Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2016 9:52 am Re: Experience with broken limb?
Thanks for the reply. I noticed a slight swelling around the wrist, just below the depression. His fingers also seemed to be more openly splayed. When I touched the area, he at first pulled the leg back and whirled away from my hand with a faint hiss. But now he lets me touch it more freely. Can't tell if it's dislocated, he doesn't seem to use the right foot for support. He lifts himself up with his left leg and pushes his right leg against the glass a lot. If I pick him up, he tries to scratch and push me away like normal with his left leg, but the right feels weak. He does use it for paddling fine, but I don't know if it causes him any pain.
I only touched the area gently of course, and as said, the bone felt less solid around the swelling. I swear the foreleg almost seemed like it slightly bent in the middle, but it's hard to tell. He might be low on calcium, which is why I'm having all kinds of fears about breaks or fractures. To give more background about how he fell, he was on my bed. I checked on him every other second, and he happened to fall off just when I wasn't looking. He's already fallen from the same height at least twice, but each time he landed safely and kept going as if nothing had happened. This time he dropped in a bad position -- he was on his back and got frightened, and started darting across the floor frantically when I turned him upright. The skin on the top of his head also got torn up a bit (nothing bloody), which suggests to me that he probably hit himself with the edge of his shell. What pains me is that this could have been so easily avoided, and I'm really tormenting myself over it. There was even a pillow beside the bed just in case, and he fell right next to it.
Don't know how to reduce stress on the leg other than keeping him from shoving it against the glass. I cover the side of the tank with a large pillow to keep him from trying to rush towards me or other objects that interest him. I also put him on pillows or have my brother watch him when I clean the tank, but we don't let him walk.
Sadly I don't know of any animal clinics nearby, most vets just handle cats and dogs. The one that offered an x-ray is about a 40 minute drive away. That trip seems feasible, but I only have his tank to transport him in, and getting it down the stairs into a car might be tricky. Sadly I don't know of any other facilities. As stated, the closest zoo/hospital that handles reptiles is way too far away. They still haven't responded to my email, so I'll probably try calling them after I submit this post.
Update: On the phone they urged me to take him to the clinic anyway. Looks like the trip will have to be made.