Handling ? and observation

Do you feel that if you handle (or at least have your hands in with them) the babies that they grow more tolerant or not? I think that the ones that I interact with turn out to be the most docile, but it is sort of like the chicken and the egg. Do I handle them more because they already are more docile and this becomes more apparent with age, or do they become conditioned? I find this interesting because I have read some posts stating that they do not relate to their keepers and others swearing that they do. I like to think that they do, but I'm not really sure.

Well,

I feel that those that get held on a regular basis will tolerate the handling more.

Even my tokay gecko who was mean as hell till 2 months ago when I decided to hold him daily now is quite tame to hold!

Mark, I get alot of flack about it, but I handle my babies right out of the egg and several times a week thereafter. I've only had 2 babies in 10 years lose their tails from handling stress, and it was due to attempting to remove unshed skin from toes. I completely agree that the more they are handled, the calmer they become... but it does depend on each one's personality and temperment just how tame they will be.

I agree with Marcia, I handle mine right out of the egg and several times a week and they get much calmer and easier to handle. I think they have to learn that we are their family and that we are not going to hurt them.

Though some may not like it as much as others, I have 1 male that I hatched last year that has never liked to he touched and he squawks at me all the time for misting him when he sheds, for picking him up and he just doesn't like it but that just his personality.

Yep, it seems to be a combo of Nature plus Nurture.

Yes,
Geckos handled right outta the egg do seem to be more tame. Here's how i figure. About a year back I bought a subadult leo from petsmart. The manager was having trouble getting the leo out of the cage without being bitten. About 4 or 5 months later i bought 2 leos online as babies. I handled them everyday and they were alot more tame than the one who had been raised at petsmart.

just to share: my now adult striped albino female Raya never liked being handled very much she still runs away and will try to pull some acrobatics when im handling her (she was notorious for flipping out of your hands) but the rest of my geckos are pretty "chill" esp. my leo Odin. Raya just kinda displayed a different personality.
so i would say that while most can get to tolerate handling very well there may be a few exceptions

Yeah Vinny, it's true. I have one girl I raised from a tiny hatchling, handled her a lot when she was young because I only had a few leos then and they got a lot of attention, and shes 5 years old now and she still acts like she just knows I'm gonna kill her every time I handle her. I still love her tho.