Handling Geckos

[NickBoudin]

Well, my gecko's almost 3 months or 4 old, and i want to learn the best way to be able to take him out, and handle him. What's the best way to come about this? I'd like to be able to hand feed him, and I'd very much enjoy it if he wasnt afraid of me.


Any feedback/comments/suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks!

Here's a quick picture of him, inside his humid hide! (i took the cover off to add some water, to my surprise he was in there intead of the dry hide ) ((also, that's Sphagnum moss))

 

[Leopardbreeder]

Why do you want to hand feed him? That is reservered for sick and anorexic geckos. Just lay your hand in front of him and let him lick it and walk on it. Do this a few minutes a night, and after a week, when he walks on your hand close your hand and gently hold him.

 

[NickBoudin]

because i think that it would be awesome if he ate right from my hand, and wasnt afriad of me.


not to the point were he relys solemnly on me handfeeding him, but yeah.

 

[Nigel4less]

Why do you want to hand feed him? That is reservered for sick and anorexic geckos. Just lay your hand in front of him and let him lick it and walk on it. Do this a few minutes a night, and after a week, when he walks on your hand close your hand and gently hold him.

:main_huh: I hand feed my geckos all the time, how is that right reserved just for Sick and Dying geckos? I think if you hand feed him once in a while he wont become dependent on you. I hand feed my geckos when I have free time makes the experience more fun :main_thumbsup:

 

[CSgecko]

some of my geckos wont eat from my hand but dont mind me holdin them. They just wont come to me. One of my geckos eats from my hand and its reely cool. She'll still eat from a dish. Just make sure u dont do it every night like sed so she doesnt become dependent on ur hand to feed itself.

 

[Leopardbreeder]

I thought he meant with a syringe. I do that with waxies.

 

[Stitch]

Hand feeding is a neat experience if they will do it. I try to only hand feed treat items like wax worms, I don't want the gecko to become dependent on me feeding them. Not to mention I have way too many geckos to do hand feedings.

As mentioned just sit your hand in the cage for a few minutes each night until the gecko is accustomed to you. This will help with handling and the trust of hand feeding.

 

[MichaelJ]

i hand feed all of our juves at least 1 once a week to get them used to being handled and to human hands; in preparation for being someone's pet or breeder..

some are more willing than others but if you catch them early most will come around.. I'd work on the handling first and once trust is built you can try feeding..

 

[NickBoudin]

Thanks guys, i appreciate it!

I usualy take him out, and handle him a bit before feeding, and then he'd just run away, but now he sticks around, and sits at the edge, awaiting his meal.

here's another pic of my guy (or girl )

 

[ReptileMan27]

Their is nothing wrong with hand feeding, I have done it for many years

 

[NickBoudin]

it's been a while since i posted this, and obviously my gecko has gotten older, and i've been trying hand feeding every night. he still seems very scared when i slide the glass dorr open to his cage, but when i have the mealworm in my hand he wont touch it, and turns his head, but if i put it on the ground infront of him, he'll eat it.

Any ideas on how to get him to just be com, and realise i'm the god who brings him food every day?

 

[Stitch]

I would suggest to just keep working with him. In the end you just need to say to yourself that he's not going to change and just deal with having a nice happy healthy leo.

 

[rhino43grr]

my leo let me pick him up for the first time since i put him in the big tank and crawled around on my arm until i decided to put him back in. he let me move him from his little cup into the tupperware box and then into the tank the first day i brought him home (i don't blame him, that cup looked kinda cramped) he didn't know what to do when i held a mealie for him though, just looked at it, but maybe he's not hungry since he ate so much the last two nights and hasn't really eaten any of the mealies in his dish either.

 

[rhino43grr]

i'm hoping he calms down a little bit, i was holding him tonight and he kept looking like he wanted to make a leap for it and was trying to crawl over my hand and perch right on my finger so i put him back in his safe little tank.

 

[NickBoudin]

I've had mine jump from a high height without thinking twice, so be carefull about that

 

[rhino43grr]

is it unusual for them to get skittish all of a sudden if you aren't handling them every night? i went a couple days without handling and now he's hiding all the time and just goes into his other hide when i pull the lid off the humid hide to check on him...

 

[Stitch]

Perhaps he just doesn't want to be handled. I don't think it's anything to worry about.

 

[rhino43grr]

yeah, i try not to get too stressed out over it, i was just a little worried because prior to this past weekend i would see him eating just about every night when i was sitting in the room with his tank in it (which is also the computer room) but i haven't seen him eat since about a week ago. i'm sure he's fine and everything but the behavior change just made me curious about whether it was something i did to cause it or if he was just doing what he felt like doing...