Not using rear leg

[asongforyou]

I noticed Russell has not been using his left rear leg for a couple of days now. I don't think he fell but it is a possibility since I don't have eyes on him all day. It doesn't look swollen, it looks pretty much the same with his right rear leg (but I could be wrong). Now, he's not even using it when he's sleeping.

I supplement his food with Calcium everyday without D3 then with D3 or mutli on alternating weekends. He's currently eating mostly dubias and worms as treats (super worms & hornworms) I gut load on bug burger, fruits, veggies. Using the reptisun 5.0 on a timer that goes on at 7AM-7PM.

What do you think is wrong with him?? I will take him to the vet if his condition doesn't change/improve. I just want to see if you guys have experienced this

Sorry, it was dark and he's sleeping in a weird angle so this was the best I could do without waking him.

 

[Branman]

The picture is dark but it looks like his leg doesn't look broken. But he might of fell and temporarily injured his leg. But you said he hasn't used it for "a couple of days" so I think he needs to go to a vet ASAP. A couple of days of not using it could mean some injury occurred that you most likely cannot see. It's best to take him to a vet.

 

[AngieL]

Poor little guy! It's such a worry for you too. How long has it been since he has pooped? His leg looks fine, as in not injured or broken by the look of it. I have seen cases on here where impaction has gotten so bad that it has pinched nerves in the back end resulting in limp back legs.

I'm no expert, I just thought it was worth mentioning to you go see the vet as soon as you can. Even if it is impaction it's still quite serious and you will need vet treatment to make things better.

 

[Mmcbain1]

Sounds like your lighting and calcium situation are perfect. Given the symptoms I first thought calcium defientcy but sounds like you took care of that. does he move around ok? Is his leg just dragging like its paralyzed or more like a limp?

 

[asongforyou]

Poor little guy! It's such a worry for you too. How long has it been since he has pooped? His leg looks fine, as in not injured or broken by the look of it. I have seen cases on here where impaction has gotten so bad that it has pinched nerves in the back end resulting in limp back legs.

I'm no expert, I just thought it was worth mentioning to you go see the vet as soon as you can. Even if it is impaction it's still quite serious and you will need vet treatment to make things better.

Sounds like your lighting and calcium situation are perfect. Given the symptoms I first thought calcium defientcy but sounds like you took care of that. does he move around ok? Is his leg just dragging like its paralyzed or more like a limp?

He moves around fairly well. Gets to his food, moves in his cage..goes towards the heat lamp and away from it. It seems more like a limp because he'll still sorta grab the plastic fencing sometimes but prefers not to.

 

[Mmcbain1]

Well it doesnt sound like nerve damage maybe its soft tissue damage like a sprain. has it gotten better or worse in the past day or two?

 

[asongforyou]

Well it doesnt sound like nerve damage maybe its soft tissue damage like a sprain. has it gotten better or worse in the past day or two?

It seems about the same. No significant difference.

 

[Mmcbain1]

Hmmm not sure what to say about your buddy. keep him well fed, hydrated etc. whenever i am in doubt I try to give my chams outside time I know it doesnt make sense to fix a bum leg but it seems to always give them a boost whenever they get that real sunlight. Good luck keep us informed! sorry I coulnt be of more help

 

[asongforyou]

Hmmm not sure what to say about your buddy. keep him well fed, hydrated etc. whenever i am in doubt I try to give my chams outside time I know it doesnt make sense to fix a bum leg but it seems to always give them a boost whenever they get that real sunlight. Good luck keep us informed! sorry I coulnt be of more help

I took him outside and he started to use his leg more! I think it did put him in a better mood. It's definitely not his full grip but at least he was using it!

 

[Dr O]

if it was fractured, he would obviously need rads and fixation of the fracture. if its not broken, they can get sprains and strains of muscles, ligaments or tendons just like we can. he might have fallen and gotten a leg hung up or twisted.

if that's the case, a vet would still be able to give you prescription anti-inflammatories that would bring the pain down and greatly speed up the healing, particularly when you're talking "in reptile time". so either way, if you can get him to a qualified vet they will likely still be able to return him to normal function more quickly and with less pain for him.

if you are definitely seeing daily improvement, then it's probably ok to just keep a close eye on him.

 

[kinyonga]

Is there any swelling near the ankle?

 

[asongforyou]

if it was fractured, he would obviously need rads and fixation of the fracture. if its not broken, they can get sprains and strains of muscles, ligaments or tendons just like we can. he might have fallen and gotten a leg hung up or twisted.

if that's the case, a vet would still be able to give you prescription anti-inflammatories that would bring the pain down and greatly speed up the healing, particularly when you're talking "in reptile time". so either way, if you can get him to a qualified vet they will likely still be able to return him to normal function more quickly and with less pain for him.

if you are definitely seeing daily improvement, then it's probably ok to just keep a close eye on him.

Thanks Dr O, He has been noticeably improving today. Definitely using his foot more (I've been watching him a lot today). But I will take him to the vet if he doesn't improve the way I'd like him to. I wanted to see what you guys thought since it's the weekend and I couldn't really do anything about it until the hospital opened.