Handling young leos

[scorpioleah]

i have a new baby leo, about 6-8 weeks old, and i know when they are young they hiss and bite anything that comes near them...i was wondering what age can you start picking them up, i want to make sure he/she is as tame as can be...although it will probs happen i kinda dont want to be biten lol

 

[Ccrashca069]

I start handling mine right away from day 1. That way when I sell them they are used to being handled. Just a couple minutes a day and slowly increase the time.

 

[fallen_angel]

We do the same

 

[Bodon]

i didnt even touch mine until it was about 6 months old. It got more and more used to me being around until it wasnt afraid anymore, then it got used to my hands being in the tank, for cleaning or feeding or whatever and one day i just stuck my hand in and she walked on and crawled around and i held her and let her walk from hand to hand. Since then i could handle her just fine, she has never hissed and she has never bitten me.

 

[Greyscale_Geckos]

The geckos I work with at my job are handled from a young age. We limit the handling to brief sits in our hands while examining them daily, and then slowly increase it to longer times out of the cage.

I think you can start at any age, but only handle in moderation for one so young.

 

[SleepyDee]

I start handling mine right away from day 1. That way when I sell them they are used to being handled. Just a couple minutes a day and slowly increase the time.

:main_yes: that's what I do ~ by the time they go to new homes they are more relaxed and not so skittish

 

[scorpioleah]

thanks everyone. mine isnt skittish...everytime she sees me she acts like she stalking me, as if she wants to eat me like she does with a cricket....shes well fed so she cant be hungry...altho i have to admit iam nervous about the first time i try to touch....maybe i will start with just putting my hand in and hope for the best lol

 

[Rich Of The U.K]

A good way to start is by hand feeding... the bite isnt really a bite and you hardly feel anything apart from a slight touch on your hand...


Regards, Rich...

 

[popcikle]

My gecko will be handled, but would rather run and wiggles a lot. :\

 

[karls-geckos]

just slowly put your hand under her and pick her up, and keep her in your hand in the tank for a minute till you get used to her movements incase she jumps and stuff. i have 5 and 2 are skittish and ive never been bit and i pick em up everyday. just stay calm and do it, after the first time it will be easy for you ! just do it !@!!!!!

 

[geckoqueen]

Geckos

I felt the same way yesterday. My baby leo was stalking my hand like food and yea it scared me to. I read the bite does not hurt so if you get bit, it's not going to hurt you, but yea I agree it is scary the first time. I yet to let my gecko get near my hand but I must show I trust her first, so I'm going to do it. :main_thumbsup: Even if I do get bit. However he or she will find out soon enough my hand is not a worm. LOL. I did put some gloves on because I was that scared and my gecko licked my glove.

 

[scorpioleah]

lol i think its the whole not knowing how are they going to react thing. and im not scared to get biten by him/her...its the not knowing when its going to happen when my hand is in there..the suspense of it all lol

so today i put my hand in there, and just let him/her walk around it, didnt take to much interest in my hand really. im going keep putting my hand in there everyday so she/he is used to it and then i will attempt to put my hand closer and pick her/him up.

 

[Euphoric]

I had a really bad experience with a fat tailed gecko while I was working at a petstore. I had picked her up like I have done with many of lizards before trying to show her to a customer and she just bit me hard...She let go but my hand was bleeding!
There was kids with the customer so I didn't want them to see so I put my hand behind my back. By the time the left my shirt had a HUGE bloodstain. It was crazy. I even have a tiny scar on my finger. I never expected it. I have never been bitten from a reptile before.
So every time I handle a gecko I am just uber cautious...
My large female is no problem but my small albino is. She hates being handled and will even jump away.
I try to do my best in hopes she will be friendlier in the future!

Oh, and to top it all off, once I got attacked by a hermit crab that for no reason clamped on to the skin between your tumb and finger for a painful 15 mins. My hand swelled up and I even cried. The people still bought the crab. I have never handled one since.

 

[barbiegirl]

Baby leos don't hurt when they bite. My first babies i hatched hissed and bit me. I screamed and jumped but it didn't hurt just startled me. The one in my avatar was the one that bit me. I handle her every day and she hasn't bit or hissed at me since. Just go a little at a time. Put your hand in and let your gecko get used to your hand being in there. I usually handle my babies before I feed them so they see my hand and think food is coming, so its a good experience.

 

[jaredm3624]

I guess I've been lucky so far. Neither of my geckos hiss at me although my newest one that is about 2 months old is still a little skittish. I've almost got bit once but only because I tried to move a cricket closer to my gecko so she could see it, and then she went for it while my finger was still there. close call, but nothing to worry about.

 

[Stitchex]

I've only gotten bit once, by this guy:

It was about four months ago though, so he wasn't that big. I was moving a mealworm away from the wall and he mistook my finger for the mealie. It didn't hurt at all. Good luck with your Leo^^

 

[scorpioleah]

i've been handling him atlast lol!

i put a toilet roll into his cage and directed him into it, then picked it up and put it next to my hand, and he walked out and onto my hand....thats the only way i would do it lol i didnt want to pick him up for the first time with my hands lol he was fine just walking on my hands....and now a couple weeks on im picking him up everyday (with my hands! lol) hes getting really tame...altho there are days he just wants to go back into his cage lol

thanks for all your advice and stories everyone!

 

[fallen_angel]

Our male mack snow bites me ALL of the time!! Literally, almost any time my hands are in the cage.. I find it humorous really, just because he is housed with two other females and it's as if he is protecting them. His bites never hurt or anything either, and he really is a gentle giant once he realizes that I'm not going to hurt his ladies

 

[Gecko Euphoria]

be careful warning

my good friend John byer whos a new member had a bad exeriance, his 1200 dollar urban sunglow clamped down on his hand unexpected and his reaction was to naturally jerk his hand away well the gecko went flyingand hit the floor. Next day the geckos tail was laying in its tub and about week later she died. so if one bites you try to stay calm even though its a shock it only hurts you for a minute but can be devistating to the gecko, needless to say it was very traggick

i have a new baby leo, about 6-8 weeks old, and i know when they are young they hiss and bite anything that comes near them...i was wondering what age can you start picking them up, i want to make sure he/she is as tame as can be...although it will probs happen i kinda dont want to be biten lol

 

[RepBex]

i have had Hook my shop bought one(Hook) for 3 weeks and my one from the breeder(Speedy) for 2 weeks today attualy


welll Hook will walk over my hand if i put it in the way and allows me to lift him so far before he wants off

speedy is fine once you get him on ur hand he will sit there and lick u and just watch u lol

it dont take long really

Speedy is about 4 months old and Hook not far behind