Wanted to know if this behavior is normal...

ljg990

New Member
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11
I’ve had my gecko Opie for a week now, not sure how old he is but he’s small...I’ll attach some pics. Anyway, he is verrrrry scared of me and my girlfriend. Any movement we make will prompt him to run into his warm hide. He eats very good, never leaves anything in his bowl. I’ve been feeding him 8-10 mealworms a day, he eats them pretty quickly and he poops once a night. Everything seems fine on that front. But, I am worried about how scared he is of me and the fact that he doesn’t explore much at all, he comes out to eat and then usually just hangs out in his warm hide most of the time. He will occasionally come out to stare at us as well lol. I just want to make sure this is all normal behavior, and what I should be doing to get him more comfortable with us. I have never had a leopard gecko before, or a reptile actually. I’d really appreciate any tips and advice from all of you. Thanks.
 

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acpart

Geck-cessories
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Somerville, MA
Congrats on your new gecko. This is pretty normal behavior for a juvenile. Many leopard geckos are pretty lazy, come out to eat and then you don't see much of them. Many of them get calmer and are out more when they get older; some don't. I had a leoapard gecko for over 10 years that I named Cameo because she only made "cameo" appearances.

Aliza
 

ljg990

New Member
Messages
11
Congrats on your new gecko. This is pretty normal behavior for a juvenile. Many leopard geckos are pretty lazy, come out to eat and then you don't see much of them. Many of them get calmer and are out more when they get older; some don't. I had a leoapard gecko for over 10 years that I named Cameo because she only made "cameo" appearances.

Aliza
Thank you! Okay, cool just wanted to make sure this is normal. As far as handling, what would you recommend I do to make them more comfortable with me? Just for when I have to clean the tank, etc?
 

acpart

Geck-cessories
Staff member
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15,119
Location
Somerville, MA
Once it's had a chance to settle in and is eating, I don't think there's anything wrong with holding it for a few minutes each day, though others may disagree. If you can scoop it up from the bottom instead of grabbing him from above, that would be best so it doesn't feel like a large predator is carrying it off. Make a little cave with your hands and let the gecko sit in there where it can feel safe.

Aliza
 

helfrichj

New Member
Messages
29
I rescued my gecko about a year ago from someone, and I got him when he was an older jeuvenile to young adult. After a year he is still pretty relectant to let me pick him up, but has gotten better. I reccomend holding them every other day or so for a short period of time. Also, feeding is a very positive experience for them, so when they start eating, put the insects (dusted of course) into a dish held up by your hand. This makes them more comfortable with your hand, and more reluctant to be picked up in the long run.
 

ljg990

New Member
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11
Good idea, I have been feeding him with the tongs lately, at least a couple worms. Then, I tried putting the worm in my hand to see if he’d eat it that way but he wanted no part of it lol. I’ll keep trying
 

ljg990

New Member
Messages
11
Quick update: Opie is much more comfortable with us now, he actually climbed on my hand by himself the other day, I couldn’t believe it. Just by looking at him, would it be possible to tell how old he is? Thanks.
 

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ljg990

New Member
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He’s been wanting to come out of his tank at night, and he just hangs out on my hands and watches TV lol
 

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