juvie gecko dragging feet

[grboxa]

hey guys, halfhour ago me and my gf were taking the little guy out as usual just for him to get used to us and my gf noticed that off and on he would be dragging his right foot when he walks...is this normal. hes not limping..he dosent seem to be in pain at all...im surprised he shows no sign of discomfort because he puts weight when he walks on that foot and he kind of puts his fut inwards so he drags his top part of his foot.hope you can picture what im saying..i cant take a picture right now. We havent dropped him or anything..he seems fine..hes eager to actually come out he/she walked onto my gf hand in its cage willing which was a shock! but made me happy.

 

[Neill]

A few things come to mind.

1) has possibly not had enough calcium and thee for weak bone and can't hold weight on its leg.

2) it was a broken bone that set and wasn't noticed untill he started walking around alot. Or currently is broken

3) a spinal injury but would most likely cause both back legs to become weak.

I know all these things sound horrible but if he's hunting a drinking he with survive. Remember animals do want to live just like us.

If it is a calcium lose a suggest buying calcium supplements at a pet store designed for reptiles (if you are not using one alrdy) . Calcium deficiencies are a serious matter that alot of first time keepers don't know about and is easy to prevent.

 

[grboxa]

okay thanks for the info...i dont think its his spine..you said itd have to his 2 rear?..hes dragging his front left...and yeah ive been feeding him calcium dusted meals, he hasnt been eating ALOT though.

 

[grboxa]

i hope its just the calcium....but at the same time ive been dusting calcium...but mabye he hasnt got enuff?..hopefully thats the case because im going to put more emphasis on that...me and my gf technically have 3 days left to return him if there is infact a health defect....but we dont want to return him so hopefully they can look at it.

 

[Foxy]

from what I have read its best to keep a small bowl of calcium in all the time so he can take it when needed.

hope he get better soon

 

[prhutchi]

As foxy said you should have calcium bowl available at all times in the tank. I am, however having a hard time picturing your gecko's movements because you say that the leg is "dragged" yet she still "puts weight on it". A video would be helpful, as a picture might not really reveal much. You can upload one to youtube and post the link.

I'm hesitant to make any statements about what could be "wrong" with your gecko because it could be that there is nothing wrong. If, for example you mean that your gecko's knuckles lightly scrape the floor as it is walking but it is still very mobile, then there is nothing wrong and this is just how the leopard gecko stride looks. If the limb is immobilized then there is cause for concern.

Let us know

-PRH

 

[grboxa]

thank you prh for the reply...ill take a video of him tom during feeding...and the best way to describe it is basically what u just said... him scrapping the floor with his knuckles..but its not all the time u have to wait like 5 minutes before he does it again..i havent seen him do it with any other foot tho?...my gf was researching it aswell and she came across ppl saying it could be because hes stretching?

 

[prhutchi]

You can post a video to be extra sure but it sounds like your gecko is fine so go ahead and have a sigh of relief. I have seen mine knuckle drag like that when they are in "lethargic gecko mode" but once there is a cricket or mealworm in the tank it is very clear that all limbs are functioning very well.

 

[CamoCustom]

I had the same problem with a baby I got from a friend. It was said to be MBD, the lack of calcium not allowing proper bone growth. I got a different Leo, and happy to report the one with the bad leg is doing wonderfully still 2 months later.

 

[grboxa]

thank you all for the replies...i worry very easily and i personally dont think something is wrong with him like you said...we took him out again since and he hasent been doing it mabye once i think we seen him do it again...yesterday we took him out for 30 min to to feed crickets and handle he ate 5 no problem with no sign of dragging so hopefully its just one of those things they do!. i strongly doubt he has mbd...i posted a couple pictures of him on here and im sure the experts would of been able to catch it...he seems healthy his bones dont look "soft" or anything.

 

[Wowoklol]

No its not "normal" or "just something they do". Will he do it again? Not sure. Why did he do it in the first place? I'm not sure but the last time I've encountered a gecko dragging its foot/leg/hind quarters, it was most definitely MBD along with who knows what else(poor husbandry) and the gecko died shortly after. Theirs started dragging and didn't stop. So while your prognosis is obviously better, I would be concerned.

 

[grboxa]

i can def say she/he dosent have MBD, she eats like a champ and is active as ever...I care very much for her so the environment or "poor" husbandry isnt the issue...besides this post was about a week ago...she hasnt been doing it since..thanks for the reply.

 

[grboxa]

like prutuchi said his geckos were sighted doing the same in lethargic mode....and like mine..when she saw the crickets she snapped out of it and hasnt done it ever since..