{"topic_id":"exotic_tox_leopard_gecko_household","category":"exotic-pet-toxicology","context":"---\ntopic_id: \"exotic_tox_leopard_gecko_household\"\ncategory: \"exotic-pet-toxicology\"\ntitle: \"Leopard gecko keeper-practical toxicology & hazards (VCA; ASPCA Pro; PetMD; Merck Veterinary Manual)\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"VCA leopard gecko care + ASPCA Pro firefly toxicosis + PetMD 'What Do Lizards Eat?' + Merck Veterinary Manual (lead poisoning) — non-Open-Access references; paraphrased derived summaries per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3.\"\nsource_file: [\"pdf-raw/exotic-c-2026/vca_leopard_gecko_care.txt\", \"pdf-raw/exotic-c-2026/aspca_pro_firefly_toxicosis.txt\", \"pdf-raw/exotic-c-2026/petmd_what_do_lizards_eat.txt\", \"pdf-raw/exotic-tox-2026/merck_lead_poisoning.txt\"]\ndate_parsed: 2026-08-05\nrecovered: false\nauthority_tier: T2\nauthority_tier_basis: \"T2:professional-reference\"\nauthority_tier_date: 2026-08-05\nmethod: paraphrase\nlicense: paraphrase\ncitation:\n  authority: \"VCA Animal Hospitals; ASPCA Pro; PetMD; Merck Veterinary Manual\"\n  title: \"Leopard gecko keeper-practical toxicology & hazards\"\n  url: \"https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/leopard-geckos\"\n  retrieved: 2026-08-05\n  needs_review: false\npath: exotic-pet-toxicology/exotic_tox_leopard_gecko_household/01_exotic_tox_leopard_gecko_household.md\n---\n\n# Leopard gecko keeper-practical toxicology & hazards (VCA; ASPCA Pro; PetMD; Merck Veterinary Manual)\n\nSource: VCA Animal Hospitals, ASPCA Professional, PetMD, and the Merck Veterinary Manual. These references are non-Open-Access, so the points below are **paraphrased derived summaries** (numbers and proper nouns preserved, sentences rewritten) per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3; each point is independently checkable against the cited source.\n\n## Claims (derived summary — method: paraphrase)\n\n- Coarse sand, corncob bedding, and crushed walnut shells should never be used as leopard gecko substrate, because these bedding materials can be swallowed and will block the intestines.\n- Fireflies (Photinus spp.) contain lucibufagins and are highly toxic to lizards; ASPCA notes death can occur within 2 hours of exposure, so fireflies must never be fed to leopard geckos.\n- Wash greens used to gut-load feeder insects and keep household pesticides away from the enclosure, because pesticides can cause health issues in lizards.\n- Lead and zinc are recognised reptile hazards: lead can come from old paint, ceramic food and water bowls, and lead-based materials, and zinc from some metals, so enclosures should use food-safe, lead-free materials.\n","sources":["exotic-pet-toxicology — Leopard gecko keeper-practical toxicology & hazards (retrieved 2026-08-05)"],"source":{"authority":"exotic-pet-toxicology","title":"Leopard gecko keeper-practical toxicology & hazards","url":"https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/leopard-geckos","retrieved":"2026-08-05","ref":"","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"","verification_file":"[\"pdf-raw/exotic-c-2026/vca_leopard_gecko_care.txt\", \"pdf-raw/exotic-c-2026/aspca_pro_firefly_toxicosis.txt\", \"pdf-raw/exotic-c-2026/petmd_what_do_lizards_eat.txt\", \"pdf-raw/exotic-tox-2026/merck_lead_poisoning.txt\"]"},"source_document":"","source_file":"[\"pdf-raw/exotic-c-2026/vca_leopard_gecko_care.txt\", \"pdf-raw/exotic-c-2026/aspca_pro_firefly_toxicosis.txt\", \"pdf-raw/exotic-c-2026/petmd_what_do_lizards_eat.txt\", \"pdf-raw/exotic-tox-2026/merck_lead_poisoning.txt\"]","trust":{"authority_tier":"T2","fidelity":"paraphrase","license":"paraphrase","display_grade":"B"},"tokens_estimated":88,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}