Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just got a leopard gecko from the pet store a little over a week ago. I belive its been almost two weeks. It used to be nice and would let me hold it....after a little squirming of course. I don't hold it often but starting yesterday it started hissing and biting. I am not able to get near it without it being hostile. Even if i just put my hand in the tank it starts acting strang. Jumping up on all fours and running to go hide. We have another one as well and it is very calm. It crawls into my hand and likes to be held. Is this normal for the one to act a little aggressive or am I doing something wrong? What should I do to make the gecko a little more comfortable with me!

I would suggest not grabbing the little guy unless you must for starters. If it's squirming, that says to me that you're forcibly picking it up. What I've found to be a better technique (and which, for me, has resulted in behavior similar to what you describe with your other gecko) is to just put your hand down on the bottom of the terrarium near the gecko and let them get used to the idea that a hand is not something they need to be afraid of. Don't chase them or harrass them, just let them get used to you. At some point you'll probably get licked - they tend to explore new things with their tongues. When this happens, you're probably on the way to a better level of trust. This may take a lot of patience, but realize that to them, you're very scary. I don't know how big you are, so I'll use myself as an example - 180 pounds of 6-foot tall me is really scary to a sub-50 gram lizard until the lizard has learned to trust me. The other issue at hand is that this is presumably a juvenile gecko - they tend to be more nervous, skittish, and prone to defensive vocalizations and/or biting than adults, at least in my experience. Be patient and give the little guy time to calm down and trust you. Good luck .
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0.1 Albino Leopard Gecko - Tigger
0.0.1 Crested Gecko - Pooh-Bear

One of mine, the first leo I got, use to do that when it was younger. When I went to pick it up, it would hiss and in away try to bite me. Now she as calm and gentle as an angel. I would recommend hand feeding it with small forceps or tounge. That's what I did mine and with a little bit of handling she calm right down. You can hand feed mealworm and crickets, and waxworm if you like. Good luck!

Pet stores usually don't take optimal care of their herps, leading to lethargy. Perhaps the little guy is finally starting to feel healthy and vigorous?

Don't worry about him/her freaking out. Instead of trying to hold him just put your hand in the enclosure and let him get used to you. Once you are no longer viewed as a threat (and once he grows a little) the aggressive behavior should cease.

Leopards are commonly timid/aggressive/jumpy when they are juvies and mellow out tremendously when they mature.
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-Ross Payan - www.LeosAnonymous.com