Leopard geckos are the most sought-after pets amongst many other lizard species. Their docile attributes make it easy to train and keep them as pets. Just how trainable are leopard geckos?
Leopard geckos, especially female leopard geckos, are one of the most trainable lizards capable of learning simple tasks and tricks. Through patience and persistence, you can train a leopard gecko to perform a host of actions.
The males are usually larger than the females. Leopard geckos have a relatively long lifespan of about 15 years. Your pet is going to be around for a long time if you take good care of it. This is the reason why you need to tame them properly.
Can you Train a Leopard Gecko?
Leopard geckos can be trained to perform simple tasks and become friendlier with enough patience and work. Training a Leopard gecko may not come easy. However, it is possible. It is important to note that these animals require quality time and attention. Exercise some patience with them. In building the required bond between you and your leopard gecko, stay consistent.
Just like humans have varying behavioral traits and characters, your leopard geckos may respond slightly differently to the same training. The rules are not rigid. They are a guide and have been tested and accepted by countless pet owners. Applying these tips will save you from unnecessary stress and frustration.
Training Leopard Geckos
To do Tricks
You can train your leopard gecko to do a few tricks. It will not happen in one day. This sort of training should begin when your Leo is young. If you stay consistent enough, you will be shocked by how much progress your pet will make.
You can teach your pet to climb over obstacle courses and jump off them. Your gecko can learn to respond to your voice when called or make sounds they associate with you. You can teach your leopard geckos to leap and hunt for crickets in the tank.
To be Calmer and Relaxed
Leopard geckos may come off as being instinctively aggressive especially when in danger. Put effort into training your pet to feel a little more relaxed and comfortable. Nurse your pet in a quiet room and avoid startling the reptile in any way.
To be More Social
Leopard Geckos generally do not like to entertain intruders. Their territorial nature makes relating to them a bit of a challenge. Don’t give up too soon. Your Leo can learn to be more accommodating.
Leopard Geckos should not be left in the tank permanently. Allow the reptile to explore the rest of the room. However, ensure to keep a close eye on it because they could be very skittish. Also, make sure that all windows and other routes of escape are locked. No one wants to lose a wandering pet.
Your Leopard gecko may try to crawl on your body. It is a good sign that they are getting more comfortable around you. Allow the pet to climb over your legs, arms, and shoulders. Leopard geckos love warmth. Your body is good enough as a heat source for them.
To Enjoy Being Handled and Trust You
Talking to your leo is one way of connecting with them very quickly. It may sound weird but it works. Making your Leo get familiar with your voice helps build trust with them. You can also make sounds that they can identify with you.
Do not try to scare them or hold on to them forcibly. It could get your reptile pet stressed out. See that no visitor handles your leo without your supervision. They hardly do well with strangers. Avoid stroking your leopard gecko’s back. It gets frightened when you do. Stroke the head and chin instead.
Feeding your reptile pet with mealworm one at a time also helps to build rapport. Your leopard gecko enjoys being fed. You should not let them get too used to this as they may grow lazy and incapable of feeding themselves.
Is it Worth the Effort?
Yes, it is definitely worth the effort. Leopard geckos are fascinating animals. Watching them move within and outside the tank could be a great source of entertainment.
Asides from this, establishing a bond with your leo gives much pleasure. Remember that you always have to exercise patience during the process of training. If you put in the work, you would get the results that you desire.
8 Tips for Training Pet Lizards
- Make a Safe Spot: In setting up your pet Lizard’s home, make a safe spot available for your Lizard to hide or sleep. Placing obstacle courses within your pet’s home makes it more habitable for them because they love to climb. Keep every injurious item away and clean up the tank frequently.
- Ensure that your pet lizard does not get too cold: These reptiles are poikilothermic. The surrounding temperature determines their body heat. You should regulate the temperature in your pet’s tank. Make sure to adjust the heat control to suit your pet.
- Proper handling of pet lizards cannot be over-emphasized: Most pet owners tend to hold these reptiles too tightly. Most fear that if they hold too loosely, the lizard might slip off their hands and run into hiding. Hold your pet as gently as possible. You can hold your pet lizard over your thighs so they do not fall on the ground.
- Exercise some patience in trying to lift your pet lizard from its tank: Never force a lizard out of its safe space, it makes them terrified, and eventually, they lose confidence in you. You should also know when to put your Lizards back into the cage. They cannot play all day. They get easily stressed and exhausted.
- Give your pet lizard personal space and time: Avoid handling more than is desirable. It could stress your lizard. An unresponsive lizard is likely to be stressed already. If you notice that your lizard is stressed, place it back into its tank quietly. Don’t be discouraged by this. There will certainly be moments when your lizard wants to play too.
- Give your lizard a name: Pet dogs and cats always have names given to them by their owners. Your lizard should not be an exception. Calling your pet lizard by name makes it recognize your tone of voice. Your lizard gets to trust you more that way.
- Avoid letting other pets into your lizard’s territory: Many pet lizards are not comfortable with cats or dogs. They appear more as predators to them rather than playmates.
8. Feeding is one great way to bond with your pet: Lizards are mostly insectivores. You can feed your Lizard with mealworms and waxworms as treats. Don’t give your lizard this too often so it doesn’t get too fat and out of shape. Your lizard would enjoy being fed one at a time.
How to Train a Leopard Gecko
In training a leopard gecko, you must consider many factors. There are no shortcuts to taming these pet lizards. You will find these pieces of training tips helpful.
Create a Daily Schedule-Timing
By creating a daily routine, you can better manage and train your leopard gecko. Knowing what times of day they are most and least active will be a great start. Leopard geckos are nocturnal creatures. They spend most of the daytime resting and come out at night to feed or mate.
The most appropriate time to play with the animal is at dusk. Your leopard gecko becomes most energetic in the evening. Also, your leo is more likely to be more responsive at this time.
Create Ideal Environment
You must ensure the safety and wellbeing of your leopard gecko to allow for a better training environment for your pet. You can do this by producing the right training environment. You may be unable to mimic the natural habitat of the leopard gecko but, ensure your leopard gecko is as comfortable as possible in its home. Also, you must be able to replicate the weather conditions that these reptiles require.
Get an appropriately sized tank for your leo (what would be a suitable size for a leopard gecko). Keeping your reptile pet inside a glass terrarium keeps it safe and prevents it from wandering away. Unlike other gecko species, leopard geckos find it very difficult to climb vertical glass walls. A glass terrarium also allows you to watch your pet closely. The tank must be well aerated and adequately lit up.
In setting up your pet’s home, you must be careful to use the correct substrate. Your choice of substrate must be incapable of causing harm to the sensitive skin of your leo. The substrate must not be detrimental to its health. Substrates like sand are discouraged because geckos tend to eat sand. Small softwood chips or moss can make for an excellent substrate.
Leopard geckos cannot self-regulate their body heat. They rely on the surroundings to regulate their body temperature. The temperature within the terrarium should differ with the time of day.
Also, set up a temperature gradient within the tank for proper thermoregulation. However, you must ensure that hotspots within the tank are not too hot. This could burn your leo’s skin.
Leopard geckos love to hide. The ones in the wild spend most of their time inside the crevices of the rocks during the day. They come out of their burrows and are more active during the night hours. Create obstacles inside the home of your leopard gecko because they enjoy climbing. Do not forget to place tunnels in the tank so your leopard gecko can hide in them during the day.
Bottom Line: By creating a comfortable environment for your leopard gecko, it will lower its guard down over time and not be stressed. This will easily make your leopard gecko a lot more trainable and receptive to your contact.
Avoid Every Disturbance
By eliminating disturbances and distractions, your leopard gecko will be more receptive to training. Leopard geckos do not like to be disturbed. They are naturally solitary animals. Play with your leopard gecko often but also, give it space often.
They respond briskly to sound and feel threatened when there are noises. Keep your leo inside a quiet room and keep all forms of interference to the barest minimum.
Geckos are territorial reptiles. They usually do not do well with other pets including other leos in your home. You may want to keep your dog and cat away from your leopard gecko. They perceive dogs and cats as predators consequently affecting their relationship with you.
Handle your Gecko Correctly
You must handle your leopard gecko with extra care and caution. Don’t leave them alone for too long. At the same time, you must not over handle as this would stress them. A good trainer understands the balance in handling these pets. Once you can strike this balance, you reach your goal of bonding with your pet quickly.
A step in handling your leopard gecko well is getting the reptile used to your hand. Try not to pick your leopard gecko up suddenly. You could startle it and lose trust. They start to see your hand as the predator and run rapidly when within their range of sight.
Place your hand with your palm up gently on the floor of the tank. Your leo will notice your hand, try to walk towards and then over your palm. You can then slowly pick up your leo as it crawls over your palm. Be careful not to raise the leopard gecko too high because they fall easily.
Do not be tempted to hold your leo too tight for the fear of them falling easily. While handling the gecko, on one hand, place the other hand just in front because the gecko tends to move forward. If you’re worried about them falling from a height, hold your leo up with your fingers over your lap. You could also hold them up over a silky surface like your bed, blanket, or sofa.
Bottom Line: If you cannot condition your leopard gecko to your touch and handling, training your pet will become a lot harder. By conditioning your pet lizard to your daily touch, you will have much better success molding your leopard gecko’s behavior.
Feed your Leo Daily
Training geckos can also include training them to eat certain foods, control the amounts they eat, and alter the frequency by which they eat. This is not only applicable to the young leopards geckos only a few weeks old. Leopard geckos need to be well fed to grow well.
Leopard geckos feed on a wide variety of meals like insects and worms. Worms may include silkworms, mealworms, and waxworms. Insects like crickets, cockroaches, and bugs are great choices.
Waxworms seem to be leo’s favorite. They contain high amounts of fats. Avoid feeding them with waxworms all the time as they might begin to reject other feed. Never forget to leave a little bowl of water in your leo’s tank. They don’t take water often however your Leo needs water to function.
Conclusion
Training your leopard geckos relieves you of boredom and builds a connection between you and your pets. One of the most significant points to keep in mind is you need to offer these reptiles the best care. Ensure that you feed them and give them the great vivarium that they deserve.