# Leopard Gecko - 3 broken legs



## lobo (Jan 5, 2011)

Hello everyone,

My lovely wee gecko Lobo went to stay at a reputable reptile shop over Christmas, and when we got him back he had 3 broken legs! He's been to the vet and has splints to help the bones heal; luckily he has excellent bones and no calcium deficiency.

Does anyone have experience of caring for Leopard Geckos in a similar state? The vet's given us metacam and calcium concentrate which we're giving to him orally. He is drinking, he's off his food but he did a massive poop yesterday. We have him on newspaper which he's struggling to walk on with his one good leg. We're checking on him every 20 minutes or so, and there have been a few occasions where we've found him stuck on his back - is this dangerous for a Leopard Gecko? I'm sure I've read that it is as their organs get crushed - I'm so worried as we're back to work soon so won't be able to keep as close an eye on him as we'd like.

Included a picture of our little man so you can see him - we've removed everything from his enclosure...we've made some canopies from newspaper so he has somewhere to escape to without hurting himself. 

My multiple questions are - 
is there a better substrate/base we could keep him on? Paper seems quite difficult for him to grip.
Is it dangerous if he gets stuck on his back and we're not there to help him over?
Is it advisable to force feed when geckos are off their food? I'm guessing no - I wouldn't want to make him sick, but as we're hand feeding him his meds, I'm thinking we could also feed him a waxmoth using the same method.

Any other hints/tips you have would be greatly appreciated - we're going out of our minds with worry and have barely slept...every sound he makes and we're up having a wee peek at him! Thanks so much










p.s. don't worry about the reptile shop - we'll be dealing with them when Lobo's better. I'm absolutely furious.


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## mandyT (Aug 23, 2007)

i have to say sorry for what has happened - what the hell happened to him for himto break 3 legs... 

1. you could try uses kitchen towel... its a little softer on his feet and he might find it easier to move on - no worries on compaction and easy to clean.
2.yes it is dangerous for them to get stuck on their back. their diagraphm makes it harder for them to breath so this could be a manager issue, and put him back to normal asap.
3. its not advised but in his state i would of thought it would be okay. i would leave it a little bit though, once his legs are a little stronger again he might start eating, but i would keep him to waxworms as a treat and mealworms and locus and crickets might be a little fast for him to catch.


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## lobo (Jan 5, 2011)

All I can assume is that they've handled him badly - he was in perfect condition when we left him there. The guy's apologised for being 'heavy handed' with him, although at first he was reluctant to accept any responibility, but when we took him to our vet (reptile specialist) for his prognosis there was no arguing.

I'm so worried about the back situation...hopefully kitchen roll will work - I'll get some today and see how he goes on that. Thanks so much for your quick reply - we've got a check up with the vet tomorrow...hopefully he has some good news for us!


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## trw (Mar 2, 2009)

wow. they must have done something seriously wrong to manage to break 3 legs. until your checkup with the vets i wouldnt try feeding anything. ask the vets opinion, but they can go a long time without eating and yours has a nice chunky tail so should be fine. good luck with its recovery


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## SleepyD (Feb 13, 2008)

pretty much as said by MandyT and ditto on wanting to know exactly how 'heavy-handed' the shop was :bash:
I would also suggest keeping a weight chart and regularly weighing your leo ~ he looks a good size so not eating much shouldn't cause too many problems... food wise would offer him a shallow dish of mealies at all times so that he can help himself plus if you want to offer him other livefoods then rather then holding him you could try offering livefood by tweezers and see if he'll accept that way... most of mine will readily grab a squirming crix or hopper that way 
good luck : victory:


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## mandyT (Aug 23, 2007)

do you know how he keeps fliping him self over... maybe you could stop it by removing the problem (if its possible)

try to get unsented kitchen roll, as the sented ones do more harm then good... no worries about the replie... just contact me if you need any other help... 

poor handling... that needs alot of poor handling to cause that amount of damange


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## lobo (Jan 5, 2011)

That's great - I knew his wee pudding tail would come in handy one day! 

The reptile shop are covering the vet costs for Lobo...I'm also thinking of reporting them to the SSPCA - the guy was extremely apologetic about the whole thing, but ultimately an apology is absolutely no use to my wee man and I would hate to think of this happening to anyone else's little gecko.


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## volly (Mar 6, 2009)

:gasp: WTF?!?!?!? 

Not sure if you're allowed to name and shame the shop in question but surely others need to be made aware of who they are so they don't leave thier animals in the care of the same people?

I would also say kitchen towel would be easier to grip on but just watch him for licking/eating it - mine got impaction from it last year so i use lino now ( not good for your problem i know but safe for me :lol2: ).

I would put mealworms in a feeding bowl for him - they are less likely to "run away" when he's hungry - I would have thought that locusts or crickets would be far too quick for him at the moment.
Try to keep waxworms down to a minimum - just as a treat and make sure he has his vitmains/medicines e.t.c.

I would aslo make sure that ALL vet's bills and treatment costs get passed directly onto the shop for settlement - there's no way they should get away lightly with what's happened.
Ok, so accidents happen but it's surely thier responsibility to rectify it?

Good luck with him and hope he makes a speedy recovery :2thumb:


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## lobo (Jan 5, 2011)

mandyT said:


> do you know how he keeps fliping him self over... maybe you could stop it by removing the problem (if its possible)


I've taken out his water bowl and replaced it with a shallow jam jar lid which is easier for him to reach - I've just done the same with his food bowl too so I'm hoping this will help. Sometimes he's been flipping when he gets frustrated re: his lack of flexibility in his hind quarters! He's a brave wee man though - he's getting really good at taking his meds, and by the end of this whole thing I'm sure he'll be wanting to ride around in our pockets...he'll be so used to the treatment he's getting!


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## volly (Mar 6, 2009)

just realised i wasn't quick enough posting my reply - others have just said what i did :Na_Na_Na_Na:


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## mandyT (Aug 23, 2007)

well thats good that the shop is paying for the vet bills, but it doesnt make the matter any better to be honest... i think you should report them further they sounds very sorry but something is telling me this has happened before by the way they have reacted towards it.

i have to agree with sleepy - even though he should be fine with the nice fat tail keep records of when he does eat and his weight. he would of been put under a lot of stress and this can cause weight loss but it is very un-likely for him to do this... 

and i hope changing his water/food bowls will help him from fliping himself over


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## mandyT (Aug 23, 2007)

volly said:


> Not sure if you're allowed to name and shame the shop in question but surely others need to be made aware of who they are so they don't leave thier animals in the care of the same people?


no your not - sometimes i wish we was allowed at times like this it could really come handy... but its best we dont because the shop is at risk and it generally courses more problems then first thought or wanted


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## Spirit Crusher (Dec 3, 2010)

Aww poor guy that's horrendous!!

Yeah I'd put a couple of worms in a little flat dish for him for when you're not around to watch him, you can get those little rubber lids for cat food cans which would be perfect. 

Looks really gorgeous and healthy considering all the splints though, bless him! Hope he recovers quickly!


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## volly (Mar 6, 2009)

mandyT said:


> no your not - sometimes i wish we was allowed at times like this it could really come handy... but its best we dont because the shop is at risk and it generally courses more problems then first thought or wanted


 
That sucks!! Surely RFUK owners/admin/staff would rather we knew who they are instead of risking the same thing happening to our animals?

LOBO if you could please PM me the name and location of the shop, I would be grateful.

Don't worry RFUK - I won't be posting the details - just want to know myself.


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

poor thing, did they drop him from a great height?
hope he makes a speedy recovery.

i would report them to the appropriate people too, incase it happens to another pet who isnt so lucky.


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## lobo (Jan 5, 2011)

Thank you all so much for your replies...it's good to know we're doing the right thing with him, and even better to know all of the other bits and pieces which will make him a whole lot more comfy!

Re: naming and shaming - it's a tricky one, as could lead to lots of legal wrangling which at this point we'd rather avoid...we're going to concentrate on getting Lobo back to full health first - which is stressful enough! EEK!

We've tried him on mealworms quite a few times but he's never been keen on them - he's 6 and a half and has pretty simple taste...a waxmoth every now and then with crickets in between has kept him happy all this time! Even locusts haven't tempted him. Will give the wee dish of mealies a go though - we're just freaked as normally he'd go crazy for waxmoths, but he's not interested. I'm hoping it's like you all say, he's had an insane amount of stress over the past couple of weeks, coupled with trips to the vet, and this is probably doing nothing for his appetite.

Will keep you all posted though - thanks again for your help and well-wishes...I'll let him know you're all thinking about him :notworthy:


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## mandyT (Aug 23, 2007)

yes thats good - i would love to know how he comes along and updated photos when you feel its needed. no worries we are all here to help the gecko and yourself through this time. also feel free to pm me reguarding anything or any futher help  Good luck


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## nuttybabez (Jul 21, 2007)

Aww poor little chap!! No wonder you are furious!

He would find kitchen roll easier to grip than newspaper. Or you could use textured lino.

And yes the concern with him flipping on his back is it makes it hard for reptiles to breathe, he could pass away if he was not placed the right way up again.

Shallow bowls are a good idea. Force feeding is not a great idea but there is no harm in you holding food on tweezers for him to eat himself - I would imagine hes not very mobile at the moment for running round after crickets!


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## _TiMiSdRuNk_ (Aug 27, 2008)

That's really horrible  If a pet shop did that to any of my pets i'd make sure they lost use of 3 of there limbs too. 

I really hope he's ok and will look out for future post about him


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## mariex4 (Oct 19, 2009)

thats so sad poor leo. i hope you have give them the vet bill hun as you shouldnt have to pay for it due to the leo being in his care when it happend . i mean how does somebody break 3 legs poor thing must of been in agony poor thing and hes a pig realy not takling him /her to the vets himself i certinly would not let it go tbh


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## Magical Trevor (Jan 4, 2011)

wow that's awful, how can you call yourself a pet shop and do that? ahh well, as long as he's recovering


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## beckih1979 (Nov 15, 2010)

I've just read through all of this and its awful. I really hope the little guy is coming on well and makes a good recovery.


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## markn (Jul 29, 2010)

lobo said:


> That's great - I knew his wee pudding tail would come in handy one day!
> 
> The reptile shop are covering the vet costs for Lobo...I'm also thinking of reporting them to the SSPCA - the guy was extremely apologetic about the whole thing, but ultimately an apology is absolutely no use to my wee man and I would hate to think of this happening to anyone else's little gecko.



They should be shut down and all staff never be allowed to work with animals again.

I bet they used your pet as a demonstration aid and let someone with no idea on handling to hold him. I bet he was dropped. 

How is he apart from the obvious , any sign of being stressed.

Id be REALLY P****D OFF if it was one of mine.


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## Paul Butler (Mar 7, 2010)

Hope the little fellow recovers fully. Must have been a dreadful shock.


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

mandyT said:


> i have to say sorry for what has happened - what the hell happened to him for himto break 3 legs...
> 
> 1. you could try uses kitchen towel... its a little softer on his feet and he might find it easier to move on - no worries on compaction and easy to clean.
> 2.yes it is dangerous for them to get stuck on their back. their diagraphm makes it harder for them to breath so this could be a manager issue, and put him back to normal asap.
> 3. its not advised but in his state i would of thought it would be okay. i would leave it a little bit though, once his legs are a little stronger again he might start eating, but i would keep him to waxworms as a treat and mealworms and locus and crickets might be a little fast for him to catch.


probibly someone in the shop has been handling the poor thing and droped him I wouldnt think deliberately but you would think the shop would say we'l pay for the vet costs since you put your trust into them.
I have worked in a rep shop and if anything like that happned while an animal was in our care you cvould garuntee our boss would either sack someone or offer to pay the costs. or both


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## gazz (Dec 9, 2006)

pigglywiggly said:


> poor thing, did they drop him from a great height ?.


That what i was thinking, It likly jumped coz who ever was holding him didn't have a good hold of him. You have to be so care-full with them coz sometimes they just spring off, Sadly i made this error many years back, One of my first leo's just sprung off my hand at standing hight, Sadly died on impact, It was gutting and a big lesson learnt. It's not good that he's broke his legs but i do hope this is how it happen, Coz the other is that someone when out there way to harm you leo deliberately:devil:. 

Hope he gets back on track.


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## mandyT (Aug 23, 2007)

hows he doing...i agree with Gazz - ive had many leos being adults that havent been handled spring off me... i always hold over a tub now so if they do spring off they not landing from a great high or anything


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## lobo (Jan 5, 2011)

Hey everyone,

For some reason I stopped getting notifications that there were replies on here! 

Unfortunately, wee Lobo passed away this morning. We're both absolutely gutted as we thought he was making a good recovery...he was a bit dull on Monday evening but seemed to have perked up. It's very sad, but at least he's not in any pain anymore.

Thank you all so much for your replies and for thinking about him. I'm sorely tempted to tell you all which shop it was.

Thanks,

Nichola and Jodie


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

so sorry for your loss - hope the vets bills have been covered fully by the people who hurt your leo and that you have made a complaint about them 


you cant name and shame shops on here, but you can pm anyone privatley if you wish.


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## mariex4 (Oct 19, 2009)

omw lobo im so sorry hun R*I*P , as you said hes in no more pain but a horrible thing for you, you did your best well done


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## jools (Apr 4, 2009)

That is such a shame. I am so sorry - you must be absolutely gutted. I am sure you are going to inform the shop.


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## mariex4 (Oct 19, 2009)

pigglywiggly said:


> so sorry for your loss - hope the vets bills have been covered fully by the people who hurt your leo and that you have made a complaint about them
> 
> 
> you cant name and shame shops on here, but you can pm anyone privatley if you wish.


 
totaly agree with pigglywiggly , i realy do hope you passed the vet bill tbh id want compo as it happend in there care aswell as the money back for the vet bills as bet it wasnt cheap having his poor legs sorted , well kinda.


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## lil_noodle (Jul 4, 2007)

Sorry for your loss 
xxx


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## tyrannosaurus (Dec 14, 2010)

ive heard some terrible storys about shops but that takes the biscuits 
horrible people
r.i.p little gecko


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## markn (Jul 29, 2010)

lobo said:


> Hey everyone,
> 
> For some reason I stopped getting notifications that there were replies on here!
> 
> ...



If i wanted to buy a leopard gecko or send mine somewhere to be looked after while i was on holiday , what shop WOULD you recommend. :whistling2:

It cant be against forum rules to name a shop for a recommendation


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## hippyhaplos (Jan 12, 2010)

Sorry for your loss.... was hoping for a happy outcome on this one


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## Melonhelmet (Nov 11, 2008)

People wonder why our keeping of reptiles is constantly under fire. THIS is why. Bad shops, who instantly are given the appearence of being knowledgable to people because, well pet`s are their bisnuess. I`m incredibly sorry for your loss, and I really do hope that this shop gets their license revoked. Even though that probably wont happen.


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## bmxben (May 23, 2010)

how can you break 3 legs in one go, shop owner must have thrown the leo accross the room to do that much damage.

what sort of person would do that... i think that shop should be named and shamed:cussing: 

sorry for your loss.. one of my leos died in the past broke my heart when the lil guy passed away


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## Geckogirl_88 (Apr 24, 2009)

sorry hun, that's just an awful thing to happen.
If you could PM me the name of the shop that would be great as I wanna make sure I dont sell them any of my hatchlings in the future
xx


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## sam gamgee (Apr 8, 2009)

Sorry to hear lobo......I have been watching this thread with horror etc and hoping for a good outcome.......I, too lost a Leo three years back, didnt have him long, he died of fatty liver disease (shop it turned out had been feeding waxies/inappropriate food....:devil - I was so sad/gutted etc.

Sad for ya....

Dave


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## Severus (Jan 30, 2010)

So Sorry For Your Loss.


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## jo8225 (Jun 6, 2010)

omg im sooo sorry to hear this rip little one, i read this post from the start and thought it was discusting but had my fingers crossed for you:grouphug:...would you mind pm me the name of the shop?


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## Mal (Jul 22, 2007)

Ive been watching for updates on this thread and hoping this poor little gecko pulled through. You must be devastated and furious. I hope you are doing something about the shop. I would be stood outside and tell every customer approaching the shop what they had done. I really am sorry for your loss.


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## beckih1979 (Nov 15, 2010)

Oh no that is such sad news, really sorry for your loss.


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## nuttybabez (Jul 21, 2007)

Oh no, I'm so sorry for your loss.


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## fiesta599 (Jun 11, 2009)

ive just read this thread and i cant believe what has happened.
im sat with silent tears rolling down my face whilst typing this.
im so sorry for your loss.i hope you make the shop pay for what they did to your beautiful leo.
RIP LITTLE ONEeace:


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## xvickyx (Jul 21, 2009)

Ahhh I have just read through the whole thread. I am so sorry for your loss! But like you say, at least he is not in pain anymore, bless him!  RIP x


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## animal830 (Sep 10, 2009)

Ive been reading this thread and i just can't believe this could happan! Im so sorry for your loss and i hope u do not rest until something is done so this will never have to happan to another little gecko. R.I.P little fella xx


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## Junior13reptilez (Oct 17, 2010)

How sad of that shop...If you don't mind me asking, what happened to him? Did he go on his back?Sorry fror your loss


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## lobo (Jan 5, 2011)

Hey everyone,

Thanks so much for all your kind messages. We're still very sad and angry - tried reporting them to the SSPCA but as the shop covered expenses, they're of the opinion that the store has taken responsibility. 

The shop gets great reviews, and this is just our experience. I am really, really reluctant to believe his injuries were due to deliberate harm, but I have no idea what they did to him. 

Thanks again everyone


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## swift_wraith (Jan 4, 2009)

as the shop has admitted liabilty, will they be replacing lobo with another of equal or greater value? (nothing will ever recompensate for sentimental value though)

would love to know the shop if you could PM me.


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## lobo (Jan 5, 2011)

swift_wraith said:


> as the shop has admitted liabilty, will they be replacing lobo with another of equal or greater value? (nothing will ever recompensate for sentimental value though)
> 
> would love to know the shop if you could PM me.


At this point we're really not up for getting another pet for quite some time...it's too sad and he was too cool to replace  Eventually we'd like to rehome/adopt a reptile needing care, as I'd hate to think of anything like this happening to another creature without people to care for it.


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## markn (Jul 29, 2010)

swift_wraith said:


> as the shop has admitted liabilty, will they be replacing lobo with another of equal or greater value? (nothing will ever recompensate for sentimental value though)
> 
> would love to know the shop if you could PM me.



That shop should never be allowed to sell or handle livestock again, they should have their licence revoked immediately.

I would insist on a cash settlement and go and get another leo from a reputable breeder. ( once you have gotten over the passing of lobo)


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## stanthelizardlover96 (Sep 26, 2010)

hi there, i think this is abolutely dispicable behaviour from the shop. how can they possibly break a poor little geckos legs and not even take him to a vet. you should report them, they dont deserve to deal in livestock ever again.
would it be possible for you to private message me the name of the shop, so i never let them take care of my lizard

Really sorry for you loss, Stan


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## SilverSky (Oct 2, 2010)

what an awful thing to happen 
i really feel for you, so sorry to hear this has happened


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## AstroFenn (Dec 25, 2010)

Wow, I didn't know you could splint something as little as a gecko, I've heard plenty of people say if a chihuahua breaks a leg its near impossible to fix (bones too small or something)


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## suez (Jul 8, 2007)

so sorry for your loss poor little gecko.I truly hope you dont let this lie and take the shop to task ,I sure as hell would be wanting to know how 3 of my animals legs were broken.


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## alspider (Jul 19, 2009)

aww poor lobo i am sorry this has happened.I just cant believe the shop for one thing saying they was a bit heavy handed - thats worrying, surley if they was taking him out of the viv and he jumped/dropped then it would be more understandable in a way,unfortunatley mistakes happen but wondering what else happened would be worse.


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## Junior13reptilez (Oct 17, 2010)

Mistakes happen:Yes, but if Im looking after someone elses animal I am alot more careful and worry about them more as I wouldn't want to upset them


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## mariex4 (Oct 19, 2009)

agree dont let this lie, and certinly dont get another if decide to from them. theres some fab breeders on her, mal, nuttybabez, pigglywiggly, from top of my head. there all cared for in the way a rep should be. i would also want to defo find out how the hell 3 legs were broken, like stated if he had jumped out of the viv fair enough, but they must of realy handled very rough. good luck with whatever you decide


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## Magical Trevor (Jan 4, 2011)

wow, sorry to hear.
id be gutted if i lost my 2 
and i think its very admiral of you wanting to re-home unwanted lizards


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