Hello all! Recently my leopard gecko (Montgomery) has been acting like her back left leg is bothering her. She also just laid her first eggs, so I'm not sure if that might be related? Can leopard geckos pull leg muscles or injure their hips in the week or so leading up to laying? It's clear that it's bothering her, so any help or advice is very appreciated while I try and figure out a possible vet visit!
About your leo:
- Sex: female
- Age & Weight: 1 - 1.5 years, not sure at the moment of current weight
- How long have you owned your leo: just under 1 year
- Where was he/she obtained (ex. Pet store, breeder, wild caught, friend): friend who got her from a pet store
A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo: varies, but typically a few times a week. She's not big on being held/handled, but was more so leading up to laying her eggs.
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now: she's lethargic, but has been since she laid the eggs 2 days ago (she had 2, and they're her first).
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe: none
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal): she hasn't had any in a while--she stopped eating in the month leading up to laying her eggs
- When was the last time he/she went: at least a month ago
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on: Starting about a week and a half ago, she began holding her rear left leg outwards as she walked/dug/climbed. She also carried her hips a lot lower. I assumed it had to do with her getting close to laying her eggs, but she's still doing it. Today when she was climbing to her hot spot, she needed to take the least steep route possible (normally she'll take the almost vertical climb if it's the fastest route somewhere). When she was walking/climbing today, her back left was shaking whenever it took weight.
Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size: 40 gallon
- Type (ex. glass tank): glass front opening enclosure
- Type of substrate: bioactive; top soil/coco fiber/playsand
- Hides, how many, what kind: 1 warm (pretty large space, gets misted down when she's about to shed because it's her preferred space, 1 moist, 1 cool
B) Heating
- Heat source: deep heat projector
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side): hit spot is 95, hot side is 82, cool side is 77
- Method of regulating heat source: digital thermostat
- What are you using to measure your temps: digital thermometer/hydrometer, one on each side of the tank
- Do you have any lights (describe): 1 regular LED bulb, 1 shadedweller t5 uvb
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females): none
- Describe health, or previous problems: none
Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much): melaworms, crickets, wax worms occasionally. Feed every 2 - 3 days (daily since the eggs were laid). Usually 10ish insects per feeding, but while she's had eggs she only occasionally eats a couple of bugs every week or so.
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect): hand feeding
B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands): zoomed dusting vitamins, but she often refuses to eat insects that are dusted (she'll just walk away and refuse to eat any more). Flukers calcium w/o d3, which I leave in a dish in the tank (won't eat dusted food but will use the dish as needed)
- What are you gut loading food with: fresh fruit andvegetables, cricket gel
I'm including pictures of the leg in case anything looks off to a more experienced eye, plus a Pic of her with the eggs. They seem big to me, and it took her almost 45 min to lay both. She was digging furiously for 2 weeks leading up to laying, and spent hours burying the eggs afterwards (or so she thought--I took them out while she took a recovery nap on her hot spot). She laid them under her water bowl.
About your leo:
- Sex: female
- Age & Weight: 1 - 1.5 years, not sure at the moment of current weight
- How long have you owned your leo: just under 1 year
- Where was he/she obtained (ex. Pet store, breeder, wild caught, friend): friend who got her from a pet store
A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo: varies, but typically a few times a week. She's not big on being held/handled, but was more so leading up to laying her eggs.
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now: she's lethargic, but has been since she laid the eggs 2 days ago (she had 2, and they're her first).
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe: none
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal): she hasn't had any in a while--she stopped eating in the month leading up to laying her eggs
- When was the last time he/she went: at least a month ago
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on: Starting about a week and a half ago, she began holding her rear left leg outwards as she walked/dug/climbed. She also carried her hips a lot lower. I assumed it had to do with her getting close to laying her eggs, but she's still doing it. Today when she was climbing to her hot spot, she needed to take the least steep route possible (normally she'll take the almost vertical climb if it's the fastest route somewhere). When she was walking/climbing today, her back left was shaking whenever it took weight.
Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size: 40 gallon
- Type (ex. glass tank): glass front opening enclosure
- Type of substrate: bioactive; top soil/coco fiber/playsand
- Hides, how many, what kind: 1 warm (pretty large space, gets misted down when she's about to shed because it's her preferred space, 1 moist, 1 cool
B) Heating
- Heat source: deep heat projector
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side): hit spot is 95, hot side is 82, cool side is 77
- Method of regulating heat source: digital thermostat
- What are you using to measure your temps: digital thermometer/hydrometer, one on each side of the tank
- Do you have any lights (describe): 1 regular LED bulb, 1 shadedweller t5 uvb
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females): none
- Describe health, or previous problems: none
Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much): melaworms, crickets, wax worms occasionally. Feed every 2 - 3 days (daily since the eggs were laid). Usually 10ish insects per feeding, but while she's had eggs she only occasionally eats a couple of bugs every week or so.
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect): hand feeding
B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands): zoomed dusting vitamins, but she often refuses to eat insects that are dusted (she'll just walk away and refuse to eat any more). Flukers calcium w/o d3, which I leave in a dish in the tank (won't eat dusted food but will use the dish as needed)
- What are you gut loading food with: fresh fruit andvegetables, cricket gel
I'm including pictures of the leg in case anything looks off to a more experienced eye, plus a Pic of her with the eggs. They seem big to me, and it took her almost 45 min to lay both. She was digging furiously for 2 weeks leading up to laying, and spent hours burying the eggs afterwards (or so she thought--I took them out while she took a recovery nap on her hot spot). She laid them under her water bowl.
