Do reptiles have bonds with thier owners?

Maybe it's just me but ethics have nothing to do with "does my gecko love me". Maybe i'm lost on where you're trying to go with that.

He is not going anywhere with it... Hes just being argumentative and trying to discredit what I say by taking the thread off track with rambling nonsense like he normally does when he does not have an answer...

hauseremt said:

Maybe it's just me but ethics have nothing to do with "does my gecko love me". Maybe i'm lost on where you're trying to go with that.

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As am I...

I do find that there is a conditioning that takes place with all animals. As long as there is a sched setup, i think they know when it's feeding time. I do have a gecko that has become more "social". I think that is due to putting her in the rack. After looking back she might have been bullied when in the tank with 3 other females.

Gregg while kinda staying on topic what do you think about personalities in reptiles? Do you think that they have personalities?

The only reason i ask is cause you give such honest and straight answers.

Alright down boys...down.

A lonely person will find love anywhere...even if it's in the presence of a bumble bee. I'm not saying everyone who thinks these geckos love them are lonely, but I know from experience what type of hole these animals can fill in your life. My geckos are cared for WITH love, but I in no way believe they love me...they merely tolerate me. I COULD interpret those googly eyes they make when I shake the feeder bag to mean "ohhhh mommy it's dinner time" but I KNOW BETTER. Yes, I call them my babies (I'm a woman, gimme a break) and baby talk them occasionally...but that does not mean I am going to sew them a little pouch to ride around on my hip in all day, and give them kissies and pet them.

That's about all I'm going to say about that

LeapinLizards said:

A lonely person will find love anywhere...even if it's in the presence of a bumble bee. I'm not saying everyone who thinks these geckos love them are lonely, but I know from experience what type of hole these animals can fill in your life. My geckos are cared for WITH love, but I in no way believe they love me...they merely tolerate me. I COULD interpret those googly eyes they make when I shake the feeder bag to mean "ohhhh mommy it's dinner time" but I KNOW BETTER. Yes, I call them my babies (I'm a woman, gimme a break) and baby talk them occasionally...but that does not mean I am going to sew them a little pouch to ride around on my hip in all day, and give them kissies and pet them.

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Exactly how I feel. Although you gotta admit that a leo pouch WOULD be super cute

OK. I have already asked you to take your debate off the forum and over to the PM system. If this continiues, I will be sending out infractions and closing this thread.

Nigel4less said:

Hush Up Nick.... :main_yes: LOL

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:main_lipsrsealed: I was just kidding

VampyricAngelX said:

I think they come to recognize you as a source of food and end up trusting you if you handle them enough but I don't think they bond with their owners like a cat or a dog would. I do know my geckos will come to my hand alot of the time when I put in in their tank and completely ignored my boyfriend's, so I'm guessing they can remember the "scent" of whoever handles them on a daily basis.

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I AGREE...

My geckos know when i come into there room and usually run out to the front of there cage so i can feed em. if a friend runs over to there cage they will run back in there hide... its really weird but kool at the same time. :main_thumbsup:

So.... I did essentially spend all day with the gecko that I really felt I had a bond with. I mean, we were best buds- almost inseparable. I didn't bring her to school... well, maybe I did a couple times... actually at one point she had a cage in the science class so even at school she was with me... so basically I spent 10+ years of my life attached at the hip to this gecko. I didn't know how good I had it, I really didn't. I miss her a lot even now. She rocked. In a lot of ways I keep leos now as sort of a memorial to her. I wish she was still with me- I have no idea what disease or problem took her from me and there were no vets I could go to. I didn't kiss her, though. Ignoring the hand washing is one thing, putting your lips to the gecko is like saying "ooh! give me salmonella!" at least in my mind.

Maybe the reason a lot of you guys don't believe me, or are dismissive is that you have geckos- plural. It takes a lot of work and attention to get through to a leo- they aren't the sharpest crayons in the box and they aren't naturally all that social- but they CAN communicate- they rattle their tales at each other, wave them, squawk, bark, posture and eye each other. They can prefer the company of other geckos more than some- how many threads on here are about females that refuse to breed to males for no known reason? Or geckos that don't get along and you have no idea why?

When you have a lot of geckos and possibly keep them individually housed in racks, there simply is not the kind of time to get through to an individual to the extent you need to get a bond. Assuming that all leos are capable or inclined towards it (which may not be the case- maybe I got really lucky). I'm not saying keeping them in racks is wrong- of course it's not- they don't have humans with them in the wild. It's maybe a bit depressing to me, that you are keeping them and even wonder if they have individual personalities or not. But if they are handleable and calm, healthy and happy (as much as you can tell) that's great.

They do have their own little personalities, and they are *capable* of bonding, but it might not happen, and of course it's not to the extent of a dog- even if a leo was as smart as a dog and lived in little leo herds, we've spent thousands of years selectively breeding dogs to be our friends. Reptiles are capable of emotion even if they are 'just primitive animal' by our definitions of things. Capable of higher thought? Self-awareness? Sense of mortality? Morality? Almost certainly not. But emotions? That's pretty 'primitive' as well.

I don't really feel a reciprocation from my guys now, even when I only had two. And even though I don't know if my geckos like me, they certainly know me from other people- they are calm on my hand but try to get away from others. Sometimes they seem to want to come out- they focus on me but refuse food. My awesome gecko would actually run towards me, consistently. What more evidence do you want? Or can you really expect?

If you're going to ask the question but then never listen to evidence, even anecdotal evidence... even videotapped evidence- then why bother asking at all?

PS- getting a bit grumpy with people implying that people who think reptiles can bond are lonely people with no social life. All reptile people are a certain kind of strange, no? Glass house, pot kettle and all that... Anyway, regardless on whether they like ME or just tolerate me, I love THEM and think they are super cute and make great pets. If I didn't, I wouldn't have had them basically my whole life. :main_yes:

I believe you, Alusdra. That's really cool.

I wish I had a bond like that with my gecko. I'm not saying that I believe geckos can't bond with their owners - maybe they can. No one really knows for sure. But in most situations, including mine, they tolerate. She uses my body for warmth and associates my hand, expecially when the tweezers are in it, with food. But she seems OBSESSED with my shoulders. She'll do anything to get on it, like, go all Mission: Impossible, and stuff, and once she gets there she just chills... Hmm... No real explanation for that. Maybe it's close to my large arteries, and warmer? Who knows.

Also, I don't think that wanting a bond with a pet makes you lonely, or anything. As social animals humans often seek out bonds, and trust me, geckos are often preferable to human company. Less needy. ^.^ I don't think anyone was really implying that, but it's a possible reason, not an 'always' thing.

I agree with Alusdra-if reptiles are so basic, why do they have different personalities at all? Im already seeing so many differences in my two geckos-same species,two TOTALY different animals. Ive done a lot of work with horses and some ppl say that they also have the same "basic" relation with their human caretakers-but I strongly disagree.Leos might not have all the right equipment to properly display their "emotions" but they do all they are capable of-they recognize you,come to you on sight,appear to enjoy being close to you-like the girl said-what else do you want?

honestly i think they can.
i know im gonna get a lotta flack for my opinion but tyke will come out of his hide to see me when i come into a room.
he will put his front feet on the wall of his aquarium to be picked up.
but belle..she hides. she is not as friendly. she only comes out to see me when she wants food.
i think they can bond with us.
but thats just my opinion

I tend to agree with ariana. I've seen it in my own animals and can't explain it.
Maybe we all just have a different perspective of what "bonding" is?