Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is handleable a word?

I read a website that said crested geckos are some of the easiest lizards to handle. I held one at Petco. I think it would have been easier to hold onto a goldfish. That thing was squirmy. How much do they calm down?

Some Geckos will tolerate handling, they never really "like" to be handled, but if you start them young some will calm down. I have three one of them was handled daily for eight months before I bought him and he tolerates it pretty well, and the other two don't like it at all.
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1.2 Crested Geckos
2 ringneck snakes
1 packman frog
1.2 Box Turtles

>>Is handleable a word?

yup! =)

depends on the age of the gecko, how much it has been handled and how you are handling it. younger geckos will generally be more jumpy and calm down with age, however, older geckos that haven't been handled can be pretty squirrelly (is that a word? lol).

also, people unfamiliar with cresteds often grab onto them as if they're going to blast off from their hands if they let go or something. the geckos don't really like to be touched on their backs/heads so if someone is gripping one in their fist, it's not going to like it and it is going to try to squirm away. the best thing to do is the hand walk - put your hand flat in front of the gecko and let it climb onto you. if it is hesitant, you can lightly touch it on the back near its hind legs to persuade it to jump. then put your other hand in front of it and just let it keep walking/jumping from hand to hand (they like to move upwards so try keeping the target slightly above the gecko). do this near the ground so in case it jumps off, it won't have far to land. once they land, they usually don't dart off and are easy to catch again. just be prepared and quick and whatever you do, don't grab at the gecko because you can hurt it. you can tell by their body posture when they're getting ready to jump and anticipate it so you can guide it where you want it to go.

many geckos will calm down with regular handling (start with 5 minutes a day and go from there) but some geckos were just born to be spazzes.
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4.1 snakes, 5.3.2 crested geckos, 0.1 gargoyle gecko, 2.0 devon rex cats, 1.0 betta

Thanks guys. So what is a tame crested like on a scale from 1 to 10.

1 being anole.
10 being beardy.

>>Thanks guys. So what is a tame crested like on a scale from 1 to 10.
>>
>>1 being anole.
>>10 being beardy.

If I'm understanding your scale correctly (beardy being the calm end?), I'd give a tame crested probably about a 7 or an 8. I know one that's pretty much content to sit there. I've actually seen it crawl up under the collar of my brother's shirt and just hang out there for a long time. I only go as low as 7 or 8 because I've also seen the same gecko go exploring across a table. He's pretty slow/predictable. Mine, on the other hand, is more like a 5 - she's calmed down a lot from her adolescence, but is still kind of nuts.
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0.1 Albino Leopard Gecko - Tigger
0.1 Crested Gecko - Pooh-Bear

I think you also need to remember that cresties will be a little squirmy initially when they come out of their enclosures. I've found that a minute or two of hand walking will usually be enough to settle down an adult crested.

On your scale, I would also put an adult at a 7 or 8.... a juvie however, I would put at a solid 3!
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Wally
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