Serious..Best way to get your Leo used to you and handled

Hey guys!! ..First post here..Well I have a baby nomral leo that i got fomr PetCo..The reason I picker her is beacuase she looked fat and healthy...The thing is she still hates ot be handled and stuff...now i only had her 2 weeks but i try almost everyday and all i get is bitten hissed and sturck at. Now i know i tlaked to numerous poeple who are probably on this board but i need to personal experonces on how you got your gecko to calm down and be handled and what you think might work for me.

I have tried:

Just putting my hand in front of her..doesn't work she strikes at me

using a glove doesn't work she runs into her hide

Thanx guys and Cheers to a first post!

Wow you got a fiesty one!

Best way IMO is to leave her alone for awile, Don't try to handle her ofr a few weeks. just get her used to seeing you. If he is still pretty young they don't tend to like to be held . As she gets older it should get better. good luck

I will say, sometimes they'll never warm up, man that sounds depressing lol. Out of...um my 17 geckos, I have one leo that just hates to be held. She doesn't strike or hiss anymore, I think she's a bit old for that, but she just won't let me touch her. I've tried picking her up while she's sleeping, nope...I've tried setting my hand in front of her and wait for her to crawl up, nope....I've tried just trying to pick her up, again nope. But hopefully you're little one will be much friendlier than mine. Mine isn't mean, she just hates me lol. Welcome aboard!

have you tryed diamonds and candles-lit dinners?

Hey she's young and trying to survive. It's a natural defense not to be dinner! They all seem to calm down with time, try hand feeding her, and maybe a fur coat " but not a real fur coat cause that would be cruel."

Originally posted by riverjop
have you tryed diamonds and candles-lit dinners?

LOL.. That is so funny!
Yes, it will take some time and I think hand feeding is a great way to get any lizard to calm down. She will make a pleasent association with you and over time it will reduce the fear factor of BEING lunch!


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That's so true!! Sometimes they just stay fiesty! I have one male that just doesn't like to be picked up. He'll eat out of my hand and everything but tries to run if I lift him off the ground. All the rest of them climb in my hand and WANT me to hold them! LOL! On the extreme other end of the spectrum, my other male will go to anyone! I take him to my children's classrooms because he doesn't mind being passed around and touched by everyone.

But anyway, to answer the question of this thread, sometimes you just have to let them get a little older. Every once in a while, you get one tame and calm right out of the egg but usually, they're scared. Once they get to be about 4-5 inches long, they seem to grow into themselves and are much more docile. Just be patient with your little one and proceed at her pace. It will work out.

first you need to give it some time to settle in. a week should be plently of time.

than handle her everyday. it might bite you but so. are you really worried about getting bitten by a baby gecko (if so you really need to overcome that fear of being bitten!)? if you continue to handle her for about 10 or 15 minutes a day she will get used to you.

the other guys are right tho...sometimes you get a gecko that is a loner...a rebel, Dotty... and they just dont want to be handled. but the best way to prevent that is by handling them alot when they are young.

i have had smedly for almost two months and have only had him actually stay in my hand once. what i did was after feeding him i would put my hand as near as i could get without him hissing and running. he still wouldn't come onto my hand after a few weeks and then i though maybe i hsould lay my hand flat so it doesn't look like a trap. after laying my hand flat in front of him he climed on for about two minutes. then he went to his coconut and climbed on that. just give her time and don't push her too much, and hopefully she'll warm up

i dont know that i agree with that. my fiestiest leo was handfed since she was little. still to this day she'll eat from your hand but she still hates being handled. matter of fact...now when i open her tub she jumps up with her mouth open.

laying your hand flat is a good method. you lay your hand flat in front of them and kinda "shoo" them onto your hand with your other hand.

if that doesnt work just grasp it behind the ears firmly...and hold it real tight. they love that. just kidding. dont do that.