Bit me

[Gragar]

my leo tried to bite me today, he got my fingernail so of course it didnt hurt but its my first leo and i got him like a week ago
ive been trying to build trust with him and it was working great until this
so what should i do now?

 

[Skeeter]

I say do continue stroking him for a couple days for like 5 minutes every couple hours but don't try and pick him up for a few days, looks like you gotta build some trust again

 

[snakegirl]

maybe i would try not even touching him. but letting him see you put your hand down. and wait till he walks up to your hand. he might then see the *the huge hawk like claws..is not a insane monster..but just you being nice* he might even walk on your hand. just don't try moving your hand just let him do his own thing. good luck. ( :

 

[mmain1]

I have the exact same scenario. I have had leos in the past, but none have ever hissed or snapped at me. For a couple of days I would remove his hide spot and then mill around in the tank so he could get used to my hands. Today I decided to take the domination approach and I herded him to a corner and gently cupped my hand around his body. I picked him up and held my hands still. For about 15-20 seconds he sat still then wriggled his way back out of my hands. I may be moving too fast, he just snapped at me a couple of days ago. But today seemed to be progress. No hissing or snapping...

 

[LeapinLizards]

It's human nature to be upset or fearful of something that has bit at us. It's very hard to instead take a stand and not let yourself be fearful. I would continue to handle the gecko, gently of course, and it will eventually realize that you are not something to be feared.

Same concept with dogs. If they nip at you, instead of running away you reprimand them. Not like you can spank a gecko LOL, but you get the idea. Just do not let a little nip get you down! Instead, try to understand what made him do that..had you been handling him a lot? Was it around feeding time? Did you startle him? etc...

 

[Gragar]

It's human nature to be upset or fearful of something that has bit at us. It's very hard to instead take a stand and not let yourself be fearful. I would continue to handle the gecko, gently of course, and it will eventually realize that you are not something to be feared.

Same concept with dogs. If they nip at you, instead of running away you reprimand them. Not like you can spank a gecko LOL, but you get the idea. Just do not let a little nip get you down! Instead, try to understand what made him do that..had you been handling him a lot? Was it around feeding time? Did you startle him? etc...

well my finger was dangling by itself so he prob thought it was a big mealie haha
he just crawled over my hand and he let me stroke him again so i guess its still good
im still yet to hold him though
thanks!

 

[fOOlsgOld]

LoL the other day we had Beau out and walking around on the bed. I had her in my hand and my daughter put her hand in front of mine so she could walk forward into her hand. I'm not sure if it was a yawn or a really slow bite lol but she opened up her mouth as my daughter was moving her hand closer and closed it on the side of my daughters finger. She said it didn't hurt and Beau immediately walked onto her hand so I don't think it was an actual bite but who knows lol. Just keep working with your gecko. Be gentle and move your hand slowly when you are around it. It's worked for us.

 

[Untide]

my most tame gecko will take a chomp out of me every now and then. I am not sure why he just wants to show me who's boss I guess, yet he is the only gecko I feel comfortable taking outside his cage for long periods at a time.

 

[nats]

Mine rarely try to bit, and when they do, I think it's because they are confused and think I'm a worm

 

[GatorGirl286]

i think no matter how tame they are, sometimes they just don't want to be handled at that moment or don't want you touching them in that particular way (just like humans). we all have things we like/enjoy/tolerate, but not every second of the day.

 

[tyler19]

The hissing noises are what scare me the most but the bite its self is quite pitiful. its scary but dont pull back. my female is being such a brat, she squeaks and moans every time i pick her up and im afraid shes going to bite me but she needs to learn.

 

[nats]

Yeah, your natural reflex is to jerk back, but that may actualy scare the crap out of your leo.
Their bite does not hurt. I got used to it by hand feeding waxies in the palm of my hand. Sometimes, they miss and clamp down on my hand, so they are not bitting because they are affraid and trying to defend themselves.

A really mad (scared) adult leo can bite hard enough to draw blood, but it still does not hurt much.
When they get that mad, they will let you know before they bite.

 

[Untide]

I don't think a leo can draw blood. Pictures or it's not true.

 

[froggz]

My hubby got nipped by one of my smallest. He was however wiggling an outstretched finger at Beanie. Beanie assumed he had a nummy and went for it. lol. His ego was bruised worse than his finger from the "attack." My uncontrollable fit of laughter didnt help lol.

Wiggling anythings mean possible food. I'm sure thats what your lil one was going for instead of trying to hurt you.

 

[nats]

I don't think a leo can draw blood. Pictures or it's not true.

I have seen pictures, otherwise, I would not have believed it either

 

[Bennayboi]

My leo has latched on to my fingering thinking it was a worm and it hardly felt like sand paper. You need to have VERY thin skin and put some effort into getting bit in order for a leo to draw blood.

 

[cocogecko]

adult geckos can draw blood.One time, when my gecko was shedding I touched her and she got angry.She bit me and started shaking alot and my finger bled.:main_no:

 

[jmlslayer]

my only gecko that has tried and succeeded in biting was my new blizzard het RW it is a lil meany lol but it is only 5 grams

 

[kchafchak]

Mine never bit but i assume moving your finger or wiggling it in front of them not relizing and specially if you touching food and havent watched your hands they my be thinking ur feeding them and snap thinking your food.

 

[nats]

My leo has latched on to my fingering thinking it was a worm and it hardly felt like sand paper. You need to have VERY thin skin and put some effort into getting bit in order for a leo to draw blood.

Nope.
A large adult leo can give a nasty bite.
I have never been badly bitten myself either, but I know folks who have.
I bet if you did a search for "leo bite" on this forum, you would probably
find some examples.
Someone posted some pics of leo teeth a few months ago. If I find it, I
will paste it on this thread.
They have small, but very sharp ones, and when they get to a large size, their jaw mussels are pretty strong.