He bit me!

[Melmur]

Hello!

I have had my leopard gecko for about 3 years now. I handled him fine for years, but about 6 months ago I was bit by him for the first time. It was completely my fault because I was watching television while holding him. As he started to walk away I went to grab him to bring him back so he didn’t walk off the couch. I wasn’t really paying attention because I was watching TV and I accidentally grabbed him in a way he didn’t like and he turned around and bit me. I know it was absolutely my fault and I should have been paying more attention to him, but it was honestly an accident. However, it did leave a bite mark on my hand for awhile after and the shock of the moment kind of scared me to the point where I don’t hold him much anymore.

I handle my corn snake fine and he doesn’t scare me in the slightest, it’s just my leopard gecko that I’m wary of now. However, I’d like to start handling him more to get him used to me again. But in the 6 months I wasn’t holding him I only went into his tank to clean it, feed and water him, etc. And when I changed the substrate from one of those repti carpets to eco earth a few months ago it was torture trying to get him out because I didn’t want to be bitten again.

But since I want to start holding him more now I’d like to be less afraid of another bite. I know it sounds silly to be so scared of just a little lizard bite, but that bite while watching TV really shocked me and it was quite painful. Once I get him out of the tank he’s fine and I’m not worried about him biting me. It’s the actually removing him from the tank that’s the problem. Again, in the 6 months where I didn’t hold him I mainly only opened his cage to feed him. So now when I reach in to scoop him into my hand he looks expectantly at me like he’s waiting for food, and sometimes he’ll try to nip at my finger thinking it’s a mealworm.

He’s a sweet boy and back when I used to handle him more often he was really sweet and not timid at all. He’s very outgoing and tame for the most part.

Is there a way to gently scoop him into my hand or get him to recognize that I’m trying to handle him and it’s not feeding time? Also, does anyone have any other tips to help me get comfortable handling him again?

Thanks in advance!

 

[acpart]

I think that once you have some good experiences, the whole situation will be better. Here are a few ideas:
--consider wearing a pair of thin gloves when you're taking him out. You can take them off if you want once you have him out
--feed him a little before you take him out as a reward. You could even scoop him up as he's eating
--give him a toilet paper tube to crawl into and then lift that out of the cage.

Hope things get better for you both!

Aliza

 

[Melmur]

Those are good ideas. Thank you so much for the suggestions!

 

[ammr3b]

Lizards like all animals can be trained with classical conditioning! Try making different sounds for different activities. My leo came to ma as a rescue for lacking bite inhibition. Turns out he can’t see very well and thought every movement was a chance for a snack! When I am feeding him I click my tongue against the side of my mouth as I open the tank. When I’m handling I make a chittering noise as I open so he knows whether to expect food or a hand. Just be consistent with the same noise for the same activity every time and he will eventually catch on (it may take a few months).