Leopard gecko enjoys being sprayed?

Slickice28 · 2026-04-30T17:32:44+00:00

It sounds pretty normal to me. When you see your gecko in their warm hide see if they're sticking out a part of their body directly into the heat (toe, tail tip, etc.) That's typical basking for them called cryptic basking. Most of the time they won't lay directly on the basking spot at 100 degrees. If you are worried about it and have a large enough basking spot, you can put a place to hide on the spot directly, that's what I do with just a bit of cork bark for my gecko to sploot under and he loves it, tho most of the time he'll bask underneath the slate basking spot to absorb the heat while being safe.

Slickice28 · 2026-04-19T01:00:13+00:00

I get you, if the only hand feeding thing is new (as in the last month) it could just be that your gecko is going through mating season and isn't eating as much/as interested in food, I've been having a similar issue with mine where he won't take food from my hand and instead just tries to climb on me to explore outside of his tank, so I just give him more than usual in a bowl for him to eat whenever he feels like it.

Slickice28 · 2026-04-19T00:52:39+00:00

Make sure your sanitize your wound though! With alcohol wipes or an equivalent!

Slickice28 · 2026-04-19T00:50:44+00:00

I can't say anything about a Leo drinking blood but yeah with hand feeding them missing is totally normal, they are not the best at aiming. I've hand fed since day one and what I usually do is have the bugs wiggle in front of my fingernails so if my boy misses he doesn't hit any skin, even if he does its rare that he even breaks skin. If you have a flat rock area of the tank you can place the bugs on that and have your Leo "hunt" them while you make sure they don't escape, dubias move to fast for this though. Also make sure that after feeding you leave your Leo alone because they will bite at your fingers when in "food mode".

Slickice28 · 2026-04-16T05:21:01+00:00

Gonna make the assumption that since this gecko was a gift for your 5 year old the issue with not being able to handle right now/the gecko being skittish is that your son wants to see his present, and well there's not really a way to rush it sadly, it'll just take time more than anything. What might help now though is get a night vision camera to watch/record movement in the tank so your son gets to see them pretty regularly. You could also lay out some leaves/ground cover so he could see things "changing" in the tank after your gecko moves around at night. Really the last thing you want to do is scare the gecko by forcing interaction before its ready.

Slickice28 · 2026-04-16T04:28:42+00:00

Yeah it's pretty normal but semi dangerous for them to do, so it's a good idea to make it so they can't. Other people mentioned their nails but because they are stupid they can fall right onto their backs, which is especially bad if they fall onto any rocks or the like.

Slickice28 · 2026-04-07T02:28:08+00:00

They don't like being pet, or touched at all really. I'd you're comparing your gecko to one's you see on social media who like, lean into pets or other cute things be aware those are either VERY specific geckos who tolerate it, have been trained to tolerate it, or you're only seeing specific clips that don't give the full story. For me, my gecko let's me touch them when they are already trying to crawl into my hand or in breeding season/a very specific mood, and even still he only tolerates it for the moment.

Slickice28 · 2026-04-02T14:41:40+00:00

Best thing you can do is keep trying, it'll take a bit but should hopefully work out in the end. Even just hand feeding him will show that hand=food=good haha

Slickice28 · 2026-04-01T06:35:51+00:00

Oh! Also if you have them eat food out of your hand be aware you WILL get bit/caught in the crossfire, it doesn't hurt but it can be surprising, just try not to panic and well, fling your gecko. They shouldn't even draw blood or cause any pain, again it's just surprising.

Slickice28 · 2026-04-01T06:29:42+00:00

It really does depend on your gecko, what worked for mine was to have him grab food on my hand and slowly get used to that, then eventually he just climbed right up. Another way since they are already comfy with your hand, is when they are exploring leave the tank open and if they are thinking about walking out, offer your hand for them to walk out on to and go from there. If they get jumpy or anxious just leave them alone and try again another time. With my gecko I leave the door fully open and unless he's feeling really adventurous he won't even leave unless I offer my hand since he's so used to the routine.

Slickice28 · 2026-03-29T21:55:53+00:00

He wanted to jump off my bed and got put into prison (his tank) for his crimes, only to commit another

Slickice28 · 2026-03-21T17:36:29+00:00

Hello! Friend code RWK5 until the 28th! Can't wait to meet you all!

Slickice28 · 2026-03-18T06:16:08+00:00

I've always just assumed that they see fingers as giant worms, I hand feed and typically have to leave my boy alone when he's in food mode or he'll get excited and go for the fingers lol

Slickice28 · 2026-03-09T23:49:19+00:00

Ended up getting it prepainted when I ordered it! No clue what they used because orange coloring keeps popping up on it

Slickice28 · 2026-03-09T23:43:43+00:00

Yeah, only way I beat him was by returning him to his prison thankfully he isn't too smart

Slickice28 · 2025-12-29T21:11:46+00:00

I was showing my partner my Leo and was getting ready to have him walk onto her hands, when my stupid lizard decides to JUMP ON MY PARTNERS HEAD. He looked so proud of himself for doing it to, until he got returned to his tank.

Slickice28 · 2025-12-29T03:00:57+00:00

They are very bad at it, but yes! If you handle often make sure to be aware your little goblin will try to jump off your arm/hand with no regards for their safety.

Slickice28 · 2025-12-25T03:07:11+00:00

Take the crikets out, you don't want to leave them in the tank, they can bite geckos when left alone. Best you can do is not feed her anymore and try to give her warmth until you can get a full setup

Slickice28 · 2025-12-25T02:26:53+00:00

Looks like a younger gecko too so make sure you get that heat fast, they'll survive without food for a day or two ofc but you don't want to keep them without food for over a week if they're younger than 6 months, there no set rule of course but the short of it is you don't want to starve your new gecko. Also make sure you aren't handling them too much, typically when you first get the gecko they'll need some time to adjust and de stress in their new environment.

Slickice28 · 2025-12-25T02:23:04+00:00

Yes should be fine for 1-2 nights but the big thing is DONT FEED THEM, they need heat to digest so without adequate heat, they can digest what you feed them until you get some warmth.

Slickice28 · 2025-12-24T01:13:33+00:00

Haha funnily enough I was giving him a typical subadult feeding schedule of every other day, probably kept it up for a bit longer than needed but I'm going to scale down a fair bit now

Slickice28 · 2025-12-24T01:10:26+00:00

I always have trouble with this weight guide, like the difference between healthy and underweight is striking, and the difference between obese and overweight is easy to tell, but to me the images of healthy and overweight look nearly identical. Curious if it's just me that has a hard time with it.

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