All leopard gecko owners want their leopard geckos to become tame and love them. But as we know, leopard geckos don’t have an ability to love their owners, but they can associate you with positive things. There are few tips that you can follow to make a leopard gecko love you more. In this post, we will discuss how to make a leopard gecko love you, why your leopard gecko might be not liking you and share tips and ideas. All of these tips will also make your leopard gecko happy if you follow them consistently.
Tip number 1: Tame and bond with your leopard gecko
You will need to tame your leopard gecko before it can love you. Taming a leopard gecko can take around 3-6 weeks after you bring it home, but you can start the process over again if you think that you did something wrong.
When you successfully tame your leopard gecko, it will trust you more and will be comfortable in your presence. Taming will not only include acclimatization and socializing, but also providing your leopard gecko with a proper tank, setting up its habitat and including accessories (such as branches and 3 hideouts).
What is more, you will need to let your leopard gecko acclimatize by not handling it for the first 3-4 weeks and so on. If you want to learn everything about taming a leopard gecko, you are welcome to read this post.
Tip number 2: Give your leopard gecko a name and make a sound to greet it
Believe it or not, leopard geckos can get used to a specific sound or their name over time. Right after getting your leopard gecko and bringing it home, give it a name and come up with a sound.
After acclimatization period (2-3 weeks), start calling your leopard gecko by the name and making a sound (such as a clicking sound with your mouth) before approaching the tank or feeding. Over time, your leopard gecko will start reacting to the name & sound. This will also help with bonding.
If you want a list of 250+ cool and badass names for your leopard gecko, you can find them in this post.
Tip number 3: Handle your leopard gecko
Handling your leopard gecko will really help to bond with and make your leopard gecko like you more. Make sure to be patient and consistent when handling a leopard gecko.
Start handling sessions around 4 weeks after bringing your leopard gecko home. Handle for 5 minutes or when cleaning/doing health checks for the first weeks, and then increase the timing gradually. It is better not to handle baby leopard gecko until it becomes 5-6 inches long, as they it is very fragile at this point.
Don’t make any sudden moves, and make sure to support your leopard gecko’s legs, tail and body when handling. Let your leopard gecko walk on your hands and or knees when handling. This will prevent any jumps, anxiety or other injuries. Never place your hand on top of your gecko, as this is a sign of threat. Don’t pull its tail.
You can also place your hand in the tank more often, so that your leopard gecko gets used to your presence and smell. Leopard gecko is very likely to smell and lick your hand – this is how they learn about their surroundings. Be very slow and careful when doing this, not to scare your gecko.
Remember, leopard geckos don’t particularly enjoy handling, but they become tolerant of it. Don’t make sudden moves or drop your gecko if it pees or poops on your when handling.
If it does poop/pee on your hand, don’t return it to the tank immediately, as it will think that it’s the way for you to leave it alone. Your leopard gecko can also chirp when you’re handling it – this means it’s uncomfortable. Keep trying, as handling will also help your leopard gecko to get used to you more.
If you want to learn about proper leopard gecko handling techniques and tips, visit this post.
Tip number 4: Respect your leopard gecko’s needs
You can make your leopard gecko love you more if you respect its needs. You need to remember that leopard geckos are crepuscular, which means that they become active at dawn and dusk.
This means that you must not disturb your leopard gecko during the day, when it is resting. Only interact with your gecko when it’s active – it will definitely love you more for that.
Other important leopard gecko needs include having 3 hideouts in the tank (warm one in a basking spot, cool one in a cool spot and a moist one in the middle). Don’t handle your leopard gecko too often, few times a week should be enough.
What is more, don’t shine a bright in a leopard gecko’s face when it’s sleeping or don’t have a high UVB output lamp in the tank (leopard geckos don’t need UVB lighting if you supplement the food, maximum of 2% UVB is enough).
Diversify its diet, provide it with fresh drinking water, create a stimulating environment, supplement its food – all of this will help to keep your leopard gecko healthy and happy.
Tip number 5: Feed your leopard gecko regularly!
Eating is one of the main leopard gecko’s needs. You can use feeding times to bond with your leopard gecko and have it associate you with a positive experience.
Hatchling and baby leopard geckos up to 5 months old will need to eat everyday, so this a perfect opportunity to bond with your leopard gecko and build trust at this stage. Start hand feeding 3-4 weeks after acclimatization – there is no need to handle your leopard gecko when feeding.
Approach your leopard gecko slowly and make some sounds so it can see you coming. Present its food in a container, or feed with tongs. Make sure that the tips of tongs are covered with a cloth or something similar, to prevent injuries. You can also choose feeding tongs that have soft tips like these.
As your leopard gecko grows older, it will need to eat 2-3 times a week. This means that you can still hand feed your leopard gecko once a week, and if had your leopard gecko for a while, it will associate you with a positive figure that brings food.
Tip number 6: Remove any causes of stress
To be honest, a leopard gecko that is often stressed out won’t like you or be generally happy. From day one of owning a leopard gecko, think about its comfort and never compromise on it.
Make sure that other pets cannot reach the tank easily and stare at your leopard gecko, as it can stress it out. What is more, don’t leave inexperienced people alone with your gecko as they can make mistakes or get scared, injuring your leopard gecko.
Be patient when handling, feeding, cleaning and never make any jerky or sudden movements. Make sure that there is a temperature gradient and that temperatures and humidity are ideal in the tank.
Don’t leave any uneaten crickets or other bugs in the tank, as they can hide and bite your leopard gecko when hungry. Don’t keep two males together, and separate leopard geckos if you see any bullying. It is always a good idea to keep leopard geckos separately, and to never mix species.
Don’t shine bright light on your leopard gecko or have bright UVB lighting in the tank. Never shout near your leopard gecko or have a loud TV near the tank, as they can get easily scared. All of these mistakes can break the trust or stress your leopard gecko, especially in the beginning of bonding.
Why does my leopard gecko not like me?
If your leopard gecko screams, wags it tail, doesn’t want to be handled or hisses at you, you might think that your leopard gecko doesn’t like you. But this isn’t because your leopard gecko doesn’t like you – it’s simply stressed or hasn’t bonded with you yet.
Naturally, some leopard geckos never become tame and don’t like being handled. But most leopard geckos become tame with patience and bonding, feeding & handling sessions.
You need to understand leopard gecko’s behavior in order to know why it is doing something. There is no reason for a leopard gecko not to like you, and it is probably related to the time of the year, setup or diet.
For example, if your leopard gecko is lifting its tail and wagging it from side to side – it is probably stressed. Make sure that the temperatures in the tank are optimal – if the temperatures are too high, your leopard gecko might be hiding a lot, and you will mistakenly think that it’s scared.
Your leopard gecko might also become stressed and lethargic with low temperatures, loud noises, other predators around (if it sees other lizards nearby), improper handling etc.
How to make my leopard gecko happy?
If you build trust with your leopard gecko, handle and feed it regularly, it will make your leopard gecko happy. What is more, you can create a very naturalistic vivarium with lots of hides, branches and plants for your leopard gecko. This way, your leopard gecko will be stimulated and happy to move around. You can even upgrade to a larger 30-40 gallon terrarium if you can afford it.
What is more, you can let your gecko play on your lap or in a small safe area and let it explore. Most leopard geckos enjoy being outside for some time, exploring their surroundings. Don’t keep your leopard gecko outside the tank for too long – it can become cold.
You can check its belly and if it feels cold – it is probably time to return it to the tank (often 20+ minutes, but will depend on the room temperature).
Thank you for reading this article! To summarize, leopard gecko will be happy and love you if you provide everything that it needs and care for it! Make sure to read about tank lighting and temperatures in this post. Read about taming and handling your leopard gecko in this post.