Chocking on sphagnum?

[syntheticreality]

This morning I awoke to one of scintillatingstar's mossy leaf-tail geckos dead in it's enclosure. It's cage-mate is just fine. I found it with it's mouth partially open and eyes sunken in a little. It was stiff as a board. I noticed what looked like a cricket leg sticking out of its mouth. When I picked up the corpse, a piece of sphagnum moss was hanging from its mouth. I pulled the piece of moss away, and as I did it seemed like some of it came from inside of the mouth of the gecko. Now, I know this is not the uroplatus forum, but perhaps this is a concern for all geckos.

Is it really possible that the leaf-tail chocked on a combination of a cricket and the sphagnum or was it just coincidence that it was in its mouth? All of the pet store owners and reptile distributors I talk to seem to say it couldn't have chocked on the moss and it must have died because it was wild caught, because of a climate problem, or because of some other factor.

The other uroplatus sikorae in the cage seems to be doing just fine, so I doubt climate or feeding or water is an issue.

I know, however, that I could see something in it's mouth and I did pull some moss out. Do they not have a gag reflex?

Are leos in the same danger? I thought sphagnum was very safe.

Anyone know something I dont?

 

[The Sunset Gang]

From personal experience, I don't like to leave moss in with my geckos, unlees it is a gravid female. My male has almost died from choking on paper towel, but luckly I caught that in time. Choking is just one of those freak occurences. I am sorry for your loss.

 

[syntheticreality]

so I guess its not impossible then...

 

[david13]

i dont know but im sorry, and thanks for warning us

 

[syntheticreality]

no problem. I still have the sphagnum in my breeder sized females living space, but I wont keep it around the smaller ones.

I guess its not something common, but just like with people, freak chocking accidents occur.

 

[Bodon]

Sorry about the loss. I think it could be very possible for it to have choked, i think anything can choke on something. When i was younger we had a pheasant farm, one of the younger ones was found dead with a string in its mouth. It was from a feed bag we think, you could pick the bird up by the string, thats how far down it went. Thats the only time ive heard of an animal choking to death but i bet any animal could...

 

[Turnip]

I guess they are like humans, anyhting can coke to death.
Sorry for you loss