Yes. Oftentimes, as a gecko owner, you’ll need to hold your pet to tame it properly or when doing regular health checkups. You may as well hold your pet lizard when cleaning its terrarium, which is vital for its well-being. Better yet, holding your leopard gecko can make it develop a strong bond and trust you, keeping him from being stressed.
Read on to learn more about how to hold your leopard geckos, why they don’t particularly like being held, how to pick them, how often you should hold them, and much more.
Do Geckos Like Being Held?
Unfortunately, leopard geckos don’t like being held. Your little pet may not show obvious signs of fear or reluctance when you hold him, but that doesn’t mean he enjoys the experience. Leopard geckos, at best, are apathetic toward human contact.
While it’s disappointing to learn that your pet lizard dislikes being held, keep in mind that leos are significantly better candidates for handling compared to other reptiles.
As long as you take your time and gradually introduce your hand to your leopard gecko, it should not experience any worry or stress from being handled or touched.
That is to say, leos can be trained to tolerate human contact without developing an aversion to it though they are unlikely to develop a genuine fondness for human companionships like cats and dogs do.
Why Are Geckos Not Fond Of Being Handled?
To understand why geckos don’t like being handled, you must have some knowledge about other reptiles as a whole.
While reptiles can learn who to trust, they lack the capacity for deep emotional bonds shared by mammals such as people, dogs, and cats. This means leopard geckos don’t “enjoy” being petted as dogs do.
To add to that, geckos necessarily hate it when you hold them. This implies that they do not feel any kind of emotional connection to you, hence the indifference to the handling experience.
In the worst-case scenario, holding a leopard gecko might cause it extreme stress. This is because, when you first own a leopard gecko, it does not immediately trust you. He feels quite unsafe, so holding him would only cause a great deal of anxiety.
How Do I Get My Gecko To Trust Me And Hold Him?
Though leopard geckos do not enjoy being held, you can still hold your little pal without stressing him out. You must, however, be sure to earn his trust first. Here’s how;
Slowly Introduce Yourself
The first step in successfully handling a leopard gecko is gradually introducing yourself to the reptile. It may take some time for the lizard to realize you pose no danger when you initially bring it home.
As a result, it’s best to wait before trying to hold your adorable friend. The gecko may likely become upset and refuse to be held if you try to hold him too soon.
Instead, you may want to become accustomed to the gecko slowly so that it learns that you are harmless. That said, you only need to feed it at first so that it associates you with food, which strengthens your bond.
The next step is to place your hand inside the cage and wait for your pet to come to you, at which point you can try to touch its back.
You can start holding the gecko if it seems relaxed. Begin with keeping your gecko in your hands for no more than a few minutes at a time.
Earn Trust With Food
Just like you can train cats and dogs to love you and obey your commands by providing treats, you can earn your gecko’s trust with food as well.
Be sure to feed your little guy consistently until they get into a routine. Once you and your lizard have established a good rapport, you can try surprising it with hand-fed treats.
As a rule of thumb, to win any animal’s heart treats solve it all. Therefore, by offering your pet lizard treats while holding him, chances are he’s more likely to enjoy the holding experience.
Let Your Gecko Explore
Leos love exploring when they’re in a safe environment. Therefore, to establish a strong bond with your little guy, be sure to let him explore on his own terms.
This will make the gecko feel relaxed when holding him as it associates you with new experiences and fun.
For instance, when holding your little reptile, you may want to keep him in a secure location, such as your bed. This environment will be new to the reptile unlocking its eagerness to explore its novelty.
At the same time, you have peace of mind knowing that the gecko is in a risk-free environment.
Create Obstacles In Your Gecko’s Terrarium
If you’re willing to go the extra mile to build trust with your little friend to the point where he will enjoy you holding him, try building an obstacle course.
Doing it either outside or inside the terrarium would work just fine. Either way, the obstacle course will provide a stimulating environment for you and your gecko to interact.
How Do I Pick Up My Leopard Gecko To Hold Him?
If you’re asking yourself this question, you may be afraid of making your pet lizard drop his tail in fear which may ruin your relationship, or wanting to make sure you hold your gecko safely. But that shouldn’t be a cause of stress because holding geckos isn’t hard, provided you do it the right way.
It isn’t a huge deal for geckos to drop their tail because they do it out of stress and fear. So don’t panic just yet, but avoid it so as not to ruin trust.
When picking up your pet gecko to hold him, always check for signs of fear and stress, such as running away or chirping. Slowly move one hand under your little guy’s body and support him with the other hand.
What Behaviors Do Geckos Show When Holding Them
Your leopard gecko will let you know how it feels when you’re holding him if he’s unhappy.
A leopard gecko that doesn’t want to be handled may scream, chirp, and wag its tail from side to side, typically with the tail raised. It can also wag its tail from side to side while arching its back.
The chirping of your leopard gecko indicates that it is feeling threatened or uneasy. When this happens, it’s best to wait to try holding it later on.
In addition, when angry, your pet gecko can bite you when you hold him the wrong way. Should this occur, don’t freak out and put it back in its cage right away.
Instead, please spend a few more minutes with your reptile friend out of its tank before putting him back inside. This will help your little buddy become accustomed to being handled and also reduce the likelihood of biting you.
What Can Go Wrong When Holding a Leopard Gecko?
You may presume it’s not a big deal to hold leopard geckos. After all, you just pick up your pet to hold him!
However, you may find out that holding geckos the wrong way may lead to severe problems. Let’s check them out!
Added Stress-Naturally, leos don’t enjoy being held; thus, too much of it will only stress them out. Even if your lizard allows you to hold him, he’ll still be stressed.
It doesn’t end there. Over time, the accumulation of stress on geckos’ bodies leads to illness and a shorter lifespan. That is how serious it is.
Jumping off Hands-It is very important to be keen when holding your pet lizard. The reason is they’ll move surprisingly fast whenever they want. So, when you’re holding your gecko off the ground, he may jump off your hand due to stress.
You may think your docile friend is entirely calm when all of a sudden, he makes a leap and hurt himself.
Dropping Tails-The ability of geckos to drop their tails in times of danger and then regenerate them later is one of their most fascinating characteristics. However, it comes at a price which is why you need to be very cautious when holding your reptile friend to avoid him triggering this defence mechanism.
By dropping its tail, the leopard gecko loses a lot of good nutrients and fats. Therefore, you must be sure to observe the steps for holding your gecko to prevent it from dropping its tail when kept as a pet.
Negative Feeling Towards the Owner-Holding a leopard gecko the wrong way when she’s not ready or stressed may cause her to associate a negative feeling with you.
Not only that. Over time, your little pal will start fearing you, which increases stress levels to the point whereby he attempts to bite you.
Is It Safe To Hold My Gecko?
Typically, holding leopard geckos is safe for both the gecko parents and their reptile pets. However, owners should use the previously mentioned picking procedures to enhance safety when holding them.
Gecko parents have low risks when holding their adorable lizards, as they aren’t poisonous. Better yet, unless handled the wrong way, under untamed or extreme stress, leos seldom bite.
However, some gecko parents may show signs of sensitivity, such as red itchy spots after the gecko walks on their skin and pricks it.
Although the spots go away soon after they emerge, in addition to being harmless, you may use gloves or sleeves to handle your adorable reptile if the pricked skin is too irritating.
On the flip side, the gecko will be safe as long as you handle it correctly and not for too long.
To ensure that your pet lizard remains safe, be sure to handle him in a secure environment away from large pets.
What’s more, if you let your docile lizard climb on you, you must be very keen about where your little pet is at all times. Also, the gecko should be calm when you hold him to avoid the risk of dropping its tail.
When Can I Hold my Leopard Gecko?
The best time to hold your Gecko is before a meal, at day time. During this time, your reptile friend will be less skittish, but be sure not to wake him up.
Additionally, you can hold your gecko after he wakes up in the evening (Leos are crepuscular, so consider holding them when they come out during dusk, dawn, and twilight would be ideal).
Don’t go touching and holding your gecko after a meal as it needs to digest food at higher temperatures of 32 degrees C (90 F); You’ll notice the lizard lying flat in the tank. Otherwise, the poor little guy might regurgitate food or fail to digest it properly.
All in all, it’s better to hold your little pal before food, or else he’ll associate you with a negative experience, thus ruining your bond.
How Often Can I Hold my Leopard Gecko?
With a new gecko, start by holding it for 5 minutes once every three days. Add a minute every 5 to 6 days. That sounds super simple, right? Yeah, like it should be.
After taming your little guy, do not hold him for longer than 20 minutes per day. With time, you can increase the time you hold him to 30 minutes at maximum. During this period, ensure you provide good house heating. Temperatures around 25-27.7 C (77-82 F) degrees would be okay.
Otherwise, holding your leopard gecko for longer can stress him out. With that in mind, you can limit the holding sessions to only when cleaning the terrarium.
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs
Do Young Geckos Like Being Held?
No. Generally, young geckos don’t like to be held. In fact, you should wait until they’re three months old before you start holding them. When acclimating a baby leopard gecko, the first step is to let it taste your finger to build trust.
Better yet, be sure never to grab your lizard by the tail, as it might break off under pressure. Even though it can regenerate, it won’t be as pretty as before.
Do Geckos Bond With Their Owners When They Touch Them?
Yes. geckos can develop a physical attachment with their owners when cared for and held correctly. However, like all other reptiles, your little pet won’t experience an emotional bond with you no matter how much he trusts you. He just lacks the capacity to experience love.
But that doesn’t mean he won’t enjoy spending time with you, thanks to his docile temperament. When properly done, occasional touching may tame the gecko to trust you, which can be considered a physical bond.
Do Geckos Benefit From Being Held?
Yes. As long as you don’t hold your gecko too often, holding it can be very beneficial. Your little guy feels less stressed when you touch him, possibly because of your warmth. Plus, the lizard will have an opportunity to do what he enjoys, exploring his new environment.
Better yet, holding your reptile from time to time may tame him to trust and interact with you without experiencing stress.
