Leopard Gecko Dragging Her Hind Legs!

Question
It started about 3 days ago and she hasn't eaten a thing since then. I line her cage with newspaper and she has two hides one in the cool end and one on the hot. She drinks bottled water. I keep her cage between 85-90 degrees. She usually eats 3 crickets every other day or 5 mealworms every other day depending on her. What do you think is happening to her?

Answer
Hi Donyetta,There are a couple potential causes of hind leg paralysis that are caused by nutritional deficiencies. The most common one is insufficient calcium and/or vitamin D3 in the diet. Vitamin D3 allows the effective absorption of calcium from the diet so they must be present together. A deficiency will result in softening of the bones, including the vertebrae around the spine which can then put pressure on the spinal cord and cause temporary or permanent paralysis. Calcium and vitamin D3 is usually added to the diet as a powder dusted onto the feeder insects. There are different brands and formulations of vitamin and mineral supplements available for different species and situations. Some are just calcium while others are calcium with vitamin D3 and then there are multivitamin formulas that contain smaller amounts of calcium with D3 and numerous other vitamins as well. If you had not been using a calcium supplement at all or had been using one without D3 then your leopard could be calcium deficient and suffering from what is termed metabolic bone disease.
Thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency will cause hind leg paralysis as well, this is more commonly documented in iguanas. These are just a couple causes that are related to husbandry but there are potential medical causes as well, like infection, tumour, egg-binding or injury. With a serious situation like this a vet exam is really your best option. Prompt treatment can keep the paralysis from being permanent or fatal. This must be very upsetting for you as it sounds like you have put considerable effort into giving her the proper care and set-up. Best of luck with her recovery.