Crested geckos don't tend to bite, only was bit once and that was because I was offering a butterworm and she missed her target. But the bite didn't hurt...didn't' even break the skin. I never had a crested gecko even threaten a bite, even with babies. Most seem more inclined to flee than bite.

However, despite how docile crested geckos are I don't consider nor recommend them as a lizard to be held for more than a few minutes at a time. They can stress and often drop their tails if stressed or feel threatened. That and they can jump and either get out of reach or end up falling and hurting themselves.

They do calm down once they are older so can be held in hand or allowed to climb on a shoulder or head...but definitely best to limit any handling to a few minutes at most.

If you are looking for a pet that you can hold for long periods of time..I suggest looking into bearded dragons or blue tongue skinks. Both are larger lizards, less delicate and more content being held or kept on a lap for long periods. Both do require much larger cages than crested geckos and need special heating and lighting needs (though blue tongued skinks don't need as much heat as a bearded dragon...and UVB doesn't seem necessary but I always supply it anyway.)

Another thing to consider, so you want to see your pet during the day or is night time viewing fine? Crested geckos are nocturnal..so during the day, they are hidden and asleep and they don't tend to come out till after night fall. Some do come out at dusk, however.
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PHLdyPayne

Forum Princess

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