An Unhappy Gecko Moment

[ShelbyLu]

Hey everyone!

I'm new here and new to reptile care. I LOVE them and we're doing our research and making sure that we provide our little guys with the best care possible.

We have two geckos, we're not sure how old them are, we want to measure them and make an educated guess, but I'm sure they're just a couple of months old. Little guys and either not old enough to determine their sex yet or if they are then they are most likely both female.

I don't know enough yet about the different types of leos to tell you what they are, but one is a beautiful albino.

Here is the unfortunate situation we had today. My daughter had her gecko, the one that is the albino that shares the name Sweety and Pinky. The gecko made a huge leap out of her hands for the counter top. It hit the counter top and then fell to the floor. It was terrifying for me.

I carefully scooped her up and cupped her gently and walked her back to her tank. Along the way, she opened her jaws and did her best to bite me as hard as she can. (Which didn't hurt at all.) I quickly put her back into her tank because I figured this would be the most calming environment for her.

I also had my husband come up and he lifted her hide up so we could see her and she was very defensive and hostile and was afraid of being picked up, which we had no intention of doing.

She seems to be moving fine. She crawled up to hide in her shedding house. I'm just worried, can Leo's handle a fall like that pretty well? She landed on her feet. I know she only bit me because she was scared and panicking. But I feel really bad that she had that negative of an experience.

Our pets are like our family members are we take responsibility and care of them very seriously. My daughter now knows to never hold her standing without cupping her. My question really is just what should I look for as signs of a problem with her from the fall.

I'm reading up on how long it takes for geckos to warm up to being handled, etc. My gecko seems to be a lot more mellow and more okay with handling. We've only had them for less than two weeks so far. I'll post pictures in the gallery.

We also just purchased two beardies and we love them so much too!

Thanks in advance. I know I'm a newbie and before I start asking a ton of questions I am trying to do a bunch of research first so that I don't bug you with questions I can get the answers to by doing research. I just feel a little nervous with this incident.

~Shelby

 

[Tongue Flicker]

Hey shelby welcome aboard!

 

[LepoInc]

It can take a few weeks, even longer, for a gecko to be completely comfortable with being handled. Some never warm up to the idea of it. Just give her time to calm down and get used to her environment.

Sent via Tapatalk whilst caring for Eublepharis macularis'

 

[acpart]

They are usually fine after a fall like that. Give her a few days to calm down and then suggest that the kids handle the geckos over something like a large box. Enjoy them.

Aliza

 

[Phantom240]

If its moving about without any signs of disability, that's usually a good sign (from what I've read). I'd keep an eye on the little bugger for the next few days to make sure there's no swelling or signs of internal bleeding. The defensive behavior is completely understandable after any amount of trauma, much less falling from a few feet onto (what I assume was) a hard surface like that.

 

[ShelbyLu]

Thanks guys!

I think she's fine, but I'm keeping my eye on her. She is a feisty little bugger. She likes to make giant leaps like that. We always have to take care when handling her. Our geckos are funny because we're like "OH we love you, let me hold you and pet you and love you." And they're like "WTH? Get your hands off me! Run away! Run away!"

We're just waiting for stockholm syndrome to set in so that they love us too!

I'll keep you posted.

~Shelby

 

[Phantom240]

lol well that's a reptile for you