How to get Your Leopard Gecko Used to Handling

[@justineleitao]

I think new gecko owners will be so much more confident with handling after watching this, you have a very reassuring presence and I can really tell you know exactly what you're talking about!

[@JessicasAnimalFriends]

aww thank you so much :)

[@savannahdavidson3116]

I think you’re so accurate with this lol. I got my gecko, a juvenile, and my friend asked how things were going. I said I was terrified of it and that it was terrified of me 😂.

[@Coco-uq1ts]

After like 5 days I finally got my gecko to climb on my hand and now he’s sleeping next to me Im glad I was patient

[@jadegore123]

5 days of what? getting him used to you? sorry i’m just trying to get mine to be less skittish and more used to me

[@Coco-uq1ts]

Jade Gore I kept putting my hand next to his hide in his tank. And eventually he climbed up to me. it was difficult since I didn’t have a side opening vivarium but it worked out in the end. Honestly you can just scoop them up too. As long as your calm they can reciprocate that energy

[@jadegore123]

Guhtx Ze thanks!!

[@urmomsbed6191]

Bruh the first time my gecko climb to my hand i got to exited cuz i got him for ovet a month now and so i kept picking her up and stuff and now shes very Stressed! She wont come out anymore, she only comes out during her feeding time😭🥴

[@Coco-uq1ts]

Arianna Caderao i said that shortly after earning trust but the same thing happened to me :’) he got stressed after a while so its honestly better to leave them be and only take them out occasionally lol i got wayy to excited

[@JeremyGoneWildPets]

My gecko is okay with being handled. He’s still a little flighty when I pick him up. Once I have him, he’s fine, but I have him in a 20 gallon long aquarium, so I’m coming at him from above. He likes head rubs but hates his back being touched.

[@gavrilopetkovic4752]

Mine took

[@gavrilopetkovic4752]

Too*

[@KiloRides]

Exact same

[@tiffyspetlife2500]

My gecko doesn’t like being picked up but when you do pick her up she’ll be a lot calmer!

[@YourLeftElb0w]

First time I got bit by my gecko was totally random because I wasn’t even trying to pet her I was just cleaning one of her hides and I put it back in and as I was pulling my hand out she dove on me and I was really shocked cause it was kinda cute how tiny it was. I was so scared of getting bitten for the longest time and when it final happened it was so anticlimactic, I was like oh…that was rude. 💀

[@therewillbestars8118]

I've got my leopard gecko (and my first reptile ever) almost a week ago, she's a resqued one and I was told she was grabbed by children a lot, so it's kinda stressful for both of us, but she's quite curious and it helps, so precious one. I love your channel, most useful information, thank you

[@miyukiwynter885]

I was nervous about sitting down with my baby because if she did run for it there are so many places for her to hide where I can't get to her, so when I started handling her I did it over her enclosure instead until she was more calm. The other day I let her on my shoulder for the first time and she did okay but she kept wanting to explore in my hair and get on my back so that was enough! I hope to have an area of floor space some day where I can let her explore more freely! She seems to trust me but other people made her nervous and she starts squirming if they get too close.

[@phantomiscringe4328]

My gecko is a f*cking speed demon, he can be calm and a split second later he’ll be halfway up my arm. I already have him tame and stuff but holy shit can he run.

[@lincarr3793]

Hello Jessica, excellent as always. I had a wonderful visit with a worker at a Pet Smart worker in the reptile and fish area yesterday. This Pet Smart has always had their animals clean and healthy not cramped together, food and water always available to the animals. I told her about you and she is going to check out your channel. Most of her animals are what she called broken and the loves of her life. They weren't busy so we got to chat for about half an hr. Than a customer came. Don't you love it when you pet your little ones and they arch like a cat! All of mine I noticed just before they shed like gentle scratches. They just stay put and kind of move their bodies around where it itches. Yup, their spoiled💖. God bless you and yours, Lin

[@ferretfun1700]

Lin Carr i love petsmart they are mostly very educated and have reptiles at home

[@katymccash7106]

This video was very helpful!! I recently adopted a 2-year old female leopard gecko who was rarely handled by their previous owner. She is extremely jumpy and nervous. She is also overweight so we have a lot of work to do! 😊

[@bunnybeane1666]

These videos were so much more reassuring than other videos I've seen on the topic. A while ago I realized that I might have been neglecting my leopard gecko... of course I fed and watered him, but I hadn't handled him in a very long time, and the food he was eating didn't fill him up very much. I'm trying to get him to trust me again and I'm getting him better food and a new tank today, because I really love this little guy and I want him to be happy.

[@Persondingus]

My gecko loves climbing on my shirt.

[@kailaj3288]

I finally got my gecko to climb on my hand without me grabbing him using ur method! Thank you so much because I’ve been trying to find a better method than the one the person who sold me my leopard gecko gave me and this worked like a charm!

[@JessicasAnimalFriends]

So glad to help!

[@patrickbang3037]

im a noob, but i found out in the first stage of mine being shy - if i dig a little bit around the substrate with my finger he will get EXTREMELY courios, from then on i put my hand down flat, because of adrenaline (hyped up because it was the first time he actually approached without being sketchy) so i was extra warm, when i finally got calm enough myself for him to stay he ended up laying down and hugging my thumb for a minute, closed eyes and the chin "croaking" like a frog, all satisfied- i cant wait till i reach the step of getting him out and sitting with him on the floor but it takes time and the journey is awesome

[@gabrielahunnell1584]

It really worked!!Thank you ❤My leopard gecko was just walking on my hand for about 15min. ❤It was SO CUTE. Thank you for posting this video

[@huntersly1997]

You are amazing! I just got my beautiful baby girl. And she’s partially blind and your video have been helping me sooo much ❤️ thank you!

[@cyberwasp461]

After a year of my friend getting Her, "Oscar," and handling him I decided to try my luck and got Felix. I only handled him once at the Repticon. Well the third day he scared the heck out of me. I have a medium Exo-terra terrarium. Well, Felix found the two slots at the bottom of the back wall and got behind it, lol. He wasn't hurt but geesh. I have since modified it so he can't. I held him at the show and wandered around my lap. He's very skittish yet and only had him on my hand once in the tank since getting him home. Am hoping he calms down like Oscar. Wish I found your videos sooner.

[@alaynasmart6378]

why does my gecko climb up my arm and go on top of my head 😂

[@JessicasAnimalFriends]

They’re an explorer 😂

[@Catkab]

alayna smart omg mine does it tooo

[@plant2188]

My African Fat Tailed gecko tries to go up my shoulder and down my back, she really want to have sticky toe pads like the other geckos lol!

[@zoeyrichards7720]

Every time I handle my gecko he tries to climb up my arm as well🤣

[@antoniomason4209]

This video was so helpful i have got a leopard gecko from a pet store and after i gave it time to get used to her enclosure i picked her up and she was very skiddish so when i tried to pick her up she would just run away so i stopped but now i will try some of the suggestions that you mentioned in the video thank you so much.

[@akoosha5328]

I just recently got a juvinile leopard gecko- and as ive begin to kind of touch and get used to him ive realised he is not a fan of back strokes but boy does this kid love headpats, its the cutest ever.

[@petsforlife6053]

Awesome Video! Love your channel and your livestreams! 😊❤️👏 Very Informational! ❤️

[@murkyclouds2770]

I just got a snow leopard gecko, Its my first reptile and the previous owner who has had it for a year never handled it so i need to teach him

[@juliannefoley7235]

Thanks for all your awesome advice!

[@sherrieb7133]

These videos are the best! Thank you

[@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 know you have many special needs or previously neglected leos so 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. Edit: for extra info 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 that you mentioned so that's reassuring, but I want to crosscheck with consideration for his trauma.

[@aestormy1241]

Soo in a teen And in a week or so Im gonna get a leopard gecko and i have resrced a looot So cage ,food ,heading ,vitamins... And your chanel is sooo hepful so thank you

[@annascholle9572]

I love Renly's big googly eyes xD

[@fantastic_fern9135]

How do you know if your gecko is one of those that just doesn't like handling or just isn't used to it?

[@reptilegirl5628]

I didn't do any of this..she's puppy tame !!took a WK...

[@snazzyblisss]

Everything that I’ve learned in depth about Leo’s is from your videos so thank you so much! I’ve had my baby leopard for 1 month now and she is so shy and timid, always stays in her hide unless for eating so I’ve been using the methods you said. How many times do you or anyone with experience recommend taking your leo out? I do at least 2 times a day, I’ve been want to take her out more but don’t want to stress her out too much !!

[@MeAnINFP]

I think what I’m worried about is 1) my gecko confusing my fingers for food and trying to bite them. 2) my gecko being stressed when it’s out of the cage. I don’t take him out often, but the last time he seemed scared. I put him on the carpet, and he just froze and lowered to the ground.

[@emmabauer3325]

Your gecko only will really think your hand is good if you keep your fingers spread apart or you wiggle your fingers. Your gecko being scared of other environments is perfectly normal and the best way to help with that is to slowly introduce them to new places and just keep holding them so they feel a little more comfortable

[@audrey3751]

The first day i got my juvenile gecko he was fine with being handled but the next day i went to pick him up he bit and hissed at me! Now a week later he’s gotten used to me putting his food in the tank and he runs towards my hands.

[@anitaslack]

I love Benjen and Merlin (my favorite)!

[@ijbagregory]

I just tried to and they did kinda move away but they didn’t run, bite, or jump, so it’s a start :)

[@alexnielsen3488]

My guy just can’t keep still and is constantly exploring 😆

[@Persondingus]

My gecko climbed my whole body when I put it on my hand

[@annadomini2008]

grear videos, very useful and valuable, thank you!

[@amandastephens2553]

First time looking to get a leopard gecko and I had the anole chameleons that change from brown to green and handle them even though they don't really like to be handled and they're really fast and jumpy but I'm trying to learn more about the care holding them which one is better to have male or female if you want to hold it

[@jessicagee2523]

I have a gecko I’ve had for 7 years and she is now acting very defensive she suddenly but me one day and I also got her when she was full grown so not sure how old she is. She should be used to me and my sounds and behaviours and being touched so not sure why she is suddenly is acting so aggressive… I don’t want to stress her out so I’ve just been not touching her but doesn’t seem to be getting better … any thoughts.

[@Keaton_alan]

I have two Geckos, my youngests name is Jim, I have had him for a little over a year now and I still cannot touch or handle him. He is very mean and will bite, he also will try to jump out of my hand when I do try to handle him.

[@LamaInARedJacket]

If I do put my hand towards him for him to walk onto my palm he just tries to bite it and thinks it’s food. How do I stop that?

[@ProgressiveDiscussions]

I have this juvenile hypo tangerine male leopard gecko. It's very well fed it is in a 20 gallon long tank with all the accommodations and it appears to be very healthy. My problem is it is starting to get aggressive and tonight as I grabbed it to pick it up its mouth was gaping wide open and instead of giving me a little love tap Bite, it bit me hard on the finger which started bleeding all over. I thought these lizards were supposed to be docile? Now I want to try to sell this psycho for breeding purposes Maybe.

[@SwmpMnstrrr]

My gecko is a year old and still does not like to be in my hand. :( Ever since I got her I've been very patient with her but she just seems like a type who does not like to be handled, which I'm really sad about. Sometimes she has curious days when she's super interactive but most of the times she rather stays inside. She is healthy, she has been at the vet a couple of times just to check in case there's something with her but she is just...this way I guess. Any thoughts are welcome if anyone else experienced times with geckos like this.

[@toniashadle953]

I recently got a geko but here's the thing I have ADHD and like my hand kinda shakes and so it's really hard for me to get him to trust me do you have any ideas to help me hold him pls

[@petedog1017]

I just recently got a gecko 4 days ago from a private owner who had her for 6 years which means she already is juvenile and so far she seems to adjust well. She ate a lot crickets with no problem and sometimes when she sees me she'll kind of walk up to me but sometimes she'll go into her hiding spot when she sees me. I tried putting my hand near her and she won't come close yet but she doesn't take off running either. I sometimes sit and talk with her and stuff so she can get to know me better. You think I should still wait two weeks to handle her and stuff or can I make the effort now to handle her ?

[@yt5957]

The most useful video ~eevvvveeerrrrr~

[@abrilnunez4592]

Jessica, I need help please , I got a gecko and when I hold it. It runs away and if I try grabbing it to prevent it from falling, it opens its mouth wide the direction of my finger and I'm confused why, I'm not handling it badly

[@MoonSilverValley23]

My gecko is still new to being handled she confuses my hand for food lol the first time she bit me but didn't seem to scared she is new how ever ive had her almost 3 weeks still kinda skittish

[@rovena996]

I think one of my babys does not like being handled. Shes very flighty and jumpy. It makes me sad but I'm still trying. The other baby is very chill. I'm still working with both. They're still babys so I have hope.

[@JessicasAnimalFriends]

It took a whole year and then some for one of my babies to come around. they do calm down with age fortunately lol.

[@lk4543]

My girl is just like this too, very jumpy when I touch her plus she has bad vision which is not helping the taming but I am going at her pace. All she seems to love at the moment is her food, she would eat herself to death if I let her

[@mikaylalafleur5740]

what do I do if I already made some mistakes with my baby gecko and she is scared of me now? When I got Lizy, the people at the pet store told me I should basically scoop her up and force her to be handled every day so she gets used to it. I felt really bad doing it but I did anyway because I thought that’s what I was suppose to do. I later learned that that’s not what I should’ve been doing. Also on the second day I took her out of her cage she jumped out of my hand and fell on the ground. She seemed physically ok but now when I put my hand in her terrarium she runs away from it. Sometimes she will come over to my hand and lick it and walk away but she won’t walk into my hand willingly and she bit my finger once. Is she gonna hate me forever cause I messed up with her when she was a tiny baby??

[@laylaanton1595]

How is she doing now? I'm in a similar situation.

[@fangsystem]

I have to say... I'm rather late to all of these videos :') I find it a little funny how I find all of these amazing reptile youtubers specifically AFTER I have the worst time of my life, trying to care for leopard geckos. At 5:01, you call that nightmare fuel? Man, that's baby steps for little 8-year old me, when I finally got my first 2 leopard geckos straight from Petco, one a juvi male, the other an adult female. They were both rather malnourished, especially since they came from horrible living conditions at the store. And worst part of all; I did little to no research on geckos at the time. I just took the employees' words for granted, and god... it ended horribly. The juvi male was extremely stressed to the point where he refused to eat, bit everyone out of fear, and eventually starved to death. At that time, the two geckos were housed together, but that meant that the adult female had to witness it all. You could tell just by looking at her that she became horribly depressed, stopped eating, and soon enough died right after. I have to admit, that had to have been one of the worst experiences a pet owner could go through. It still makes me feel horrible to this day, just because I didn't do any research. :\

[@olivianna_leee]

Do you have any other tips for if it does get scared and runs away?

[@taylorsoha300]

Hi Jessica! If you are doing gentle touches on the chin or side of the neck, and they close their eyes, is that good or bad?

[@JessicasAnimalFriends]

They’re probably just closing their eyes bc you’re in close proximity to their eyes. If they hated it I imagine they’d pull away or bite

[@kailaj3288]

What do you do if you don’t have a confined area to handled your gecko? Is there anywhere else you can handle your gecko safely?

[@JessicasAnimalFriends]

On the floor, you can stretch out your legs to a wall or line your feet up with someone else’s and it makes a nice little area with a barrier :)

[@kailaj3288]

@@JessicasAnimalFriends Thank you so much for responding this soon or even responding at all! Your videos were super helpful and I have saved this video for the steps farther along.

[@sandraradovanic5041]

i get my gecko from pet store and she is alredy came on my hand

[@moonmzmoonwright6893]

How long can you hold your leopard gecko for out of his or hers tank? My leopard gecko name is Jacinto an my other one is MoonBeem. Anybodys answers is needed for those who have geckos.

[@urfaveslut77]

im a new gecko owner but im pretty sure you could keep it out as long as you'd like or when the gecko begins to get flighty or nervous

[@sherrieb7133]

10-20 minutes before it gets cold. You can check it’s belly for that.

[@cschwarz2506]

I guess I’ve been doing it a little wrong. I’ve had mine for about 2 weeks. I’ve let it alone for a couple days, (3-4) and then I started to handle by picking up. It w I updated make some squeaky sounds when I did. I’ve mentioned this to some people and said that it was normal when you start to handle them. I assumed I was doing it right. I feel so bad that this was probably scaring it ( not sure if male or female) but seemed ok once it was in my hands as it was walking around hand to hand without seeming scared. Still gets a little jumpy when I pick it up but calms down once in my hands. I’m thinking about changing my approach As I don’t want it to be scared of me. Just hope it’s not too late.

[@PlatypusDestroyer]

I know I don’t do this right but to help tame mine I take the hide and kind of lift my gecko and at first he was really scared but he is getting used to being handled

[@mariah-1993]

My Leo is a baby and I’m soo scared to stress her out.

[@gissyyyy]

Where do you recommend getting leopard geckos

[@JessicasAnimalFriends]

Where To Get A Leopard Gecko (and Other Common Reptiles) kzbin.info/www/bejne/l6rOhHWHeb2Ah5o

[@savanalovesart9907]

Now my leopard gecko is climbing all over me lol

[@sashavalentina234]

When I went to a pet store I was holding a leopard gecko and this boy said he wants to hold it so after two seconds it jumped out of his hands

[@tiffyspetlife2500]

If I have one male reptile and five male mammals in the same room as my female gecko will she lay infertile eggs? The reptile is a beardie btw

[@sotsu618]

?????? no??????

[@HorstChiropractic]

My gecko keeps trying to bite me. I’ve been trying to hold him everyday and he always tries to bite me at least twice each time. This is a pet for my 9 year old, he has bit her and she’s totally afraid now. I don’t wanna find him a new home and I’m really trying to tame him. He’s an adult. We haven’t tried the “scoop” method you mentioned, but will tomorrow (as long as he doesn’t bit 😮) any other suggestions? We’ve had him for about a month and he’s still being an asshole to be honest. Please help!

[@JessicasAnimalFriends]

Well, it’s possible your gecko needs time to settle in and feel secure. Trying everyday means your gecko knows you won’t leave it alone, and since it’s only been about a month I’m not sure that has left much room for your gecko to get acclimated. Give it more time & try tong feeding, relocating the enclosure to a quieter part of the house, adding more overhead decor that makes your gecko feel safe on the ground (ie plants, cork, driftwood), black out the sides and back of the enclosure, and most importantly let the little guy come to you rather than you coming to him. It might take a while. Sometimes reptiles aren’t meant for kids, too. They’re prey animals and when they’re small they can be flighty instinctively

[@snotina]

what if yor gecko doesnt whant to be pet

[@nathanparris1368]

I just got a gecko it’s been 2 weeks and if I try to hold him he looks at my hand like food

[@JessicasAnimalFriends]

Baby geckos always be hungry lol

[@luanafranchi1974]

I need help, I got Zuko 5 days ago and he’s a juvenile. I held him for a little on the first day while we set up his terrarium and he seemed just fine, my sister tried holding him and he jumped and ever since then he’s been very jumpy, i tried feeding him mealworms but he hasn’t eaten yet. I talk to him and put my hang in his tank but he just hides every time he sees me approaching. I don’t know what to do.

[@JessicasAnimalFriends]

Try watching the video that’s a pair to this one, how to get your gecko used to you!

[@lolkoolkat9111]

That's what I wanted to name mine but I still don't know if it's a girl or boy

[@emmabauer3325]

To find out gender you need to wait for your gecko to be about 5-6 inches long. On their undersides right where the tail meets the body, males will have a line of thin dots along their skin. Females will not

[@hilazuk1346]

American horror stories😍😍😍😍

[@nayi7760]

I just got a Juvenal gecko at a pet store😭 but this definitely helps but how do you know what gender your gecko is?

[@JessicasAnimalFriends]

I have a video on my channel about that!

[@nayi7760]

@@JessicasAnimalFriends I just found out he is a boy😁!! He is getting use to me and he is very sassy!! Your videos help me so much thank you!!

[@ItsR2001]

What type of gecko is that

[@JessicasAnimalFriends]

a cute one!

[@57bigblock42]

My gecko used to hate me and it was hard to feed her but I took your advice and every time it heres my voice it runs out of her cave.

[@JessicasAnimalFriends]

Aww that’s such good news!!!

[@tabithascheibe8922]

Every time I offering him calcium, he sniffed and licked it, I’m not going to handle him untill his next shed so he’s nice and bigger an not as afraid.

[@Gumorisco11]

I tried petting my geckos back and it hissed at me

[@JessicasAnimalFriends]

That will happen especially with juvenile or testy geckos. Just be patient and keep at it with a gentle hand

[@Gumorisco11]

@@JessicasAnimalFriends i got scared lol the gecko that i bought is an adult i still need lot more practice on handdling it but will try every day so it can get used to me

[@emmabauer3325]

DO NOT grab your gecko by the back! It’s very threatening to them since it’s like a bird grabbing them

[@Gumorisco11]

@@emmabauer3325 i just pet him gently hes slowly getting used to me at first he would panick

[@ramfam6124]

Do leopard geckos need more than 1 hide

[@JessicasAnimalFriends]

Yes

[@ramfam6124]

So how do you make one side cool and the other warmer for leopard geckos

[@JessicasAnimalFriends]

Use a heat mat with a thermostat

[@ferretfun1700]

Vlogs Away they need three or more, if u get one do a lot of research

[@kiershawhite4986]

My leopard gecko is a baby but it could be a juvenile,bc it looks biggish but it’s very skittish it won’t let me touch it. and this is very weird but, it’s very active in the day time.also at night.

[@daniel7767]

ADHD? Hahaha

[@kiershawhite4986]

British_Imperialism 😂😂