Crested Gecko Foot/ Leg Problems

[Moonshine]

Hi, I'm new here so apologies if I've posted in the wrong section!

I need some advice, I've got a crested gecko who is only 5 months old. But, just over two weeks ago she had her first shed, since then things haven't been too good.

This last week she's got a lot better, but before she lost all power in her back legs and grip in her front feet. She's pooping and eating fine, but having slight difficulty jumping and walking.

But now its her front right leg, its very limp, her toes are 'stuck' together, but her set up and humidity levels are all OK & she's on the full CGD.

In herself she is great, its just her movements.

I've given her the 'saunas' as I thought it might be stuck shed/food but no, her front leg is still very limp with no power and no grip?? Sometimes her leg looks all scrunched up.

Her movements since I've had her in a smaller tank have got a lot better, she is definitely building her strength back up and she did her first jump last night.

But still very unsteady. I'm trying not to do too much with her.

Thanks in advanced!!

 

[the_sneetch]

Sorry to hear your gecko isn't doing that well. Can you post a picture of the gecko? I think that'd be helpful in us figuring out what could possibly wrong and what you can do to help her. Also a description of how she is being housed will be helpful.

 

[Aimless]

agreed; we need good, clear photos if you can get them. several things could cause this.

is she sharing her tank with anyone else?

also, please give us the actual, measured numbers for temp and humidity?

can you also please post a clear photo of her enclosure?

 

[Moonshine]

Thanks for getting back to me!

I'll probably get stick for this, but at the moment I'm keeping her in a 6 inch tall by 10 inch long plastic container, was used for snake eggs.

I don't want to keep her in anything bigger due to her weak legs, at the mo she's on damp paper towel and a small heat mat just under about a third of the container. She has only been in the box for about a week and there's already been improvement.

The humidity is around 70%, but should this be lower in a much more confine space? The temp is room temperature. I spray her lightly once a day, in the evenings.

There's also plastic leafs in the container for her to climb into and up off the ground, I'm aware of floppy tail so I'm trying to keep her as healthy as poss.

I've attached a photo of what she was in before, so shes gone from quite a huge space to a smaller much more confined area.

But its her front right leg... I cant get a good enough picture, her toes are scrunched, however when my hands are wet there is a slight grip but she is not lifting her whole weight. From the second picture, her front leg looks a lot smaller, slighting deformed??

 

[Aimless]

her limbs look VERY swollen.

don't worry about the hospital cage; I understand and it makes good sense. I was thinking mostly in terms of whether there were something in her setup that could cause injury.

hmm...what's room temp? that can be between 60F and 80F, which is a pretty big range...? and please actually measure (guesses are usually wildly inaccurate).

for swollen limbs, that can be a symptom of some types of disease, but is most often (IMO) a nutritional problem.

-how long have you had her?
-has she always/only been on CGD? if not, what else has she eaten and how often?
-if you are feeding any bugs at all, are you gutloading, and if so how/with what?

vitA overdose in chameleons causes swollen limbs. kidney and liver disease can both cause fluid retention (as in gout, etc).

either way, I would suggest getting her to a vet for a blood test to find the source of the problem so that it can be corrected.

good luck with her.

 

[the_sneetch]

Ok, wow. That poor gecko.

It seems strange to me that a bad shed would lead to swollen limbs. I don't think that's something I've seen, unless the shed is stuck and strangling a limb. I can't tell from the pictures, but it's weird that more than one limb is affected.

I think she probably needs to see a vet at this point. I don't think there's much more you can do for her at home. I wonder if she has some sort of deficiency where she's not absorbing the nutrients in her food. CGD should be all she needs, but not every gecko is 100% healthy just like any other being.

I would recommend finding a good herp vet. I see this site hasn't been updated in a while, but it's worth a check:

Herp Vet Connection

 

[cricket4u]

Hi,

I'm guessing you have never monitored temps? If so, please do share them. Was your gecko strictly on the CGD?

I agree that's not shed related or injury related. She definitely needs a vet visit ASAP, however please answer the questions asked.