Reptile & Amphibian Forums

First of, thanks to all for the advice about feeding our new leopard gecko. Now that he is getting a few crickets a night, he is taking his time and enjoying the hunt.

Now I have a new question---I don't know how old our gecko is---he is about 4-4 1/2 inches long---he was sold to us as "young". We have had him about 10 days now. We really haven't tried to handle him for the first week so he could settle in, but now we are trying to get him used to us so we can handle him if necessary without a lot of trauma. Things aren't going well. He is FAST! We don't want to freak him by this big pink thing chasing him around his tank. Once I got close, but he whirled and it sorta look like he nipped. (I would imagine a bite wouldn't hurt much, his teeth are so small, but it's a little intimidating...)What's the nicest way to handle him so that we don't traumatize him or squish him? I have tried just resting my hand against the outside of the tank so he sees the big pink thing isn't dangerous. He seems interested, if wary. We talk to him alot and he ACTS like he is listening. What else can we do to make friends? We know we should not handle him much, but we have to in order to clean his tank, etc.

Thank you!

Well because he is so young they don't like to be handle much. As they get older they will let you handle them.

My little one screams when my hand gets close when we first got it. It took about 3 weeks and about 4 sheds for it to actually handle it for a few minutes.

For mine, it was hiding a whole lot when it was smaller. ADVICE: if yours is hiding alot too. I recommand to remove everything so it has nothing to hide and look it over carefully mostly around the toes because the shed might not came off all the way.
Ours lost part of a toe because we didn't want to disturb it alot.

As cruel as it sound you got to do something even if it scare them a bit. But they learn that you aren't harming them.

As for cleaning out the cage, just clean the cage and get a small box and try and shoo him into it and them cover the box and clean away.

Eventually it will become accustom to how things works in the new home.

humm the advise iw as given for my babay leo when i got it which has worked realy realy well. is put your hand in the bottom of the tank and leave it htere for a bit let your leo walk around it lick it sniff it. to actualy handle it the firt time i handled myleo i waited for it to be quite used to me then basicly have your ahdn flat then slpwly slide it underneeth you leo and let it walk over your hand. it will walk strait off it again but once youv edone this a few times you can pick it up slowly and carfully. but ive no thad my leo long and it is still a baby but i can just reach in and grab it now liek c law from above and it prety calm about it. thats how i go tmy leo used ot beinghandled and it woked pretty well. good luck. oh and my baby is like 5 3/4 inchs long so not much biggger than yorus and at the rate mine is growing not much older than yours