Jumpy Leo

[Scott&Nikki]

No matter what I do or how far from the ground he is, my leo jumps out of my hand like im torturing him. He seems terrified of me. Not only that, it is almost impossible to get him out of his tank. If I put my hand in there he will run as far away as he can. Because of this, I hate taking him out when I need to clean the tank or when I had to help him with his shed. I feel like I am stressing him out too much. Then when I hear how some love the attention, run up to people, and even sit there for pictures, I wonder if he is ever going to be even close to that. Is it the kind of thing where, as they grow up they start trusting you more? Or is it that they need to be "trained" while they are young?

 

[justin-branam]

how old is your leo? remember that a baby leo has no idea what you are. all they see is something huge that could potentially eat them. All of the babies i have bought have become more and more handleable (if thats a word) as they have aged and realized that i am the one who feeds them. I would say just give your leo time, especially if it is still young.

 

[Scott&Nikki]

Yeah, he is only about 6 weeks old. I just didn't know if it was something that had to be taught young to happen ever. That is how it is with birds and I have had birds my whole life.

 

[Val]

When we've had jumpy young ones, I cup my other hand over the other to make a makeshift hide for them. They usually fall asleep pretty quickly since it's warm, dark and safe, but at the same time I think they get used to being held. It might be worth a shot, hope it works for you!

 

[LadyGecko]

Young babies do look at you for quite some rime as if you are a potential predator
For removing him/her from the cage with less stress you might try gently
scooping him/her into a plastic container with a lid and put that in a secure place while you are cleaning the tank/cage
Placing him/her back into the tank-just put the container inside and tilt it sideways with the lid removed and he/she will crawl back out
Some Leos calm down and sit still for pics and being handled-some are skittish their entire lives and do "the croc roll" every time that they are picked up
I have a giant(which i have found to be more mellow in general) that absolutely hates to be handled
Ms D is a treat to look at but she hates being picked up
Samson-on the other hand would be the one out of all of my Leos that would be most likely to sit still-that is why I love to take pics of him
I'm not chasing him around the desk all of the time that I am tying to get a good pic of him-lol
The easiest way that i have read/heard to get your baby Leo accustomed to you is to just pit your hand in the tank and leave it there and they eventually come out and investigate
this usually leads to the point where they will climb up onto your hand and as they get older/larger and less afraid they will be less likely to take a flying leap off of you
Val-cupping your hands rather than grasping their bodies is a great idea-I would think that it makes them react less like you have a hold of them with intentions of a meal-lol
Patience is the key with working with the young ones and they do take a while to completely settle into their new homes
I think that with time that your baby will be more comfortable with you



Sandy

 

[BalloonzForU]

Also keeping your hand in front of their head like blinders help keeping them from jumping. If you are trying to get it to walk from hand to hand... Try putting the new hand at an upward angle so that it's forces to climb rather than allowing it to run. I find that if you touch their tails in any way the scurry even faster. As you get him/her used to going from hand to hand you can touch the tail ever now and then so that it gets used to having it's tail touched. I've noticed once they let you touch their tails without fleeing they become more docile. Hope this helps.

 

[ReptileMan27]

He is still young, I wouldnt worry about it, just be patient.

 

[Scott&Nikki]

Thank you very much for your advice, everyone! It just frustrates me because I love animals so much that it is almost a tease to only watch it. But of course I respect how they are and I am not going to force anything. Thanks again!

 

[nicolenadia]

yeah the babies are always jumpy...they will fly out of your hand like a circus act. I use a wide glass cup. I gently tap their bums and get the to go in and slowely raise it and let the sit in the cup (in plain view) untill Im done cleaning their box. then I slowely lower the cup and let them run back into their enclosure. They really do chill out as they grow up and especially after they get that your are their food source. I think its good though to get them into the habit of licking your finger to pick up your scent....