handling a crested gecko.

[sg1trogdor]

how are cresteds when is come to being handled just wondering. I was gonna get a crested a ways back cut got my BP instead cus i heard you can really handke the cresteds cus there tail like most lizards fall easily. and unlike most lizards they dont grow back. just wondering cus i still want one but i dont want to be terified to handle it every now and then. ( the way i see it is whats the point of having a pet you cant interact with at all.) thats why i want to know before i make a big mistake and buy one then again they are very beautiful so it would be that big of a mistake to have one just to look at. ( but i dont know if i could resist, they are soo pretty)

[Sausage]

I honestly can't tell you from personal experience, as my cresties are getting here Tuesday.

I figure that gentle handling is fine as long as it isn't being dangled by its tail. Also, if they do drop their tail it isn't the end of the world. The function just as well but look a little more.... er..... stubby.
I figure that they're like any new animal and the first few weeks or so of handling it, you're absolutely terrified of hurting it, but eventually you get used to them.

[snakedude56]

They are definitely handleable. Although they are a bit jumpy as juvies I believe they grow out of it for the most part. when you are holding a crested watch it's eyes as they will be looking at the point they want to jump to. Put your free hand in front of their face(but not in their face so you don't scare 'em) so they can jump or walk to it. I don't have any hands on experience with them YET, but this is what I have learned from the very knowledgeable crested keepers here on these forums.

[greenmonkey51]

For the most part they're very easy to handle. I only had 1 that I wouldn't handle because he was to quick for me. Juvies arn't that bad and I did't think that they're very jumpy. I had more adults that were jumpy than juvies. The tail thing is over stated, I never had one drop a tail. Even during a bad chase with one where he jumped all over and I had to grab him did his tail fall off. Just be aware and gentle and you'll be fine.

[tigerlily]

Baby cresteds are FAST and fling themselves in any direction to get away from the big bad hand monster.

Older crested are wonderful to handle. The two I have a both a bit spazzy at first but settle down relatively quickly. You can usually tell they're going to jump, when the bunch up their body. I've taken my geckos into my children's schools. They have been very well received. As for the tails, they do not regrow. My female has no tail, and came to me that way. I kinda like it, but to each their own.

[mlededee]

generally speaking tail loss isn't something that happens that easily. usually something has to really frighten the gecko or make it feel threatened before it will drop its tail. of course there are always fluke cases where you walk in one morning and there's fred with no tail. who knows what happened but it's just one of those things.

babies are skittish and shouldn't really be handled too much until they are 4-6 weeks old. after that just spend short increments of time handling them (5-10 minutes at a time) and over time they will settle and become quite calm.

i have noticed that adults or near adults that haven't really been handled much are wild things and there is no taming them. evidently the key with cresteds is starting when they are young!