Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi I have a 3 week old baby leo that has deformed front legs.
He walks on his elbows and squints his tiny eyes alot. I have been trying to feed him a mix of miner-all and protein powder in lukewarm water through a small dropper(I put the drops on his nose). I have been doing this a couple of times a day, but he does not look like he is drinking much. He is half-way through his fist shed (it is taking him much longer because he can't walk corectly)so I have been keeping him on damp paper towles to help this process. I wanted to know if anyone here knows a way to get him to eat more (he can't even catch tiny crickets without their legs right now).Any help would be great.

You could try to hand feed him.

Get some turkey or chicken baby food. Gerber makes a kind that doesn't have anything besides cornstarch. Then heat it till it is room temprature(do NOT over heat) it may change consisincy. Mix in a little bit of calcium and water if it is to thick. Then drop some on his nose. If it licks it than give it a little more until it doesn't seem intreasted. Try to give it plain water. Than leave it alone! Do this 2-3 times a day. I have saved lives with this method. just remember do not keep pestering it. The best thing is to leave it alone after you feed it. And make sure it;s temps are good. Also if it doesn't seem intreasted in food after a few drops than don't force it to eat.

If you have any more quetions just ask and PLEASE keep us/me updated.

Best wishes,
Rachel
-----
To see more of my pictures...

This is my "BABY"....

You mention trying several things. Have you tried mealworms? They're easy to find in pet stores, easy to breed, cheaper than crickets, and nutritious. When freshly shed (white or very light in color), they are easy to digest and should be a lot easier to catch than mealworms, especially if they're in a small dish. If you can get this little guy to take mealies from a dish, he'll be a whole lot easier to care for and easier to find a home for too.

You mention him squinting a lot too. My albinos do this and it helps if I keep the lights down low when feeding them.

Keep an eye on the skin of the area he walks on. If it begins to develop sores, I would think seriously about putting him down.

Good luck with this little one. Hope he makes it!

Andrea A.
p.s. - an addendum for others more than for you - please do NOT allow any malformed leos to breed. It leads to heartbreak too easily, even if the first generation looks ok.

-----
Andrea A.