Very Aggresive Male Gecko-Not Sure What To Do

[LizzyKoalaBear]

I have a male Leo who is very aggressive when it comes to anyone or anything. I had a female with him but he almost killed her and so they are now separated but whenever I put my hand in to pick him up he tries to bite me. I have had him for about a year and I am not completely sure how old because I got him from a big name pet store but is this normal? I have picked him up almost every day since I got him and he has been pretty sweet up until two or so days ago. Is there anything I can/should do? And will it stop?

 

[Ozy]

Is he getting enough to eat? And also, if he's trying to bite you and stuff, he wants to be left alone.. So.. LEAVE HIM ALONE! My girl Ozy doesn't like being handled at all. She never has tried to bite me or acts like she's going to bite me though. She usually just waves her tail at me and chews me out.. LOL! As long as he is eating and pooping and all is well other than he's being grumpy, just leave him alone. He also might be getting ready to shed. So... There's the solution to your problem. Just leave him alone.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Yeah I would leave him alone and try to minimize contact. Maybe post some info about how you're housing him? There could be something in his environment that's making him feel insecure enough to make him unusually defensive/aggressive.

Personally I wouldn't be breeding an animal with an obvious personality flaw as the nasty streak may transfer to his offspring. If they try to bite people you may be hard pressed to find homes for them.

 

[B&B Geckos]

Make sure your temperature is in the desirable range..if not they can become irritable. It's only been going on for a couple of dys...it might be something temporary such as shedding, as Sara mentioned. Don't reward him by backing off...easier with a baby who's bite is painless. But it's only been 2 dys. Leave it alone him a clouple of days and try again.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

He very well might be getting ready to shed. Or maybe he's irritable because you put a (presumably) non-ovulating female in with him; geckos don't like others, and some dislike them more than others. It's very stressful for some.

Don't reward him by backing off...

I don't believe geckos are advanced enough to recognise such long-term operant conditioning that, if they act irritable, the person won't handle them anymore, so they need to keep doing it to prevent the person handling them ever. Also, if not handling is such a good thing for the gecko that it's a "reward," why keep doing it?

~Maggot

 

[LizzyKoalaBear]

Well I switched up his environment and started to feed him more and he has calmed down a lot. I also separated the two a long time ago because he almost killed my girl. Thanks for the help. It actually helped a lot