broken front left leg

Question
hi there, i purchased a adolescent leopard gecko from a local pet shoppe that had been there for several weeks, it appeared to be underfed and hadn't been cared for very well.  I bought her because i felt very bad for her and wanted to get her healthy.  When i got her home she was being kind of hard to handle and dropped from one of my hands to the other one, about 3 inches of a drop at the most and her tiny left leg broke!  I think that she must have not ever had any calcium supplementation of any kind.  I called a couple veterinary clinics here and they said that they really couldn't do anything about splinting her leg, and that most likely her skin would come off from the tape.  I am just wondering what to do?  I've been giving her plant of food and calcium and she seems happy but the arm is slightly swollen still. it seems to be getting a little better. any advice? thanks, Jake G.

Answer
Hi Jake,

There is a method of splinting small limbs that is used for birds but frankly I suspect that the best approach is to let it heal on its own. There are the dangers of causing further tissue injury or cutting off the circulation from attempting to splint the limb. Trying to keep her movement down by offering mealworms and waxworms instead of crickets and obviously, handling her as little as necessary are probably the best things you can do for her. You are on the right track with giving her extra supplements.
The splinting technique uses a small piece of drinking straw (the larger diameter size) which is then split lengthwise. Slipping this over the affected limb, making sure it is not too snug or cuts into the tissue above or below the injury can provide support to the area.