Why does my leopard gecko...?

Question

swing its tail side to side. im trying to tame him but sometimes when i pet him he moves it. he is about 3 years old and he dosent try to bite or hiss when i touch him. he also dosent move.ive had him for 3 years but i recently started to tame him. is it ok to hold him or will he get stressed?

Answer 1

It may be because its interested in what you are doing. Whenever my leo is about to snatch a cricket or a mealworm he tends to do that with his tail, but never when i pick him up. I guess they're just different like that.

Answer 2

Not every explanation fits accurately into every situation, but, I do know that reptiles use their tails as weapons.  Allegators and crocodiles do it, and I am sure, in the right circumstances (meaning we are not talking about an eagle trying to land on them to snatch them up for food) I am sure that a Gecko might use its tail for self defense or as a threat to leave it alone in some circumstances.

If you go to pick up your gecko, maybe that is the way it is trying to brush you off of it, saying "leave me alone!"

Who knows?  I am sure somebody does who does research or something.

Answer 3

This movement of the tail is a defense mechanism used by the gecko to divert a predators attention away from its body and onto the tail, when the tail is grabbed by the predator, its tail is released allowing the gecko to make its escape. It is also used as a threat, it's body language saying 'leave me alone'.

Basically your gecko feels threatened by you touching it, as they are generally not a gregarious species they don't like to be petted and touched, this to them is slightly aggressive.

Leave the gecko for a few days to calm down then try taming him by physically taking him out of his enclosure and allowing him to walk from hand to hand, sit down with him and let him walk on your knee. Don't take him out for too long, 10 mins at a time to begin with then when he's gotten used to that you can take him out for longer so not to stress him out.

When taking him out don't approach him too quickly, nice and slow so he knows your not a predator, don't grab him from above as this is perceived by the gecko as a predator attack, you could try putting your hand infront of him and encouraging him onto your hand, this is the least stressful way to pick up a leo, you could also gently grab him round his mid section and gently pick him up.

Good luck taming your gecko! :)

Answer 4

They typically do this when excited about something.  You'll typically see it when they are hunting!  Short handling sessions are fine.  Any handling causes stress to some degree in reptiles, but they can learn to accept it.  

http://www.drgecko.com/index.html

Answer 5

Do you know you have a "he"? Of the hundreds of leopards I have handled females seem to relax a little quicker. Look underneath right in front of the cloaca for a V shaped mark made of tiny pores. Only males have them. KimbeeJ should get best answer she is right on.

Answer 6

just don't hold him that much....

try not so hold it just after it ate.

Answer 7

try to go slow when you pick him up