bent gecko leg

Question
hi pam

my teenage daughter has 2 leopard geckos.1 male,1 female-both 1-2yrs old.while watching them yesterday for my daughter while she was cleaning the cage,i noticed that the females leg is bent at the ankle.apparently she has been like this for about 2wks.she is off her food but my daughter tells me this is not that unusual as apparently she gets too much attention from the male and my daughter plans to get another female to remedy this problem.however i would appreciate your advice re her ankle.is it possible it is broken?could we treat it ourselves or would you advise a vet looking at it?many thanks

Answer
 Any swelling or deformity should be seen by a vet.  If the male is bothering her she should get temporary separate housing till she heals to prevent further injury.  Poor girl is probably stressed and in pain so of course she's not eating.  I she gets another female, she should quarantine her for 60 days before introduction.  Inroduce only with supervision, as most reptiles are territorial, even females.