How I TAME and HANDLE my Leopard Gecko

Today we're talking about how I tame and handle my leopard gecko, plus some tips for those of you who are trying to tame your own geckos. It's all about conditioning, and the goal is to get the gecko used to you and associate you with good things.
I N S T A G R A M ► / theturtlegirl
P A T R E O N ► / theturtlegirl
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[@TheAlisha5465]

My leopard gecko was so scared when I first got him and now once I stick my hand in his cage he comes right over and sits on it like it’s an elevator to play time lol. The only problem is he gets feisty when I try and put him back lol. He just loves play time so much he can’t help himself 😂😂

[@TheTurtleGirl]

Hahahahaha elevator, I love that!

[@johnmallqui4600]

U just got mines a few days ago I don't think he ducks with me yet lol

[@certifiedidiot9222]

How did you get him to be comfortable with you? 😇

[@nayelyruiz99]

Girl same!! Mine prefers play time over eating some times😂

[@toastroast0869]

Mine is the exact opposite, I’ve had him for months (he was born 5 months before I got him) and he just hates me he never goes anywhere near me I don’t think I’m for geckos 😔

[@snickerskitkat1651]

my leo is very spooked by me whenever i try to get her but whenever i have her in my hand she is very calm :)

[@envylor7112]

sameee!

[@rosiehaycock332]

I’m guessing you handle her by putting your hand through the top of the enclosure? If you do it’s because they pose your hand as a predator to maybe put some food in your hand and they’ll warm up xx

[@theyenvydezzi0513]

Same

[@kaialfa1493]

That’s how mine was for it’s fist 7 months then it got use to me I would recommend trying once a day to pick it up

[@tecasky8304]

same

[@Sofia-fr2th]

Tysm! I got mine a week ago and he is still getting used to me so this rlly helped.

[@ChristinaStafford91]

My gecko is so skittish and I've had him for 5 years. He prefers to be handled while still in the comfort of his viv. He has a habit of launching himself off my hand/arm no matter what height he's at. I don't want to cause injury so I've come to terms with the fact that he just prefers to be in his safe space.

[@landonwhite5330]

that’s how mine is. i really wish he would just let me hold him

[@bruceoort]

some animals are just like that! i have a very curious snake that’s always up for exploration (lol i’ll never grow up) but i’ve also had snakes that just don’t appreciate being handled.

[@bananaboy8919]

You have probably forgot about me but I said that my turtle wasn’t eating his pellets about a week ago I started not offering shrimp to him and today when I fed him he went straight for the pellets and eat it so thanks for the tips in the other videos

[@bananaboy8919]

Well you have 4 so?

[@kmm0246]

@@bananaboy8919 good comeback!

[@laurenstringer2811]

My leopard Geck tries to run away and squeaks a little, he eventually settles down but I want to get him to the point where he rests his belly on my hand and just chills, its so cute 😂

[@corv1d770]

My gecko (male, around a year old) has trauma from being mishandled in the pet store. Long story short my mom knew I had been deep researching husbandry and considering getting one, and before I had the chance to say I'd prefer a breeder she picked up a distressed looking hypo tangerine from PetSmart and surprised me, at which point I just wanted to save him from the clearly bad situation, so I kept him and went with it. He came to me with half a tail (in the process of growing back), and it's been about half a year now and his tail is doing Great and looks almost good as new, he looks much healthier and shows consistent activity and routine, he interacts with me through the glass fine and shows no fear or anxiety (I haven't heard his voice even once), but he still hesitates with handling, which I assume is from the mishandling that caused his tail drop experience in his juvenile life at the store. We assume he was either bought, mishandled, and returned to the store tailless, or that an in-store caretaker was reckless. He's not completely averse to my hands presence, will lick it and boop it and walk near it. He doesn't show Fear, but he shows a deep lack of trust and clearly hesitates to be Held, so I don't handle him very often. I'm trying to determine if I should continue to gently condition him to be handled or if I'm better off keeping handling to a necessary minimum to avoid undue stress or worse, another tail drop. Do you have any advice or wisdom in this case? (if you even see this, I'm sure you're flooded with questions constantly.) I'd greatly value the input, and I want to prevent any extra stress on my boy, no matter how much I'd love to hold him. He has allowed me to handle him some but he's pretty consistently flighty. He doesn't run from touch or respond with anything that shows immediate fear, but I'm also unsure of the difference between reacting to the stimuli comfortably "this is fine" versus "freeze response" stress freeze. He does the back arch without running from me when I try the soft touch method, and he definitely responds best to scooping, but I want to crosscheck with consideration for his trauma and make sure I'm not forcing an uncomfortable experience for him.

[@miles7519]

i have the same prob with my leo

[@tyrellstone8176]

Thank you for the information! I got my first leopard gecko three days ago! I just got him to eat last night and he's been warming up to me ever since his first meal lol

[@moshroomba]

Hey, it's been 2 years! How's ur gecko?

[@rea_3718]

He is so cute!!

[@iluv_animalss]

Thank you so much, I’ve had my gecko for maybe a year now and I have a pretty feisty one 😂 I love your videos so much, and as a teen girl obsessed with reptiles and spiders your videos are great ❤

[@skeleton-grunt.nugget]

thank the gods i found this i just got a gecko (a baby mack snow leopard gecko) about 6 days ago and i have to take them between two different house and it’s hard because people try to get me to pick them up and i’m the whole time just thinking “ i don’t think i should do that… “ yknow? so i’m glad i saw this my gecko hissed at me and i was terrified.

[@themanwiththecrystaleyes464]

I rescued my leopard gecko from a pet shop. He was so scared he would dart back in his hide as soon as someone entered the room, now when anyone comes in he darts out and looks around. It's not impossible to tame a scared gecko no matter how poorly someone kept them before

[@wendyking2865]

That’s good cause the one I am getting from a breeder and wasn’t handled much if at all

[@Qydric]

@@wendyking2865 I'm in the same boat! Got my little guy two weeks ago from a breeder that didn't really have the time to tame his animals. The gecko gradually got more confident around me in the evening and at night, eventhough he's still never been out in the open during the day for basking and stuff. When it comes to handling he's still super stressed out. Tried to pick him up once to do some maintenance in the terrarium and he was trying to run away and superman out of my hand (I'm so scared he might drop his tail eventhough it's unlikely). He's eating from tongue and hand at least, so I need to keep building that trust. Good luck with your future leo!

[@JustANormalKidd]

@@wendyking2865 ÷

[@alanis538]

@@Qydric how is he now?

[@SLJBB]

you didnt really rescue it considering you gave them money but oh well each to our own worlds i guess

[@mr.j6567]

great video. love the positive attitude that you have. thank you for sharing. peace, love and blessings

[@fluffyfox_01lovesdogs67]

Thank you!!! I've been trying to find a way to tame my adult gecko but everyone usually talk about when they're a baby (which yes the process is propably similar but i feel like there are some differences) So tysm for this

[@katiemago]

I love how he started to fall asleep on your hand ❤️

[@that_dadwagon2724]

Everytime I pit my hand in my gecko tank. He tries to eat my fingers. He'll even hold on to them when he bites the fingers. I can feed him before too and he'll still think I'm food🤣🤣

[@Syllvur]

I just recently got my little one a few weeks ago, she's 8 months old now. She is still skittish, so I appreciate this video :)

[@ShellVixen]

Really loved this. Can't wait to meet my new buddy in January and tame him like you 🙏🏻✨

[@eran5131]

Just got my leo charizard and i watch this video months ago and it helped me and now hes comfortable of climbing in my hand

[@juliekallas1048]

I’ve had my leopard gecko for a few weeks, and this is very good information😊

[@TheTurtleGirl]

Glad to hear it Julie!

[@HomosexualJessiePinkman]

I needed this for my gecko, Thank you! 😁

[@TheTurtleGirl]

Glad it could help!

[@QuietBreezie]

Thank u so much 4 this information...I just purchased one today👍🏾

[@braustin6739]

Can you do a vid on how to tame a pet cucumber. lol

[@TheTurtleGirl]

Um. Confused. 😂

[@braustin6739]

@@TheTurtleGirl Well.....I have a cucumber and I was wondering how to get it to stop biting me.

[@HomosexualJessiePinkman]

@@braustin6739 I have the same problem

[@braustin6739]

@@HomosexualJessiePinkman yeah.....its tuff....my pet cucumber always biting

[@HomosexualJessiePinkman]

@@braustin6739 Try giving it a cookie It just worked for mine

[@terriihoee]

I’m getting my gecko in like 2 or 3 more weeks and I’m so excited and I’m following this guide a lot :)

[@TheTurtleGirl]

that's awesome! hope it helps!

[@tessafelice2181]

super awesome video. Thank you!

[@TheTurtleGirl]

glad you enjoyed Tessa!

[@myzoo2856]

I love you channel and your Leo content I have Benn inspired to start my own channel keep doing what you do your so inspring

[@TheTurtleGirl]

[@Idontknow-nz1ml]

One tip I have is make sure your hands aren’t too cold! Leopard geckos like belly heat so if your hands are too cold could scare them

[@rhianahalverson1]

thanks for this I have a gecko and I really needed some tips

[@gabriellawebb8896]

This was so helpful and I really needed this thank you so much my gecko is very happy and is finally getting used to me

[@TheTurtleGirl]

so glad to hear that Gabby!

[@Thecoolduds]

I got a leopard gecko today and he is so cool!

[@luismalko-allen759]

your leopard gecko is so cute and tame keep up the great work

[@user-id1rm4nm1m]

him sniffing your hand was the cutest thing I've ever seen!!!!

[@interestedingaming2115]

My leopard gecko thinks my fingers are food and bites them😪. But I will try this. Thanks for the informative video! I hope it helps 🙏

[@Liz852011]

same happen to me But never bite me But i'm afraid of i dont know if is painfull?

[@katyavienna8346]

This video is amazing!🤗🤗

[@DanTheTurtleMan_]

Super informative! Especially for someone who has no lizards :P A lot of this information applies to a ton of other species as well

[@TheTurtleGirl]

ahaha yep, now you know if you ever got a gecko. But you're right, this does work for other reptiles too!

[@User13890]

This was the video I have been waiting for to see on my recommendation

[@AmmonMurphy]

Awwww he’s adorable!

[@sussy420]

I'm gonna be getting two leopard geckos if i can get good grades this trimester, and your vids are really helping me learn about it. Thanks!

[@TheTurtleGirl]

really happy to hear that Julian! :DD

[@ItsMoodyMariee]

I adopted a 2 year old from a collage kid leaving to their first year. She’s not really scared or hides but this video was very helpful ❤

[@raggiejamel9115]

I love all of your videos

[@theredrobbin]

Hi and thank you for your videos! I am learning about this gecko and wonder if there is cycling of some sort to go through before you have your gecko placed in his new home? Like cycling a fish tank kind of thing. Thank you again!

[@Icevr28892]

I got my lepard geko 2 weeks ago and she is doing realy good

[@roul4842]

I got mine just today. She's really cute and pretty skittish. I was going to try to handle her tomorrow, but I think I'll hold off a week or two.

[@rockiel4403]

Love your vids

[@TheTurtleGirl]

Thanks!

[@QueAquatics]

So awesome!

[@hippymegs]

He is so adorable!! Can you post more videos like this?? I wish I could have one but we don’t have space

[@TheTurtleGirl]

thanks!

[@greaper_1233]

Today I grabbed my gecko for the second time and he just walked around my hands but it was surprising when he wanted to climb on my shirt for the first time, my only fear was him falling but he was so cute. He doesn’t like to be pet tho☺️ I like ur vid!

[@TheTurtleGirl]

aww that's awesome!

[@emmalee2090]

@theturtlegirl I’m in love with your tank and set up, would you mind telling me what the dimensions of this tank are? And is it an exo terra?

[@gladetheslikwing6167]

Ah my gecko i just got lets me hold him in the pet store near me (( not disgusting petco but house of pets)) and the tail looked healthy as heck and the enclosure was awsome looking. And he wasn't really scared of the workers and myself

[@ballewzoo_ytballew430]

Hey! I might be getting a Florida soft shell and I was wondering what type of basking area do I need! I’ve heard that a shallow area is fine but also the basking thing you have works too. What do you think is best? Thanks!

[@RetroSpies]

whenever i stick my hand in my leo's tank he just stares at it and does nothing i've been doing it for 3 weeks he still hates me and is scared of me

[@4everbuffylover]

At least yours doesn’t investigate, determine it’s your hand, and then proceed to bite all your fingers

[@Isabelcttt]

@@4everbuffylover my gecko takes a big boi sniff and walks away

[@damedesuka77]

I just got my first gecko and she's been with me for 1 week. I chose the most active, feisty-looking gecko I could find at the breeder's place (thinking that she must be the healthiest one) and looks I bit more than I can chew lol. She's a 6 months old juvenile and she simply won't let me touch her in any way. Touching any part of her body will get her to jump away with lightning speed. I want to be able to handle her someday but I'm a bit stumped about how can I go from here 😅

[@mariakravets6747]

Mine is the same, I got him for 4 years and he runs like crazy everytime he sees me. He doesn't want to deal with me.

[@kenc9236]

Awesome video. My lep comes to my hand no problem. I am scared I will drop on the floor and he will run somewhere that might injury him while trying to get him? Did that make sense?

[@mattplayz1075]

I got a 2 month old one last night and he already runs straight on my hand! He’s so cute.

[@TheTurtleGirl]

aw awesome!

[@confusedfey9192]

I'm a student at a school that has a handful of leopard geckos and they werent very well socialized before I started checking them daily and I really want to train them to comfy with handling

[@moved1470]

Thank you so much!!

[@TheTurtleGirl]

welcome!

[@aidenmatsumoto-anderson4104]

Ik this video is a year old, but tysm! I just got a leopard gecko and this rlly helped out!

[@emilypequignot1147]

He’s toooo cute!!!!

[@jenniferhalladay6513]

My leopard gecko is a jumper also he does not mind being handled it is just he likes to jump alot so I been trying to control that he likes to be on the shoulder sometimes

[@marielalvarezl]

i got my gecko a couple days ago she was rlly skiddish the first day but the 2nd day she let me pick her up and pet her and now ive been handling her for a little bit a day waiting for her to get more comfortable, she hides a lot still but shes comfortable eating from the tongs!

[@TheTurtleGirl]

aww glad that now she's eating from tongs :)

[@ave9141]

I didn't know you had a Gecko. You should introduce all of your pets!

[@GWG1]

thanks

[@scottishmonke800]

I got my leopard gecko 2 weeks ago and I only just started putting my hand in yesterday, on the first time he sprinted onto my hand, I brought him out and started handling him on a soft surface, he jumped and started sprinting around my room and went behind my trundle box and I had to move everything in my room to get him back in his tank, I was crying the whole time and I thought he was gonna drop his tail, but luckily he's safe now.

[@SatiricalLizard]

Kuzon may have an admirer. My female leopard gecko was watching the screen very closely when Kuzon was on lol

[@arianna9433]

Can you do a video about African side neck turtles? It would be so helpful! Love your videos! :)

[@sameen11Agehnejad]

Leapord gecko recently died and we have a new member to the family so this really helped

[@LaloThadon]

Just got mine today, so far its been chillin but I forgot to get a heat mat 🤦🏽

[@in_your_wall]

I have had my ocelot gecko for 2 years and his still a cute baby

[@clawed50java71]

My gecko is very shy. Ive had him for about 3 months now since he was a baby. Now hes a juvie. Took about a week after 2 weeks of not holding him to actually get him to crawl on my hand. I didnt wanna scoop him cuz I didnt want to force him. Hes still nervous but i have been holding him and hes slowly getting used to it. I might try feeding him out of his tank to have him associate handling with good things too? Hes not scared of me, still nervous to be handled so that might be a good idea to have him get used to it too.

[@spicylemonchick]

Fr got my nephew turtle after mine died and his died 2 days later and seemed 10x sicker than mine was when she passed. Atp I’mma just get a leopard geko. But this time I’m using ur vids to make sure I can do it.

[@TheTurtleGirl]

I'm so sorry to hear that :(

[@Ben-xe7hm]

i am a big fan!!!!

[@williamstone9470]

Hello, I don't know if you'll see this, but I'll try anyway. I recently added a pueblan milk snake to my collection, and I am wondering how you went about getting your Nelson's accustomed to being handled. I realize now that I probably tried handling her too soon (I waited only a week) but she seemed okay. She didn't bite or musk and actually was quite curious. Then I waited another week and tried to take her out again and she flipped out and almost immediately musked on me. She is very tame to begin with and doesn't tend to do that kind of thing so I got frightened for her and returned her to her cage so I could research what went wrong. I obviously can't hand feed her and she is probably out of hiding only once a week whilst I'm awake so it doesn't work out the best to rest my hand in the tank. Plus she isn't the kind to come check me out whilst I'm there. I really don't want to mess this up and any help you can give would be greatly appreciated.

[@cedar5616]

Love that his name is Kuzon. My turtle’s name is Zuko

[@TheTurtleGirl]

HONORRRRR

[@DanTheTurtleMan_]

Im gonna name my next crackhead turtle Bumi

[@TheTurtleGirl]

holy cow YES THATS PERFECT

[@SR-nv9gx]

@@DanTheTurtleMan_ , have u ever kept yellow bellied sliders ? I need a a bit of more of RESEARCH !!! I really wanna learn from someone's experience😃

[@mariannschantz27]

I just tried holding my new one for the first time got them yesterday thought it was going well but the he darted up my arm into my hair and stressed me out because I couldn’t grab him so I tried to move my hair and get him but I feel like I ruined the first kinda bonding moment so I’m bout to try this

[@spoiledfish6643]

Very cute🐢🐢🐢🐢👍👍👍👍

[@eaworld8912]

he is adorable

[@boop_sadist]

I handed mine when he was a baby, he would climb on my hand all the time. Then after he got older he wouldn't come on my hand, and whenever I take him out I have to pick him up because he won't move or he will just stare and run. I don't know if he is scared but when I try to handle him he will just also climb on the tip of my finger and it will be like 20 mins later and he will still just stand there. Now he runs and all and I don't even know if he trusts me because when he licks my finger he runs

[@luisachen6389]

My problem is that my gecko always thinks that I'm food. She'll always walk up to my hand very curiously and then bite me for no reason. Or she'll see me in front of the enclosure and stare at me and walk in my direction, probably because she thinks some strands of my hair are food. Does she actually think I'm food or is she just playful or just mean?

[@TheTurtleGirl]

honestly, I couldn't tell you! Really not sure. Sometimes it's a conditioning thing. Sometimes your hand smells like food. It could be any number of things!

[@katherineofficialchannel8115]

Cooooool channel!!!!!

[@gmanmakescontent8997]

What do you use for substrate,I have babies on paper towel,what is best?

[@aaronblakejohnson8105]

When you first started handing him did you do it every day or wait a few days in between?

[@patricia102588]

I think she did it every few days to not cause to much stress

[@colinsace1]

I got a little leopard gecko she’s a feisty, one skittish most times I pick her up she quite strong to get out my hand always trying to get underneath big things and won’t come out… and then you find her all cold not moving because she’s got no heat (lost her for a about 5 hours during Christmas 🙈) she was fine once she got warm and ate some locust she won’t eat anything else… I’ve had her nearly 4 months I am not scared of her I had a bearded dragon for many years but she’s doesn’t seem to like me lol 😕🤷🏻‍♂️

[@radi0active_snail275]

Thank you so much this helped a lot. I’m just worried bc my leopard gecko sometimes tries to jump off me and run away and explore but I don’t want to loose him so I’m not sure what to do...

[@TheTurtleGirl]

just calmly restrain them if necessary. When they're flighty/shy and try to run away, it's best to handle them in a space where they can't hide somewhere or escape (like a bathroom)

[@radi0active_snail275]

@@TheTurtleGirl oh ok thank you!!

[@genabandit1674]

How often do babies poo/pee. I’ve had mine for 3 days he eats well but hasn’t pee/poo yet

[@bananacowplaz1308]

I need some help.. I have a 4 month old leopard gecko. I Was walk up to him and he wont get spooked. That's also the problem. He is not at all scared of me. When I got to the stage of putting the hand in the tank, I get bite every single time. He just wants to murder my hand. What should I do?

[@markvictorfetiza6778]

I had a gecko once not a leapard one but it was just a normal one it was a baby or near that it's big as finger Anyways I kept it not actually own it Because I kinda poked it while it was climbing and fell down and got a gash on the underbelly and for repayment I kept him for a few hours to make his wound heal and in the end I learned a fact from the gecko that reptiles have super Regen so I let him free in like 10 hours of keeping him

[@wrestlejap]

Can someone tell me about shedding for a leopard gecko and what should I do bc I am getting one in September

[@user-zl6cc6uw8t]

my sons leopard gecko is scared so this is good information

[@princesstiana27]

I’ve been letting mine crawl on my hand but when I start lifting my hand slowly out of the tank she jumps off. How do I get her to stop jumping off my hand

[@distruction9178]

Please if you see this can you tell me if I can turn of my UVA AND UVB lights off overnight for turtles

[@Inosuke_lover123]

My leperd gecko kiky is mean and a scwermy one I try to hand feed her but she is always so aggressive. She is turning 2 this year in December. I have had her for 2 years now and she is still not use to me.i always try to wach videos about leperd geckos and try to do those thangs people do in the videos but she is still not use to me.Have any advice

[@blainelasater7756]

Me and you have the exact same cage😂

[@deestackinn]

Completely unrelated to the video, but if you could help me I would appreciate it. My baby Colombian slider won’t eat any pellets, only things he will touch are meal worms, arugula, and freeze dried shrimp. He’s pretty healthy from what I see, but I just wanna change up his diet and use the shrimp and meal worms as treats that I give every once in awhile.

[@TheTurtleGirl]

Maybe try soaking the pellets in tuna water to make the scent more enticing!

[@johannahwiggins3048]

So I’m going to get a leopard gecko that’s already an adult that was surrendered. I can tell that she was handled that much but she’s semi okay with it. I’m still nervous that she’s scared though. (I work at the store I’m getting her from and try to feed her and get her comfortable when I can)

[@TheTurtleGirl]

it can definitely take a little more time and patience if they're already adults - but adults are typically a lot more calm/chill than hatchlings, so you've got that going for ya. best of luck!

[@chadderz01]

I'll be picking up mine on Tuesday morning it has an orange colour so I'll be calling him reppy

[@butterflymilk4953]

My gecko is pretty chill with being next to my hand, she also licks my fingertips at times. She's also fine when she moves near my hand and her body tpuches my hand but when i actually try to pick her up she gets spooked and runs a few steps away. She calms down pretty quickly as well but i think she hates me :(

[@lk4543]

This sounds exactly like my gecko. She lets my hand go near her all the time, even she seems ok with me touching her back. But as soon as I try to get her on my hand gently, she squirms and walks away.

[@Mike_4637]

My leopard gecko lets me pick him up but every time he walks on to my hand he tries to run up my arm real quick so I have to put him back in the cage any tips?

[@Kimchithegecko]

I love her vidwos

[@1upli175]

for me the 2nd day of having my gecko i picked him up and he didnt freak out . and its been eating

[@robynbrewer1842]

I just adopted a blind, albino Leo who's around 6-8 months old from a pet store. Of course he can't see his food so I have to hand feed him. My question is how will he know if it's night or day since he can't see? He's very sweet and docile and I'm learning alot about how to care for him. But, his being blind makes it just a little trickier. Any suggestions would be so appreciated! Thanks so much!!