Why am I such a BIG Chicken???

[Dog Shrink]

Well I usually make it a point to hold Eros after he's eaten, kind of like a trade off bribe thing I guess, so tonight after he ate, he was pretty active, strolling around his tank, so I figured I'd hold him. Well I still get kinda freaked out about the just grab him approach as he still kinda trys to run away and I don't want to stress him so I figured I'd try the other suggestion of laying my hand in there and letting him approach and walk up on me. Well I did that a few times and as he approached me he had this "your fingers look like super worms" look in his eye, and I was afraid he'd bite me, so I took my hand out . He didn't have his tail or body posture threatening at all but I still couldn't get over that fear that he might have thought I was food and tasted me. WHY AM I SUCH A BIG CHICKEN??? Anyone else feel like this??? I feel so stupid, here I am a grown woman afraid a little 30-ish gram gecko is gonna take a bite of my finger. Cripes I work with aggressive dogs for a living and have less fear of THEM biting me than I do Eros... I'm so ashamed :main_no:

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Mine lick my fingers but have never tried to bite at that point. I've always used tongs at feeding time, so there isn't a hand/food association. Just that I am the bringer of food so they are happy to see me if they want to eat. One girl bit me when I first got her, but she was sick. Babies are snappy sometimes. It doesn't hurt but is more of a shock when it happens. I guess I got used to it. I let them sniff, pet their back, pet their head, pick them up if they seem receptive. If they don't want to be held I let them hop back in their home. It takes a new owner some time to become accustomed to a new species as a pet. Don't worry, you'll get used to it all and be fine

 

[Jordan]

i find mine barely look at me at all when im picking them up. i put my hand over their back and curl my fingers round under their belly and ive got them lol.
this way they dont look at you, you dont have to wait for them to come to you, and they may not like it for the one second that youve actually got them, but this is just to pick them up and place them in the palm of your hand. Once they have been let go and placed down then theyre content again. Well apart from the fact theyre not at home anymore lol.

anyway i think you might get more success trying this rather than waiting for Eros to walk on to you. That could takke a while.

 

[Dog Shrink]

I usually do just pick him up but he scurries away and I don't want to chase him. THat is why I was trying the let him come to me thing.. maybe less stressful. He obviously wanted to come out last night, climbing the glass (first time I saw that out of him) climbing upon the high rocks in his tak to get close to the way out... Moreso just experimenting with different ways of getting him out that were less stressful for him. I think he would have walked on me if I didn't chicken out and withdraw my hand Just gotta man up and do it I think the more ambition he shows that he actually wants to come out the more motivated I am to just do it. Last night was the first time I didn't take him out after eating since I got him. He ran in to his moist hide (I think he finally realized just how deep it goes behind the other rocks) and would play peek-a-boo with me, come out I'd try to get him out , he'd run back in... it went of for almost 20 minutes. I think he's just teasing me . At one point he went under one of his rock ramps that goes to teh upper levels and I touched his back end and he nearly jumped out of his skin. I felt bad.

 

[tlbowling]

I think you both just need to get used to each other I've never been bit (yet) and tell you the truth...Im a little scared too! Once I have the little guys in my hand Im OK...it's getting them there sometimes. I have some that I trust more than others It is funny that we are scared of something so small...but Im scared of bugs too...that cant even hurt me...like beetles! I HATE BEETLES!

 

[vinzyangel]

Being bitten isn't anything big. Sunshine (my emo butt) bit me last night. I didn't even react other than to say "OH who is a naughty girl? YOU'RE a naughty girl yes you are!" and hold her a few more minutes to teach her biting does not in fact get you put down. She didnt bite again that session.

 

[M_surinamensis]

and hold her a few more minutes to teach her biting does not in fact get you put down.

Utterly pointless.

 

[Jordan]

Utterly pointless.

Lol, well played. like it.

 

[gothra]

I suggest you lightly touch his waist/belly area first, they are usually more tolerant to that area. He'll most likely turn around and flick his tongue to check out your hand, then he'll know its not food; and you won't get those big hungry eyes, lol.

 

[Dog Shrink]

It really was more his mid back that I touched when he jumped outta his skin. What do you mean by his waist? Like on his sides insted of on his top side?

 

[gixxer3420]

Its just a matter of time that you will get bit. Once you do I think all your hesitation will be gone. Its not that big of a deal, I guess just the idea of it scares people. Every year when I'm putting males in with females the males end up biting me because of the scent of the females on me. You think I would learn after 20 years not to touch a female before I pick up a male, lol!

 

[Dog Shrink]

Its just a matter of time that you will get bit. Once you do I think all your hesitation will be gone. Its not that big of a deal, I guess just the idea of it scares people. Every year when I'm putting males in with females the males end up biting me because of the scent of the females on me. You think I would learn after 20 years not to touch a female before I pick up a male, lol!

Gee thanks for the vote of encouragement... that makes me feel loads better :main_lipsrsealed: Well I don't have to worry of smelling like a female gecko as I don't own (nor will I) own one. So aside of that I guess I just have to avoid smelling like dinner I just keep tellin myself, he'll get use to you, he'll grow up and be a nice placid adult, not that he's any kinds of a screaming juvie, he doesn't mind the handling, and will calmly sit with me, it's just the initial getting him out that freaks me. After 17 years, dogs I can read all day long, leos... not so much. Anyone have some body posture hints??? I know about the raised S tail but that's about it.

 

[gothra]

It really was more his mid back that I touched when he jumped outta his skin. What do you mean by his waist? Like on his sides insted of on his top side?

Yes, side or underside. Don't touch the tubecles (those bumps on the back), they usually get all stiff or jump when touched.

 

[Dog Shrink]

Yep that's what he did. What are those like leo wiskers

 

[Pokersnake]

Don't worry Dogshrink. You're not the only wuss out there.

I got bit by my tiny snake a few weeks ago. It felt like a bee sting and only bled a drop. At the time I was like "Huh. That's not so bad. You little *sensored*" But now when I need to access his cage he gets all uppity and looks like he's ready to come attack me. And it is scary. Even if it doesn't hurt. I know my path here is just to be patient and resign myself to being bit a few more times until he can trust me.

In your case: If Eros hasn't bit you yet, that's a good sign. If you see him in hunt mode and want to pick him up... don't. Wait until later when he's calmed down. One of my boys has actually leaped up at me wanting food. I just wait him out. I do notice that once he's eaten, he is less likely to look at me like food though.

 

[Dog Shrink]

Maybe hunt mode is the look I'm seeing in his face. I did feed him yesterday even tho it wasn't a regular feeding day, just a couple mealies, then waited about 5-10 minuntes to pick him up. He didn't squiggle too much and we sat and watched Jersey Shore together He is a really cool boy and I shouldn't be that scared of a lil lizard, but all I can think back to is when I was a little girl and my anole bit me and it did hurt like heck. IDK I guess chalk it up to childhood phobia, but it's not gonna stop me from bonding with him, I'll risk getting bit to enjoy his company, I just have to learn how to read him, so again.... anyone have any good tips on what assertive/aggressive body posturing looks like? I mean the "I really don't want to be touched" body posturing.

 

[Pokersnake]

Hunt mode kinda looks like this: sharp movements. rearranging head angle to analyse the food. excited. darting. short fast movements.

Don't touch me: Mostly I judge this by the way he moves his head to look back at what is touching him. I tend to pick him up from under his belly, but that means I have to touch his sides first. If he wraps his head around to an angle where I think his mouth could get to me, I just let it go and wait for another time. I've never seen the tail wave, which I guess means you really pissed off your gecko.

 

[Dog Shrink]

Ok... that is helpful pokersnake thank you. I have seen the quick tail flick and him get real high on his toes so I backed off but I also startled him to provoke that response. I think part of my problem is my hands are constantly like icecubes which I know isn't pleasant for him. I make sure to wash them in HOT water before I even consider touching him. After I fed him a little snack yesterday, waited about 5-10 minutes then lay my hand in his tank for him to check out and he walked REAL slow over to me, but again I chickened out since this seemed like a "stalk mode" to me, but duh, leos don't stalk their food, they dart on it so I should have known better, but... I'm a big chicken

 

[Pokersnake]

Lol! It's ok. It takes some patience and bravery.

I am trying real hard to break my snake of the "opening the cage means food" association. But when he starts investigating real quick I have to grab one of his tank decor sticks and block him. I'm afraid that 1) he'll bite or 2) he'll get out and bite. lol.

One of my geckos has now associated my tweezers with food. I hate touching the worms or roaches, so I grab them by tweezers and drop them in the food bowl. Once, just once, he got the opportunity to catch a worm from the tweezers and from then on, he see them and starts his hunt mode. Funny how these associations take so little to form.

If you're interested, and I haven't read any of her work, Temple Grandin is an animal behavior specialist with autism. There was the HBO movie about her, which was actually awesome. She writes about animal behavior and has revolutionized cattle husbandry. She says that she thinks in pictures, like she theorizes animals do. So when an animal connects an object with something, that association can stay for the rest of its life. One of her books is "Animals make us human" or something of that nature.

 

[Dog Shrink]

Funny thing... I AM an animal behavior specialist (been doin this for 17 years) and own Temple Grandin's book "Animals in Translation" and have seen her HBO special like a half dozen times. That's why being a big chickenis kinda starting to pi$$ me off ya know

My son has a ball python and we wanted to avoid that "opening the cage means food' thing, so we feed him in a different tank. Opening the cage in his world means I'm getting handled. I use tweezers too to drop the supers in Ero's tank, they freak me out. Mealies I can deal with but not the supers. He doesn't eat them out of the tweezers but waits until I have moved away then strikes but I use a small pair so eh can see my hand and the tweezers but I don't smell like food, and hopefully I'm associated with being the bringer of all things good. Surinamensis is likely rolling his eyes right about now .