individual animals will get impacted?”

  4. Why do reptiles get impacted? • It’s all about the anatomy!

  5. It’s all comparative anatomy! An impaction by any other name is still an impaction

  6. A word on substrate selection • In general, substrates should be: • Non-toxic • Absorbable • Easily digestible • Easy to clean • As natural as possible?

  7. The things not to use... • Toxic substrates • Pine and cedar wood chips • Mineral-added substrates

  8. The things not to use... • Size of bedding and animal • Younger lizards • Accidental ingestion If they can eat it, then don’t use it!

  9. The things not to use... • “Digestible” sands • Calcium sands • Nutritional value? • Add water  BIG PROBLEMS

  10. Alternatives to substrates • Maybe not to most “natural looking” • Types: • Newspaper • Reptile carpets

  11. Another major cause of impactions

  12. The odd ball cases

  13. Signs of an impaction • Or possible impaction... • Can be complete or partial • Can be something else • Decreased feed intake • Decreased fecal output • Decreased activity • Abnormal behavioral patterns • Sitting in water dish • Actively drinking water

  14. Possible outcomes • The things we want... • The impaction passes and back to life as usual  • The things we don’t want... • Intestines perforate • Infection • Muscle wasting • Death 

  15. A little story about assumptions • Maxilla • 4 year old leopard gecko • 1 month history of anorexia, lethargy and decreased fecal output • Housed on walnut shell substrate with a history of eating it • Never been dewormed

  16. Suspect an impaction, now what? • SEE A VETERINARIAN! • Why? • Sometimes it’s not an impaction • Diagnosis is key • Special equipment needed • Specific medications are needed • Training needed to manage this at home

  17. Things that can be done at home • To avoid an impaction • Be aware of the substrate • Note number and consistency of bowel movements • Pay attention to the behavior • Especially at feeding!

  18. Things that can be done at home • And now we have an impaction  • Remove substrate • Water soaks • Increased fluid diet • Other steps will need to be demonstrated by a veterinarian!

  19. Things that SHOULD NOT be done at home • And now we have an impaction  • Force feeding!

  20. The miraculous case we love to see... • Feline • Unknown age • Male tangerine leopard gecko • Rescue • Severe pain and emaciation • No feces in 2 months

  21. Signs that should not be missed • This could apply to any animal with a gastrointestinal blockage • Decreased feed intake • Decreased fecal output • Pain

  22. Take home messages • Owning a reptile is hard work! • Know your species • Advice vs. Practice • Know who to talk to! • Better to be safe than sorry

  23. A special thank you to the animals that keep me centered everyday 

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