# First Leopard Gecko- Behaviour and Taming



## CraigH91 (Oct 4, 2011)

First of all; I have just joined RFUK and this is my first post 
I've had a quick look around at some of the answers that are related to my question(s) but none of them seem to be an exact match for what I need (I guess every gecko is different, right? ) If these questions seem a bit stupid or have been previously answered then I'm sorry 

Ok, I got my first ever Leopard Gecko 5 weeks ago now and he/she is roughly 13 weeks old. I was just curious as to how much a leo of this age should be eating and how they would behave? Would they be very active? As soon as my leo sees the tub I keep the crickets in she gets really lively and comes over to have a look at what's for supper and then after she's eaten she'll usually just head into her moist hide and sleep for a couple of hours before having a walk around the viv. Is it normal for a leopard gecko to sleep quite a bit during the evening? Most nights when I go to bed she is still asleep in the moist hide. I'm a bit concerned as I don't really know how much a leopard gecko will usually sleep and she seems to sleep quite a lot.

Also, when it comes to handling, I place my hand on the bottom of the viv for about 5-10 minutes before I feed my leo and she'll usually come and have a sniff around, lick my fingers and sit on my hand for a little while. I've been doing this every day since the second week I got my gecko, once she had settled in. But if I try to pick her up or touch her she runs away to hide and still seems pretty nervous. Do I just need to be patient and keep doing what I'm doing? Would it be a good idea to try hand feeding her some mealworms perhaps?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated :2thumb: I think I'm probably being a bit paranoid since this is my first reptile but I thought it would be best to get some opinions.

Also, some quick details about my set up:
L 91.5 x D 37.5 x H 40.5 cm
Cool end: 79.6 degrees
Warm end: 88.5 degrees
Heat source: overhead heat lamp
2 artificial plants, 2 hides and some basking rocks
Exo Terra Yellow Desert Sand Terrarium Substrate


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## Mozart (Jan 10, 2011)

:welcome:

Ok I'll start with the taming: is totally subjective on the gecko, some are handled from birth and will naturally be more willing to be handled, where as others that have never been handled will naturally be scared. 
It sounds like your doing the right thing with leaving your hand in the viv, that's exactly what I would recommend, carry on this exercise for a time and gradually increase the time you leave it in the viv. At some stage (dependent) the gecko will come and sit on your hand or feel brave enough to walk over you. At this stage raise your hand ever so slowly and keep it above ground height of the viv, but low enough for the gecko to get off without injuring it self.
Don't try and pick it up, as you've seen this scares the gecko at the early stages and we don't want them to shed their tails because of our inpatients. if the gecko does what I call "wall climbing" where they stand on hind legs and scratch at the walls like their climbing, you can slide your hand under their bellies, but again I'd do that if the gecko feels more comfortable with you.
After a time your be able to take the gecko out the viv with its full trust and allow it to sit on your shoulder : victory:
But please give the lizard time, remember these critters live potentially for 20 years so there's plenty of time to become good friends.

By the sounds of it as well your gecko is still settling in to her new home, this could be down to the fact your viv (for her age) is _*huge. *_At 13 weeks I imagine she's still tiny and small in build.
I'd look to cut that viv to a 1/3 of its sizes and then gradually open it up as she grows bigger.
I've got a baby atmo whose around the same age and she's only in a 8"L by 8"W.
Also I wouldn't be using a heat lamp as the heat source. Leo's get their heat from under their bellies when they perch on the floor, I'd strongly recommend getting a heat mat for the viv which should be regulated by a thermostat. The heat mat should cover 1/3 - 1/2 the length of the viv, but I'd start smaller if your going to cut the viv in half.
I'd also make sure that the hides are the right size for her, get something smaller at first and let her grow in to new ones at her own pace.
That and the size of a viv can easily make the gecko frightened and stressed out, which is possibly why she runs from you when you go to pick her up.
Your temps are good though, I take it you got a thermometer to regulate the temps digitally?
Lastly: I'd look to take her off the sand, at a young age she needs to be on kitchen cloth, only being that the loose substrate at this age (and people would say all ages) can cause impaction, as a baby they are homing their hunting skills and need a solid base to help them.

if your unsure on anything else you can get the care sheets on this website under Lizards / Care sheets, or feel free to post or PM people.

Please don't worry about making mistakes as well and people flaming your for them, we all start off somewhere and theirs plenty of people who will give you their time in order to help you out.
Hope all that helps.


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## scottymac1989 (Oct 10, 2010)

Welcome mate just echo what above said about viv size and heat mat i use an energy saving bulb for light as it doesnt interfer with th temps i keep my cool end 22-24 and warm end 31-33 th onli leo i got at hatchling age done exactly th same came out 2 feed thn went back in walked about later on at nyt shes doin fine now they all walk about durin th day all th time now its advised you dont keep them on sand if i was you i would use towels thn move on to slate or tiles as they look dead natural some of them easy 2 clean keep heat really well hope this helps


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