Ate a bit of dirt

[Anthony]

Today I took my tegu out to the roof to let him exercise and get some real sunlight. I didn't see him eat anything and I watched him closely the whole time, but he was flicking his tongue around (which he usually doesn't do indoors, now I know that maybe he is just bored with the same house). Afterwards I saw he had some black particles stuck to the side of his lip, and when he yawned I saw there was a bit of black stuff inside the mouth, just outside the teeth and near the lip, looked like a piece of dirt or something. I am not sure what it was but it looked like a bit of dirt and it wasn't a solid rock or anything as it sort of dissolved in the saliva and stuff, like soil would. I tried to open his mouth with my hands, then a q tip but he won't have any of it and closed his mouth shut as tight as possible and wiggled away, so all I could do was spray water onto the side of his mouth as he opened it a little gap. Immediately afterwards, when he opened his mouth again, that thing/dirt was gone. Apparently whatever it was, I think he swallowed it, as I didn't see it get washed out, although it may simply have dissolved and ran with the water, or perhaps still in there but I can't see it. But it was easy to see before and now I can't see it, I don't know. I am sure it was way to small to cause any impaction (only maybe a cm and a half), and it was obviously not solid, and dissolved like dirt. After all this it was feeding time and he ate a big rat and it doesn't seem anything in his mouth was bothering him. I am a little worried though as I am not sure if eating dirt would hurt him, or what else it could have been. Has anyone any experience with this?

Come to think of it he was rubbing his face against a wall like when they try to get shed off their face so perhaps whatever it was got in there then?

[Mr Critter]

It wont harm him at all,you know how much dirt they get in there mouths in the wild. (God made dirt, dirt dont hurt)

[Anthony]

Thanks for the reply, that's good news.

It would have been funnier if you put 0.1.0 Unhappy wife in your signature instead of just 1! LOL! I guess she doesn't share your passion for reptiles huh?