Leopard Geckos and Spray Bottles.

[Hankj]

Alright I these two geckos we just picked up were hanging out in their moist hide I provided them (that they hadn't had) and I was leaving for the night and wanted to make sure everything was good for them. I decided to spray their moist hide a little bit with a spray bottle. They male got all defensive and started hissing at me with his mouth wide open and the female even tried to pounce a little bit. I had never seem them hiss before.

Also, a few months ago I watched a video of a young (i think) blizzard (i think) trying to strike at a spray bottle, being sprayed, through glass.

So my question is why do they hate spray bottles so much? Do they distaste water that much? Or is there something in their natural habitat that resembles the spraying action of a spray bottle that they instinctively try to ward off?

 

[Pinky81]

If you were that small would you like to get sprayed with high powered water??? :main_rolleyes: :main_rolleyes:

Also if you think about it the sound a spray bottle makes sounds like a hissing...plus you just got these two they don't have a clue who or WHAT you are and why they are getting pelted with water.

 

[doublet74]

I use a spray bottle with bottled water in it to spray the substrate in my humid hide. Havnt had her attack it yet. But Im also not assaulting her with it. JK

 

[fl_orchidslave]

I like small cosmetic spray bottles. They have a fine mist and quiet trigger. All my animals get accustomed to seeing the bottle (even if they can't see purple, yellow, green, or pink) and it doesn't bother them. $1.00 at walmart.

 

[im faster]

Yeah its just something they arent used to..

most will eventually get used to it..

 

[SDCowboy]

Yeah its just something they arent used to..

most will eventually get used to it..

Yep. Mine would freak when I'd spray her hide early on and get super defensive. Now she doesn't even budge or care.

 

[blueappal]

I like small cosmetic spray bottles. They have a fine mist and quiet trigger. All my animals get accustomed to seeing the bottle (even if they can't see purple, yellow, green, or pink) and it doesn't bother them. $1.00 at walmart.

I use the same type of spray bottle. I used to have one of these that I spent around $6 on:

I probably should have taken it back, but I was too lazy. The trigger leaked from the first use and I could never spray at an angle. So I bought one of those cosmetic jobs from Wal-Mart or Meijer (can't remember which) and I may have paid $2 for.

It doesn't make the hissing sound and never leaks.

 

[OnlineGeckos]

Mine are fine if I don't spray directly on them. But they don't quite like the feeling of water, and tend to get startled when the mist hit their backs.

 

[PaladinGirl]

I never mist Toon's moist hide when she's in it, I wait until she comes out at night. I do mist my fat tail's moist hide because it dries out faster, plus he spends much of his time in it. I try not to spray him directly because it pisses him off. He holds his tail up, and he did hiss at me when I first brought him home because he was shedding and I was trying to help him out. Something funny about being hissed at by a 3 inch long lizard lol!

 

[Adinar]

Yeah, I take my guys out of the hide before spraying. They don't like being sprayed in the face. lol I generally take them out and put them up on my shoulder, spray it down quick, then put them back in their tank. Then again they are used to this, so I wouldn't suggest doing this with a new animal. You might end up with flying gecko that will take off running the second it hits the floor or an injured animal. I usually sit at my computer desk and let them sit with me like that, they get used to it.

 

[UnDeRtOw00]

hmmm...my geckos actually like getting misted...i often spray a little mist into the air and let it settle on them after spraying the moist hide...9 times out of 10 if they are laying with only their heads out of their hides and they feel that mist...they come out for more and they seem to enjoy it.
key is not spraying at them..but misting up and letting the mist settle on them.

 

[Hankj]

Hahaha I had one of those Exo Terra bottles and it busted on me also. I now use one from meijer. I didn't think twice about spraying the water directly on them, my other gecko doesn't seem to mind, she likes to like it off the sides some times. They were calm right afterwards. I held them immediately to make sure they didn't hate me.

 

[Hankj]

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=234774753217710

Idk if you guys can view this, but I think you can.

*I took this right after the first time he hissed at me, before this thread was made, just to make sure he was really hissing at the spray bottle. I have not been spraying them over and over again to set them off.*

Although, I did just put the spray bottle up to him, and didn't spray it, just to see if it would set him off. He didn't hiss at it but you could tell he was getting excited, the skin under his chin was moving extra fast

 

[chiefyellowshirt]

My two love it when I use the spray bottle, the will search it out preen their little heads up.

 

[PaladinGirl]

Hmm, it looks like you're spraying right into their faces. Maybe try it from above and see if that makes a difference, or just wait until they're out of the hide. Maybe they'd get used to it that way. A few times I tried "mystic tanning", where you stand in a booth and these mister things spray you down with self tanning lotion stuff. Even though I was prepared for it, it still freaked me out. Maybe that's how your geckos feel about it right now

 

[Pinky81]

I'd hiss at you too if you sprayed that in my face like that...just sayin

 

[Hankj]

I know I know, I am terrible. Won't be doing it again. That time was for educational purposes.