Leopard geckos are typically docile pet reptiles. However, sometimes geckos are caught in bad weather. Or maybe you inadvertently frightened him and he feels the need to protect himself. As cute as you find them, their owners don’t want to bite. Should you worry? Let’s check.
What Are Common Reasons Leopard Geckos Bite?
Leopard geckos don’t bite much. When they do, it’s usually because they’ve perceived a serious threat. If you find yourself holding a meal on hand that you can devour, you might accidentally chew it while trying to eat that meal.
A few leopard geckos are naturally territorial when humans invade their habitat and may attempt to bite if picked up or touched. However, the opportunity to experience this situation is rare. Overall, threatening or stressful situations should be considered times of high risk for bites.
What Should You Do If A Leopard Gecko Bites You?
- Sterilize bites
By now, you know the answer to the question, “Do leopard geckos bite?” Leopard gecko bites can and should be treated like any other wound.
Leopard geckos don’t have very harmful bites. That may be true, but if the bite is severe enough to pierce the skin, it is safe to disinfect the affected area. Luckily this is easy.
All you have to do is pour a little hydrogen peroxide on the bite to kill the bacteria, then gently wash your hands with antiseptic soap to remove any remaining blood.
It may sting a little, but you need to clean the bite so it doesn’t get in dirt, bacteria, or anything else.
Then put a band-aid over the bite and you’re done. Many people think that just because they were bitten by an animal, they need to go to the hospital or they will catch something. This is true, for example, in the case of bites from other animals such as dogs, but less so for bites from leopard geckos. What I said above will probably be enough to care for the bite after it happens.
- How to avoid future bites
Surprisingly, most people who get bitten by a leopard gecko don’t feel much pain. But on the other hand, it’s also not something owners enjoy very much. That said, it’s probably safe to do whatever it takes to avoid being bitten again so that you don’t have an experience similar to this.
The way to do this is very simple. Avoid hand-feeding a leopard gecko, reaching over the top of its tank, or cuddling or petting it when it is in a protective or aggressive state.
To avoid being bitten while hand-feeding a leopard gecko, the first cause mentioned above, you need a tool like this one from Amazon that doesn’t require you to put your fingers close to your mouth. Not only will this help prevent future bites, but it’s also good for people who don’t like handling certain feeder insects with their hands.
- When bites are most common
First of all, leopard gecko bites are not very common, but when bites do occur, leopard geckos are super huge, especially when the end result is bleeding on a finger or other body part.
That’s because it’s considerably larger than the average leopard gecko. Super large lizards are also very cute and affectionate lizards, but just because of their small size the risk of being bitten is much higher than if you were bitten by a much smaller common leopard gecko.
This is not because they are more aggressive than smaller leopard geckos, but because they have fairly large jaws that add a bit of force when biting.
- Reaction, when bitten, is important
In general, when a person is bitten or stung by something, the first reaction is to hit or tug at the object that bit or stung. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it shouldn’t be done after being bitten by a leopard gecko.
This may sound silly, but by pulling at the leopard gecko or prying its mouth open in an attempt to free it from its grip, you are essentially telling the leopard gecko that its bite is effective, It tells them that it should be left alone or untouched. All they have to do is bite you and they won’t mess around.
As uncomfortable as it may seem, it usually isn’t, but don’t give him the reaction he’s looking for when you bite him. Unless he reacts until he gets tired and decides to let go, he should chew less. It does not work. Not only that, but leopard geckos are fragile creatures, so pulling can damage bones or other parts of the body being pulled.
How To Stop A Leopard Gecko From Biting You?
To avoid being bitten by a leopard gecko, you need to understand why it bites in the first place. What are the possible causes of biting? Below is a list of possible causes and precautions for leopard gecko bites.
- Do not touch the new leopard gecko
In fact, it scares me when I bring home a new leopard gecko. Don’t touch your new leopard gecko for at least three weeks after you bring it home. Instead, for the first two weeks, simply fill the bowl with food and water and clean the tank.
By the third week, you can start hand-feeding your leopard gecko. If the leopard gecko is comfortable at this stage, treatment can begin. But don’t touch the leopard gecko when you pick it up. It is necessary to ride on an open palm. It takes over a month before you can slowly pick up a leopard gecko.
- Do not touch the leopard gecko when it is signaling
Your leopard gecko may not be used to you handling it. If your leopard gecko is hissing, screaming, and wagging its tail rapidly back and forth (or tail up), it means leaving it alone.
- Don’t let the leopard gecko surprise you.
If you suddenly approach a leopard gecko tank and reach out to deal with it, the lion becomes stressed. You should slowly approach the leopard gecko’s shell and make yourself visible first. Use your soft voice so she can see and hear you. Holds even after being bitten by a leopard gecko
If you are handling a leopard gecko and are suddenly bitten, do not drop the leopard gecko, yell at it, or put it back in the tank. Pushing or dropping after being bitten by a leopard gecko puts a lot of stress on the leopard gecko and can cause it to lose its tail.
- Be careful when hand-feeding leopard geckos
If you hand-feed a leopard gecko, it may mistake your finger for food and bite it. This is especially true if the leopard gecko is hunting for food and sticks its finger in the tank.
- Be careful when your leopard gecko is shedding
When a leopard gecko molts, it can get grumpy and mistake a finger for the skin. So if your leopard gecko molts and sheds its skin, don’t try to reach for it. Leopard geckos use more force when pulling on their skin, so a bite can be a bit painful.
Conclusion
It’s easy to become worried whenever you’re in a situation where you’ve been bitten and blood starts to come out but plenty of other owners who have had this happen haven’t experienced any serious health issues after cleaning and maintaining the bite after it’s happened, it’s probably safe to say that nothing will happen to you as well.
As stated above though, if you are still worried despite that fact, there’s absolutely no harm in visiting a doctor for reassurance on whether or not you’ll be okay or not. A bite from a leopard gecko that draws blood is quite shocking, so it’d be totally understandable to be concerned enough to contact a professional if you feel that your safety could potentially be at risk.
