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White Raven   KrazyKelli   Squee   Spartan34  
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 #812401


White Raven
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 Is this true about geckos? plz anyone

This reptile man told me that the only geckos that you can hold that wont bite you are leopard geckos and african fat tails, and that you cant hold day,standing, crested,eyelash or tokay geckos because their skin will rip if we pick them up
Is this true?
05/31/06  02:21pm

 #812467


KrazyKelli
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   Message To: White Raven   In reference to Message Id: 812401


 Is this true about geckos? plz anyone

Any gecko will bite you. Any reptile will bite you if given the chance. So even a leopard gecko and AFT will bite. Some don’t, some are real nice and passive. But geckos, specially young ones, will bite. Some species of gecko will bite far more than others. Some have a very NASTY bite technique. So no matter what reptile you get, expect to be bitten - even if it’s of a passive breed of gecko. If you are bitten, do not rip your finger or hand from their mouth. Instead, wait for them to let go... This is because it’s easy to rip out a gecko’s teeth and/or damage their jaw should you forcably remove your bitten limb.

At the same time, some species of gecko have a much more delicate skin than others. Yes, some species have skin delicate enough that if you aren’t careful or grab too tightly, you can rip their skin. A golden gecko is a good example of this. At the same time some geckos have a tougher or rougher skin which has less chance of being damaged. So long as you remember that EVERY gecko out there is fragile and remain gentle with the gecko you own, this should never become a problem.

Handling a gecko is another matter altogether. Every species of reptile produces a chemical much like adrenalin upon the stress of being held outside of their environment. The end result is that they feel prickly all over once it begins to wear off. Too much of this chemical can send the lizard into shock. Every different reptile out there will become stressed more or less easily than every other one. Some species of gecko can become stressed OBSCENELY easily (These are usually the geckos that are regarded as ’look, do not touch’ lizards), others don’t stress as easily (like the adult leopard gecko). Make sure to check the species of gecko you want to see how easily they get stressed out, their general attitude, how fragile they are, and if they are a display lizard or not. Also keep in mind never to hold any reptile for more than 15 minutes at a time, once a day unless specified otherwise. I mean, some geckos should only be held 10 minutes at a time. Some can be held two times a day, 20 minutes at a time. Some shouldn’t be held at all unless you’re deworming them or cleaning their tank.
05/31/06  03:15pm

 #812545


Squee
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   Message To: White Raven   In reference to Message Id: 812401


 Is this true about geckos? plz anyone

leos and AFTs are less likely to bite but they will if provoked or threatened.. you can however hold cresties/eyelash with no threat of ripping their skin. with any day geckos their skin is very delicate and can rip easily(and they are fast buggers) and thats why you shouldnt hold those. tokays arent good to handle as they have a MAJOR attitude problem and are usually likely to bite alot. but if you work with them alot you can get them to tolerate being heald but i wouldnt just beacuse of stress with the tokays
05/31/06  03:55pm

 #812846


Spartan34
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   Message To: Squee   In reference to Message Id: 812545


 Is this true about geckos? plz anyone

I once was bit by a tokay who had come with fruits from a grocery store, damn they hurt when they bite! Anyways, some geckos have delicate skins compared to others. And i agree with everyone when it comes to biting. Some geckos are just more tolerant of handling and mellow. Some are not. As long as you keep handling to a minimum with delicate geckos, you have nothing to worry about.
05/31/06  06:50pm


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