Jeanbag
New member
I know they aren't the smartest little critters, but even in my tiny collection, I've got a couple that seem like they have a little more going on upstairs than the average leo. Is there anyone out there that is intentionally line breeding their 'more clever' leos to see what happens? And possibly not just the "clever" ones, but a combination of clever and calm?
In my case, I've got 2m 5f adults. I noticed right away that one female (Nipper) has got a few different or stronger behaviors from any of the others.
For instance, she looks me dead in the eyes when I wander over to feed/clean, or just to watch her. I've waved my hands around and put them in the cage, and she checks my hands for food, but then looks back at my face. I understand that this is probably a natural response to a predator, and that my other geckos are probably too lazy/conditioned or removed from the wild to exhibit it... but that doesn't stop me from being impressed that she still has it. I feel like it takes a little extra bit of clever to see me as a "whole threat" instead of a floating head to ignore and two hands that invade her space.
Nipper was the first to eat a f/t pinky from my hand. In addition, she is really quite calm and easy to handle. I know this is all really hard to quantify, but I also feel like she takes a better look at her surroundings than the other geckos. The other guys seem mostly interested in seeking cover when removed from their habitat, but Nipper tends to take a lot of time to look around. She does still make a mad dash for cover when a cat starts prowling around though.
Of my small collection of leos, Nipper is also the 'best momma'. The other lady geckos are really easy to drive off of their eggs. I usually just poke them in the rear a couple times or scoot them away so I can steal the eggs and put them in the incubator. But dealing with Nipper is another story. When she is on her little egg mound she is a lioness!! That gal will nip, spin, and thrash at me with the rage of a caged demon. This is where the f/t pinkies came in. She is still enough of a sucker that I can lure her out of the nest box with the pinky, and then steal the entire box. After a couple days she calms right back down and is easily handleable.
Nipper graced me with 4 eggs this fall, and the 4th baby (Elel) is exhibiting some of the same behaviors as Nipper. It is making eye contact, tracking my moving hands, and then looking back at my face. I’m hoping I have a new baby Nipper on my hands here!
In summary, do you folks in the leo community think it is possible to line breed a gecko that is slightly more ‘clever’ as well as being even better disposed to human handling? If you do think it would work, to what extent could it be taken? Can you think of good ways to measure these qualities? And finally, is anyone out there doing this already?
Please share any thoughts or experiences you have – am I nuts or is this intriguing? Thanks for your time ladies and gents!
In my case, I've got 2m 5f adults. I noticed right away that one female (Nipper) has got a few different or stronger behaviors from any of the others.
For instance, she looks me dead in the eyes when I wander over to feed/clean, or just to watch her. I've waved my hands around and put them in the cage, and she checks my hands for food, but then looks back at my face. I understand that this is probably a natural response to a predator, and that my other geckos are probably too lazy/conditioned or removed from the wild to exhibit it... but that doesn't stop me from being impressed that she still has it. I feel like it takes a little extra bit of clever to see me as a "whole threat" instead of a floating head to ignore and two hands that invade her space.
Nipper was the first to eat a f/t pinky from my hand. In addition, she is really quite calm and easy to handle. I know this is all really hard to quantify, but I also feel like she takes a better look at her surroundings than the other geckos. The other guys seem mostly interested in seeking cover when removed from their habitat, but Nipper tends to take a lot of time to look around. She does still make a mad dash for cover when a cat starts prowling around though.
Of my small collection of leos, Nipper is also the 'best momma'. The other lady geckos are really easy to drive off of their eggs. I usually just poke them in the rear a couple times or scoot them away so I can steal the eggs and put them in the incubator. But dealing with Nipper is another story. When she is on her little egg mound she is a lioness!! That gal will nip, spin, and thrash at me with the rage of a caged demon. This is where the f/t pinkies came in. She is still enough of a sucker that I can lure her out of the nest box with the pinky, and then steal the entire box. After a couple days she calms right back down and is easily handleable.
Nipper graced me with 4 eggs this fall, and the 4th baby (Elel) is exhibiting some of the same behaviors as Nipper. It is making eye contact, tracking my moving hands, and then looking back at my face. I’m hoping I have a new baby Nipper on my hands here!
In summary, do you folks in the leo community think it is possible to line breed a gecko that is slightly more ‘clever’ as well as being even better disposed to human handling? If you do think it would work, to what extent could it be taken? Can you think of good ways to measure these qualities? And finally, is anyone out there doing this already?
Please share any thoughts or experiences you have – am I nuts or is this intriguing? Thanks for your time ladies and gents!
