a little annoyed at my gecko

[TWC]

i have had my geckos for three years now. they know when it is feeding time, and they know my face very well. but everytime i try to pick them up, the females always run hiding, and the male actually screams and growls at me. he holds his tale up similar to scoripion. this has been going on for three years now, and i have tried and tried to be able to hold the gecos without a fight. they let my girlfriend hold them with no problem, but for some reason they really dont like me.:main_no: any advice to help me? thanks.

 

[Leopardbreeder]

Some geckos are just mean. With holding them about 20 minutes each night, they should tame down. They aren't really like dogs that know a face. They just get used to being grabbed by a big ugly hand,

 

[acpart]

How are you holding them? Other people have suggested in the past making a little cave with your hands and letting them hang out in there. Maybe you could also have your girlfriend pick one up and put it in your lap so it could crawl around on you and become more accepting.

Aliza

 

[vic13]

We have a similar problem at home :main_rolleyes: . My geckos are perfectly fine when I hold them, different story when my husband tries. He worries about them dropping their tails, dropping them, them running off (it all my fault for telling him to BE CAREFUL!!! every time he getso ne out!) etc etc and I think they know he's worried and take full advantage by making it worse for him :main_laugh:

 

[TWC]

the way i try to hold them is hold out one hand and kind of guide the gecko on to it. thanks for the advice all of you.

 

[moosassah]

Could it be a scent issue? I honestly don't know if they are offended by certain smells. I have noticed a different reaction when I've used strongly scented soaps to wash my hands or had just been cutting onions which seems to linger no matter how much soap you use.

A trick I tried with my boys was to have them run their hands under warm water or rub their hands together to heat them up. Seemed to help some.

In the beginning, I always fed them right after holding them. Like a reward for letting me have a few moments with them.

 

[TWC]

Could it be a scent issue? I honestly don't know if they are offended by certain smells. I have noticed a different reaction when I've used strongly scented soaps to wash my hands or had just been cutting onions which seems to linger no matter how much soap you use.

A trick I tried with my boys was to have them run their hands under warm water or rub their hands together to heat them up. Seemed to help some.

In the beginning, I always fed them right after holding them. Like a reward for letting me have a few moments with them.

that can very well be the problem. i do wash my hands before i touch them, and they might not like the smell. i have been working on slowly putting my hand in, and the male is actually licking my hand and not biting it. but he still turns his head away in a snobby kind of manner.

 

[HepCatMoe]

i would just grab them around the body and make sure you are supporting them from underneat, they need to feel something under their feet. dont worry about giving them too much time.

my fatties get skittish if i (or anybody) tries to slowly pick them up, they will hiss and kind of try to dart away. but if i just grab them and pick them up, they dont seem to care.