Anyone's AFT bite?

[mandarin orange]

Not to sound like a sissy or anything.. but for some reason I'm afraid of AFT and Leopard Geckos. maybe because they look more 'evil' than other geckos.

I have a brand new adult female crested that wont bite at all and i've held just once or twice for a few minutes.

I also have a new african fat tailed male juvenille gecko.. and when i tried picking him up after hving him for 4 or so days.. he was trying to wiggle out of my hands before i could get him out of the tank. i dont know if he was trying to wiggle.. or also bite me.

anyone get bitten by an AFT? does anyone's bite? they dont have teeth do they?

gosh.. i feel like a little girl afraid to touch a little lizard :main_lipsrsealed:

oh.. and pics of my AFT

 

[GoGo]

They DO have teeth but usually the bite of an aft or leo will just feel like pressure on your hand, like a squeeze or a pinch. Just wait for them to let go because if you pull them or try to wiggle them or make THEM wiggle you could hurt the gecko and its fine small teeth could rip your skin and even make you bleed.

 

[ReptileMan27]

Leos and AFTs like anything with a mouth, can bite. They dont generally bite unless you scare them by trying to restrain them. They do have very little teeth but their harmless. Adults may draw a little blood but nothing to be worried about. Again if your handling them correctly, the chances of being bitten by these are slim..

 

[mandarin orange]

so how exactly do i pick up an AFT? sorry if it's a stupid question.. just dont wanna hurt him or aggrivate him

with my crested.. she just slowly climbs onto my finger.. or i place my finger under her belly..and it's simple. ground geckos seem a bit more complicated

 

[ReptileMan27]

No questions are dumb questions, its better to ask if your not sure . I find the best way to handle leos and AFTs, is to simply place one hand flat on the cage floor and use your other hand to gently coax it into your hand that you have flat on the cage floor. Just let it walk around in your hands, dont try to restrain it or hold it in a closed hand, they hate that. I would reccomend holding it like this in or over the cage at first to see how it will act and if it falls it wont get hurt or escape..

 

[mandarin orange]

No questions are dumb questions, its better to ask if your not sure . I find the best way to handle leos and AFTs, is to simply place one hand flat on the cage floor and use your other hand to gently coax it into your hand that you have flat on the cage floor. Just let it walk around in your hands, dont try to restrain it or hold it in a closed hand, they hate that. I would reccomend holding it like this in or over the cage at first to see how it will act and if it falls it wont get hurt or escape..

ahh i see i see. that's a good idea.

cause when i've tried to pick him up.. i kindda just grab him.. and he squiggles.. and i dont want him to get scared and drop his tail or try to bite me

 

[Gecko]

I have seen a biter rarely. Although I have been biten more by Cresteds then by Fat tails.

 

[LeopardGeckoMom52688]

I was going to say I have 4 african fat tailed geckos. I have one that has bitten us a few times. And then once she realized that just because she bites us doesn't mean we are going to put her back she stopped! And was kept in a petco cubical for about 2 years. All my other geckos are just as gentle as can be. And Crested to bite. Same with them it just feels like pressure on your hand!

 

[ALGeckos]

I've owned several leos of all ages since 2003 and have never been bitten by them. I just got a new AFT and she's never bitten me either. I understand your fear though, because I felt the same way. Now I kinda just pick em up or let them crawl onto my hand without any worries. It's weird for me though, I've owned cresteds and was always hesitant to handle them because (A) their tails never grow back and I'm scared to scare them and (B) they seem more fragile to me... I don't know what it is... LOL. But I'm thinking of getting another crested soon.

 

[mandarin orange]

my AFT wont crawl onto my hand.. he actually is afraid of my hand and starts moving backwards. i dont wanna grab him and hurt him though.

 

[HepCatMoe]

ive had 4 diferant aft's over 7 years. 3 of them i still have now. the fourth i gave to someone as a gift and they still have it.

never, never have i had one bite, and i have never had one drop its tail.

the important thing with holding an aft is that you give them something to support their feet. as long as they can hold on, they feel safer and are less likely to squirm. i would say just scoop him up. if you hover around him he'll feel that your scared and he will get scared.

if hes wild caught, it might take him a while to get used to people. 2 of my aft females are wildcaught and it took them about 4 or 5 times of getting held to get used to it.

 

[leonut]

well, i'm not quite sure about afts but my leo rarley ever bites and when she does it dosn't hurt. no, they don't have teeth but they do have bone ridges.
and try to touch lots of his stuff and hang arund his tank. that way he'll get used to you. also don't try to pick him up right away. try petting him first.

 

[leonut]

looks like i'm a bit late. :main_laugh: