Leopard geckos are known for their docile and even timid dispositions. They’re usually easy to handle and socialize and accept almost anything without protest.
Because of this, owners may not give their pet geckos enough time to get accustomed to them. They might become more shy and even fearful of humans.
Eventually, you might start wondering: why is my leopard gecko afraid of me?
If you think your gecko is afraid of you, you might be right. Leopard geckos can become fearful of their owners for many reasons including improper handling, poor socialization, or stress. Plus, if your gecko has strong survival instincts, it might always be a little afraid of you, since you look like a predator. Â
Even though you’re a lot bigger than your pet gecko, there’s no reason for them to be afraid of you!
In this article, we’ll talk about why geckos are shy by nature and how you can accommodate that through socialization and good handling. We’ll also talk about how stress or pain can make your gecko afraid of you. Finally, we’ll discuss some other things that might cause fear in your gecko and how to fix them.
Are Leopard Geckos Naturally Shy?
You could say that leopard geckos are naturally shy and reclusive creatures. This has a lot to do with their natural habitat.
In the wild, leopard geckos are desert dwellers. While they enjoy the heat, most animals can’t survive the hot daytime temperatures in the desert. Geckos spend most of their days hiding in the shade and under rocks. At night, geckos become more active and can be observed hunting and traveling. Geckos are naturally nocturnal animals.
In captivity, this nocturnal schedule can translate to shyness during the day. Beyond their sleep schedules, leopard geckos aren’t naturally aggressive creatures. Their primary defense against predators is avoiding detection. Geckos can’t do much to fight back.
This is one of the reasons why leopard geckos don’t often bite their owners. In a pinch, geckos might also drop their tails completely off of their bodies to evade a threat.
So, geckos are naturally shy, fearful, and evasive. Because of this, it’s easier to give your pet gecko a scare, even if it’s on accident.
How Can You Tell If Your Gecko Is Scared of You?
There are a few behavioral cues that might show how your gecko feels about you.
If your gecko runs to hide or get away from you when you come near the enclosure, it’s a good sign that they’re scared of you, or at the very least trying to avoid you. Geckos might even develop a fear of your hand or fingers and will back away from those when they see them.
Geckos may also chirp in response to a threat or fear of something. You know that your gecko is perfectly safe inside their enclosure. Unfortunately, that’s not something you can just explain to your pet. If your gecko perceives you as a threat, it might have a physical response that causes them to chirp and tense up.
Even though this fear response can be cute, it’s important to remember that the stress your pet is feeling is real. So if you notice your gecko backing away from you or making distress noises, be gentle with them.
Why Is My Leopard Gecko Afraid Of Me?
The first thing you can do once you realize you’re scaring your pet is to try and figure out why they’re afraid. Understanding why your pet is scared is essential because that’s the only way that you’ll eventually be able to calm them down.
Here are four reasons why your leopard gecko could be scared of you.
Reason 1: They’re Not Socialized
One of the biggest things that might cause your leopard gecko to be afraid of you is under socialization.
Most leopard geckos we see in the pet trade now are bred in captivity. Even though these individuals never see their wild habitats, they’re still geckos. Even captive-raised geckos won’t be born knowing and accepting humans. Though this might not make sense, it happens for all sorts of domestic animals.
Have you ever interacted with a feral cat? These cats are cats that live outdoors and don’t necessarily have owners. They’re part wild and are often very fearful of humans. These cats have seen humans since the day they were born and yet they still don’t trust us. This is because they’ve never been socialized or taught that humans aren’t a threat.
Socialization is a process that makes animals accustomed to humans. Eventually, socialization should make an animal comfortable and relaxed around people. Whether it be a feral cat or your gecko, a lack of socialization will make your pet respond like a wild animal. We’ll talk about how you can socialize your gecko below.
Reason 2: They’re Stressed Or Uncomfortable
Another reason that your gecko might be showing fear towards you is that they’re stressed or not feeling good.
When animals are stressed, their instincts tell them to hide and evade predators more than ever before. Their bodies and immune systems are weakened and so they’ll shy away from conflict.
Sadly, if your gecko sees you as a threat, any health issues will make them shy away from you. If they’re uncomfortable and in pain, they’ll definitely be afraid of you interacting with them or picking them up.
There are some signs you can look out for that your leopard gecko might be stressed, uncomfortable, or even sick. If your gecko looks paler or dull for a few days in a row, if they are lethargic, or if their skin becomes thin and crispy, they might be stressed.
Unfortunately, the causes of stress and illness in captivity are often linked to poor husbandry practices. The wrong temperature or humidity can cause your gecko to become stressed. Bad choices for diet and food can also give your gecko health issues.
If you think your gecko is afraid of you because they’re not feeling comfortable, try to figure out what you can change to make their quality of life better overall.
Reason 3: You’re Mishandling Them
The third reason your gecko might be afraid of you is improper handling.
When you get a new pet, the first thing you want to do is to start handling them. You want to bring them out of their enclosure and bond with them. Although this may be your first instinct, it’s probably not the best idea.
Forcing or rushing handling can be detrimental to your relationship with your pet leopard gecko. If your gecko experiences any negative side effects from the handling, it’ll start to develop a fear response whenever they see you and your hands.
Leopard geckos are one of the most handleable pet reptiles. They’re docile and can be happy to sit with their owners for long periods of time. But, just because leopard geckos are relatively easy to handle doesn’t mean that you won’t scare them by moving too quickly.
When you start handling your pet leopard gecko, always take baby steps and give them positive reinforcement for spending time with you. Don’t keep them out of their enclosure for long periods of time at first because it can be mentally and physically exhausting for them.
If you think your leopard gecko is afraid of you because you rushed into handling, keep reading to learn about our best handling tips.
Reason 4: It’s Just Their Nature
The last reason that your pet gecko might be scared of you is that it’s just their nature.
Sometimes, wild instincts dominate our pet’s domestic sides. This is especially true for exotic pets that aren’t truly domesticated. One of a leopard gecko’s strongest survival instincts is to avoid predators and in a gecko’s eyes, humans are top predators.
Even if your leopard gecko is socialized, it might still fear you instinctively. This can be hard to work around. One of the best ways to make sure your lizard’s wild instincts aren’t kicking in is to keep them feeling safe and comfortable.
Always make sure that your gecko is well-fed and comfortable. Try to provide them with plenty of spaces to hide in their enclosure so that they always feel like they have an escape.
It’s nearly impossible to completely remove a survival instinct. Luckily, you can dull your reptile’s fight or flight by making them comfortable and allowing them to get used to their environments and to you!
Are There Any Other Reasons Your Gecko Might Be Fearful?
We’ve said it a million times but leopard geckos are timid creatures. It’s possible that their fear isn’t even directed at you. Here are a couple of other things that might be scaring your pet lizard.
New Environment
When something changes in your leopard gecko’s enclosure, they might have their guard up.
Adding a new feature or changing the layout of your pet’s tank might put them on edge. While change is definitely not a bad thing and can also provide good mental stimulation, sometimes it can be a little too much for our pets.
If you think your leopard gecko gets scared and flighty when you change its environment, you can make the transition easier.
Try showing your gecko the new rock or hide it by placing it close to them outside of its tank. This will give them time to get used to the new item without it being a direct threat. Eventually, you should be able to fully introduce the new item without it causing a big issue.
Other Tank Mates
Another thing that might be scaring your pet gecko besides you are other tank mates.
Leopard geckos are naturally solitary and aren’t often found in groups in the wild. For this reason, cohabitating can be difficult and even dangerous.
If you’ve decided to pair up two geckos, they might be fighting. Usually, one gecko will end up bullying the other gecko. This might leave the smaller or weaker gecko afraid and hiding for most of the day.
There are a few specific situations where leopard geckos might be happy living together, but for the most part, it’s not a great idea.
How Do I Get My Leopard Gecko To Not Be Scared of Me?
The best way to make sure that your scaly friend isn’t afraid of you is to make sure they’re socialized and to handle them in the right way.
Socializing your leopard gecko is a great idea before you start handling them. Get them used to seeing you and other people. Make attempts to talk to them and spend time close to their enclosure.
Some geckos are more skittish than others but hopefully, you’ll get to the point where your gecko isn’t startled by your presence. During this time you can also associate yourself with their food by staying close while they eat. This will create a positive relationship between you and food for your pet.
Giving your leopard gecko time to get used to you and to their new environment before handling is important.
Once you feel like it’s time to pick up your gecko, you can try putting your hand beneath your gecko’s body. If they don’t run away, you can lift them gently out of their enclosure.
Let them get comfortable on your hand and you can even try feeding them while they’re out with you. It’s always a good idea to handle your leopard gecko in the evening since they’re nocturnal.
This video shows great instructions about how to handle your gecko in the right way, so they don’t even up being afraid of you.
Final Thoughts
Nobody likes to think that their pets might be afraid of them. Even though we love our pets so much, our love can be mistranslated. Improper handling, stress, and a lack of socialization can make leopard geckos afraid of their owners.
In some cases, instincts might dominate and make your pet fearful, no matter what you do. Hopefully, this article has helped you understand why you’re scaring your pet and how you can fix it.
