Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Didn't hurt... except my feelings.

I just got them (2 4-5 month old babies) this weekend.

I was going easy with them... just putting my hand in the tank for them to snif me. The "boy" (not sure yet) came over sniffed me, licked me, and then clamped on to my finger.

I picked them up twice before without a problem. (Once getting them out of the box into the aquarium, and the next time to feed them... I feed them seperatly to keep them from bothering each other.)

Like I said it didn't hurt, but when he gets a bit bigger it might... Hopefully it was an accident.

Dont sweat it... your geckos should grow out of biting in time. The way you described being bitten is a bit strange though. It sounds almost like he/she mistaked you for a food item. When young leopards bite you they normally don't get buddy buddy with you first, they scream/wave-tail/bite.

I've handled tons of adult leopard geckos and I can say that the only time I have been bitten by an adult leopard gecko was when a female bit me while I was attempting to administer meds, and that was only because she did not enjoy being restrained.

Good luck with your new geckos, and don't let the biting thing scare you.
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-Ross Payan - www.LeosAnonymous.com

Leos Anonymous

Ball Pythons, Red Striped Leos, W.Hognose and Screaming AFT's

One of my (adult) leos bit me once, but it was an accident. I was trying to pet her chin when she was under the hide area & she bit me. It didn't hurt, but then again her whole mouth didn't get around my finger. It was more of a funny surprise than anything else. I was wondering if anyone ever got bit by there leos & drew blood? Or if it actually hurts?
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Danielle
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1.0 green water dragon, 0.3 leos, 1.0 adopted iguana, 0.0.1 beardie, 2.0 green anoles, 1.0 blue anole and 2.2 bettas ~My Pets~

I have about 95 leopard geckos now. Only once have I seen anyone bitten by an adult. Last year I was telling my husband how one of my favorite things about leos is that they just don't bite. I handed him an adult female and she promptly turned around and bit his thumb. It drew blood. Think she heard me?

Other than that, I've been bitten by babies mostly right in the incubator as I'm taking them out. Doesn't hurt a bit and I'm a wimp when it comes to being bitten.

I've learned to 'herd' them onto my hand rather than reaching down and grabbing them. Also if they're jumpy I put my second hand right in front of their face. It blocks them from jumping and seems to actually calm them down. Forming a cave with your hands really helps too.

~Andrea A.

>>One of my (adult) leos bit me once, but it was an accident. I was trying to pet her chin when she was under the hide area & she bit me. It didn't hurt, but then again her whole mouth didn't get around my finger. It was more of a funny surprise than anything else. I was wondering if anyone ever got bit by there leos & drew blood? Or if it actually hurts?
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>>Danielle
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>>1.0 green water dragon, 0.3 leos, 1.0 adopted iguana, 0.0.1 beardie, 2.0 green anoles, 1.0 blue anole and 2.2 bettas ~My Pets~
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Andrea A.

I have been bitten by my adult male when I was hand feeding him, it drew blood but didn't hurt. They do have sharp teeth.
The only animal that did hurt is when I got bitten by my cousins yellow footed tortoise when it mistaken my hand for food.

Yeah, Ron's bit me by mistake, lol. I was trying to feed her and she kept getting distracted by any other movement once I drop the mealie in. So, here I was.. going to move a mealie and she just clamped down momentarily on my finger and my arm shot out of the tank from surprise, lol. No one was hurt during that little incident, Ron was not still attached and NO it didn't hurt!
I've also been bitten by Raine because he's just plain psycho at this age, lol. See ya, and don't worry.. it doesn't hurt, but I would only worry about jerking away and pulling teeth out. Be careful!

-Britney
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1.1 Leos(Ron and Raine), 2.1 Kitty Cats(Bubba, Angelo and Cookie) and 1.1 Rouen Ducks(Buddy and M.J.).

I personally have only been bitten by my babies and you cant really even feel it. Just a little bump on the finger. I might not even know if happened if they didnt hiss at the same time. On the other hand...
Last April I got an adult male albino in the mail and he was really stressed from the shipping. He didnt eat a thing for almost 3 weeks so its a good thing he was already a healthy adult. I didnt handle him much during that time but one time my friend who also keeps leos wanted to pick him up. The male quickly bit him once, and then bit him again a couple of seconds later when he tried to pick him up again. Both bites ended up drawing blood and it seemed to be one of those wounds that wont stop bleeding. It was bleeding bad, just a small trickle but if you didnt wipe it clean for about a minute it would build up and start looking like a nasty wound! hehe (for the morbid part in us all) Ultimately it was harmless but I was shocked since I had never been bitten by an adult, let alone two bites that both drew blood. Since then he has calmed down a lot and hasnt bit me once. Heres his pic for the heck of it..

Joe

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How cute! I remember the first time I got nailed by a leo. I thought it was odd...a pretty mild mannered critter just grappled my finger with her mouth. I felt the "pain". Now it a routine thing. I never "play" with my leos anymore and since then they are a bit more feisty. The adults do not hurt much more than them young'ns. The secret is not to freak out when they bite ya and sling your leo across the room...

1) Could hurt/kill your leo which would suck
2) Makes the bite, which most likely would not break your skin, bleed.

They are cool critters though! Easy to care for on the most part.

Thanks guys... That makes me feel a little better. Like I said, it didnt hurt. I was just a bit worried that he might keep doing it when he was full grown if he was doing it now.