gecko scared of me!!

[ej4me25]

I have a baby leo (about 5 inches or so) and he is super healthy and eating as many mealworms as I keep giving him...He is curious and wonders about his tank but not so much when I am in the room...I catch him when I come back into my room from doing something else and see him exploring his cold side and such, then when he notices me in the room he goes straight for his warm hide...every time!! I hardly see him but maybe an hour or 2 each day!! is this normal will he grow out of this once he gets older, or are some leo's just really reclusive animals??

 

[clarkee_04]

Depending on how long you've had him he should start to get used to you

 

[corvettefan]

Handling is key, pick him/her up, let your gecko see/smell/taste/get used to your hands, don't be scared either. I used to be scared that I would hurt my geckos when I picked them up, but they're fine now. Well, I should say one is. The other thinks my hands = food, so I don't handle her too much.

 

[ej4me25]

ya I have been handling him a few times a week..but the little guy is downright reckless when I handle him..He will just attempt to leap out of my hands to anything that is closeby even thought he is a good 5 feet in the air!! and he is much quicker than any gecko I have had in the past..Don't think that it is a bad thing though, just have to let him grow up I guess...

 

[sleepyjones]

Handling is key, pick him/her up,

I don't agree with that, picking the gecko up (if you mean reaching in and grabbing him) will cause undue stress and should be avoided. It would also explain why he's so desperate to get away from you when you do pick him up.

How do you feed him?

What I would do, personally, is approach the tank slowly, once or twice a day and just look in. The wee guy will get used to you and that movement and after a couple of days should no longer see that as a threat.
After doing that for a couple of days, I'd move on a step further and open the tank. After a couple of days of doing that I'd place my hand in (this stage will probably take longer), and just leave your hand in the cage until you get cramp, or your arm gets sore. With any luck, a bit or patience and a lot of perseverance he should become inquisitive about your hand ... eventually he should just walk on quite happily.

It's a bit of a lengthy process, but its the best way to do it without causing the animal undue stress.

 

[little98dime]

i did that and mine seems to understand that my arm means either food or escape,.... needless to say I have had to chase her down once or twice...

 

[ej4me25]

U mean just put my hand in there while he is sleeping in his rockhouse?? I would be there for hours!! and I do do that while he is out and about and he tends to bail back to his rock mansion..he has been better lately though and not as quick to hide..I don't see any signs of my gecko being stressed out when I do hold him..he seems to enjoy exploring new areas outside of his tank..just the initial grab out of the tank can be a bit scary for him. I feel holding him for 15-20 mins a few times a week will help him become more tame and docile...

 

[little98dime]

No. They mean do it when they are awake. Let them see your hand. Move your finger every now and then to keep their attention. They will get curious and come to see what it is and lick your hand. After a while they will get comfortable with your hand and associate it with you. Mine is so comfortable with me that she tries to climb my arm when I put food in her cage. Just takes time. Keep your hand in there until you can't anymore.

 

[sleepyjones]

I don't see any signs of my gecko being stressed out when I do hold him

ahem ...

..but the little guy is downright reckless when I handle him..He will just attempt to leap out of my hands to anything that is closeby even thought he is a good 5 feet in the air!!

Not to mention

just the initial grab out of the tank can be a bit scary for him.

If you acknowledge that you scare him when you "grab" him, why do you continue to do it?. The wee guy doesn't sound as if he likes to be handled ... and I think your going the wrong way about it if your trying to get him used to being handled.
Compare it to when you were a kid, you didn't like sprouts, or you didn't like vegetables, your parents will do the whole "Your not leaving the table untill it's eaten" type thing, you just grow to resent the thing, and the chances are you still won't eat sprouts or vegetables.

It's kind of the same thing, forcing someone / something to do something it doesn't want to do, or doesn't like isn't the way to get them to want to do it, or like doing it.

If he likes coming out of the tank and exploring, as you say, then he should have no problem walking onto your hand to do that exploring. The poor guys probably scared to hell by your hand as every time he sees it it grabs him.

By doing the hand in the tank thing, he'll start to realise that the hands not always going to grab him, you just need to persevere and be patient, you'll get it nailed, you'll be happier and your gecko will definitely be happier.