My female dragon has what I believe to be a torn or damaged ligament in her right rear leg. When the incident first happened there was some minor swelling above the knee and towards the hip area. However, it went down within a day or two, and the leg didn't appear to bother her. Upon a gentle examination, it didn't appear broken and there was no obvious sign of injury. I figured I would give her some time to heal before making a judgment call. The leg looks normal, and when she moves it forward it behaves fine. Its only when she tries to move it backwards and tuck it under her body that there is an issue...like whatever leverage was there before is now gone (ligament).
I believe she got her foot stuck in a piece of cage furniture I had added to the tank around the time of the injury. Her high activity level means she was probably constantly moving with the stuck foot and while she got free...hurt herself in the process. This is all a theory however, as I did not witness the incident. I did remove the cage item I though responsible, and I also padded her entire enclosure to aid in healing.
However ligament injuries in people take a long time to heal, I can only imagine what this would be like in a cold blooded animal. And if its completely torn, can it even be repaired? Can they do those types of surgeries on something this small?
As for her overall health, the leg issue hasn't impacted her life in the least. She still spends the majority of her day glass dancing and running around. Her appetite is as healthy as its always been.
I believe she got her foot stuck in a piece of cage furniture I had added to the tank around the time of the injury. Her high activity level means she was probably constantly moving with the stuck foot and while she got free...hurt herself in the process. This is all a theory however, as I did not witness the incident. I did remove the cage item I though responsible, and I also padded her entire enclosure to aid in healing.
However ligament injuries in people take a long time to heal, I can only imagine what this would be like in a cold blooded animal. And if its completely torn, can it even be repaired? Can they do those types of surgeries on something this small?
As for her overall health, the leg issue hasn't impacted her life in the least. She still spends the majority of her day glass dancing and running around. Her appetite is as healthy as its always been.