Is Leg Broken?

[courtnashe]

Not sure if my males leg is broken. He is holding it funny and trys not to use it at all. Sometimes when he walks it drags behind him other times he holds it up funny like. Not sure what to do?

Here is his leg with him holding it weird

Here is a side shot of the leg to show the swelling

Here is the bump in his armpit

Top shot of him to compare the armpits

 

[courtnashe]

There is nothing in the tank that can fall on him. I do not think my female attacked him, there is no broken or damaged skin around his leg.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

If you suspect he's injured, you should take him to a vet. He looks rather dehydrated as well, or maybe just in shed.

~Maggot

 

[mörten]

I agree, you need to take him to a vet! I also think he looks a bit dehydrated. Maybe you should seperate the two just in case or at least until he is in better shape Is there bruising on his left side in the last picture? I hope he gets better soon!

 

[courtnashe]

He had just finished shedding. I am contacting a friend of ours if he can look at my leo, he is the retired zoo vet from the Montgomery Zoo. If he cannot I really might be out of luck then, we have no people in or near where I live that are herp vets(they advertise themselves on their websites they can, but all they can treat is a bearded dragon with minor impaction, they have no idea on what to do with leos)

 

[courtnashe]

He is eating by the way, and my female is not bullying him at all as well.

 

[ZombiGecko]

Not trying to sound rude or mean. But he still dont look right requardless if he just shed or about to shed(none of my leos have ever looks like that before or even after a shed). He does appear dehydrated. If you can, id keep looking around for a different vet even if you have to drive a bit. It does look a bit off in his wrist area as well..

 

[courtnashe]

Not sure why he would be dehydrated, he always has water in the tank and the crickets are gut loaded and full of water.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Does he have a humid hide? Right after a shed, a gecko's skin should look its best.

~Maggot

 

[courtnashe]

Somewhat, my female keeps kicking the coconut coir out of the container, so it drys up real quick. But the thing was misted this morning.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Without constant access to a humid hide, he can't rehydrate himself when he wants to. And they both should have their own. He probably doesn't get to use it very often if the female spends a lot of time digging in it and it keeps getting dried out. It looks like there might be some stuck shed on his toes and has already lost some of the tips; with proper supplementation and access to a humid hide, that shouldn't be an issue. What supplements do you use?

~Maggot

 

[courtnashe]

I have no idea what is wrong with him now, he is going stiff and not really moving, he is breathing and blinking still, but he is not moving. I dont think he will survive the night to meet our vet friend.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

If he doesn't, you should have a necropsy done. Whatever is wrong with him is likely wrong with the female as well or soon will be. I would suggest filling this out: http://geckoforums.net/f130-health-medications/70912.htm

~Maggot

 

[courtnashe]

Our vet friend over emailing him is suspecting gout, but unfortunately we were going to meet him tomorrow to have some samples taken to see what is wrong with him. I have him soaking in some warm water, that has seemed to liven him a bit.

About your leo:
- Sex:Male
- Age & Weight :15-18 and 80grams I think(I am using a spring scale that ways in fluid Oz)
- How long have you owned your leo: Alsmost 15 years
- Where was he/she obtained (ex. Pet store, breeder, wild caught, friend)et store

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo: about once a month to two months
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now:Lethargic and stiff
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe.: none
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal): Look normal
- When was the last time he/she went: An hour ago
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on: A swollen injured leg and armpit, for about 3 days, the stiff lethargic body for an hour I suspect

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size: original tank about 25gal, new med tank is 10gal
- Type (ex. glass tank): glass
- Type of substrate: paper towel
- Hides, how many, what kind: 1 warm humid hide(no room for any more hides in either tanks)
B) Heating
- Heat source: 60watt bulb in a lamp
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side): mid 80s on warm and mid to low 70s on cool
- Method of regulating heat source:the ambient temp of the room their tank is located in is around high 70s
- What are you using to measure your temps: a laser temp gun
- Do you have any lights (describe): 60watt bulb
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females) : 1male 1 female
- Describe health, or previous problems: None for either of them

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much): gut loaded crickets, about once a week.
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect): they run around the tank
B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands): Repeshys leopard gecko calcium plus
- What are you gut loading food with: what ever cricket food they are fed in our local small pet store.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

I'm not a vet by any means and only know a little about gout, so what I'm saying is based on a little reading and talking with others on the subject, but it seems like dehydration and too low temperatures (both of which your enclosure has) are the leading causes of secondary gout due to renal failure and would explain why we all noticed how dehydrated your gecko looked. If I'm wrong, though, someone is welcome to correct me. Of course, I'm not sure if the information you're giving is for the enclosure the gecko is usually in or the one it's currently in.

I'm a little confused by this part: "Hides, how many, what kind: 1 warm humid hide(no room for any more hides in either tanks)" Do you mean both of the enclosures have only a humid hide and that's it?

~Maggot

 

[courtnashe]

He had X-rays done and he has Degenerative Arthritis in his leg. We are putting him on pain meds and strict cage rest with warm soaks around 3 to 4 times a day.

 

[mörten]

I'm sorry, I didn't mean at all that your female is bullying him. I just thought it might be a good idea for him to be in a seperate tank since he is not doing well. Have you tried to put moss in the moist hide or some wet paper towel perhaps? I think you should try to put in another moist hide so they have one each, just in case.
Hope the vet can help your little guy! Look forward to hearing an update

 

[sausage]

he dose look a little thin in the picture.
its cage dose need changing a bit too. he needs a UHT to a bulb. loes dont absorb adequate heat from above. he dose need more hides really, you can stack some hides. ie use an old square sandwich tub on the bottom for a sweat hid then a normal cave ontop. make sure your vits have D3 and vit A in them.
i hope he improves soon.

 

[courtnashe]

He is starting today with his pain med treatment. Also he has always been a leo that never holds weight where my female holds too much if I am not careful. The stacking thing sounds like a great idea, I just need to go out and buy a sandwich container that can fit on top of the current one in there. I can mix peat moss with the coconut coir and hopefully that retains moister really well. I really do not want to do under heat pads again, the last time we tried those( we used 4 in total) they all melted the bottom of the tank or short circuited and caused some electrical burns on the wall by the outlet, we just got away from them completely to prevent fires. I can up the wattage of the bulb if that helps. There is a big log in the middle of the tank they can go under or in for hiding, do not worry it does not move at all, so no fear of one being crushed. They get Repashy Leopard Gecko Calcium Plus on all their crickets, who are gut loaded.

He was moved to a smaller tank till he gets better, when his leg no longer hurts him I will put him with his female again, she seems quite lonely without him in the tank.

 

[sausage]

glad to hear he'll be on the mend .
im sorry to hear that youve had bad experiences :S
Heat mats should always be properly insulated to prevent such things. in wooden vivs its advised to place tiles under the mat and on top too before your chosen substrate. you should also always have the mat plug into something that has a built in circuit breaker or surge protection for those exact reasons. glass tanks also should have adequate air flow underneath to prevent over heating and or cracking of glass.