Ren finally ate!! Handling questions. :)

[kiiarah]

So after a very long week, Ren finally ate three crickets. I couldn't be more relieved. I knew it was normal for them to refuse food while settling, but still I feel so much better now that I can officially say he is on track. So of course, now that he has eaten I am thinking about the timeline before handling. Ren is an adult gecko, so he is already quite calm. He sat on my arm for the two hour drive home from the expo because the container he was in was ridiculously cramped. I took the lid off to see if he wanted out and he came right up onto my hand. I did at one point try to offer the container in case he wanted to go back and he avoided it like the plague, so I just let him hang with me and seemed fine about it. He wasn't just sitting frozen or anything, just slowly exploring my hands and arms. This being said, I still don't want to stress him and wind up putting him back off food or delaying the adjustment process. So what would the experts here recommend? How many feedings should I wait for before I can try letting him out. Also when I do finally let him come out and visit, what are signs of stress for a gecko? Is there any behavior that you just will not see if they are afraid? I am used to snakes, and with snakes the tongue flicking is a dead giveaway that they are at ease and curious rather than fleeing. Pretty much with my ball python, as long as he is calmly exploring and I am seeing long tongue flicks I know he is fine. The warning sign for him is when tongue flicking stops and he gets really active, as this would indicate he is searching for somewhere to hide. Will a gecko do anything similar? What signs do you watch for that indicate that it is time to let them go back to their enclosure? When we did handle him the day he came home he never ran, barked, hissed, or bit. He just slowly walked around licking every new thing he came to and seemed calm but I just want to be sure I am not misinterpreting any behavior. Thanks everyone!

[MizTwisted]

Good to hear your gecko is now eating!! you should be fine to handle if it's already been a week and he doesn't squirm/growl when picked up.. (you will know if he doesn't want to be handled. He will try and run, body will be tense, growling or barking, sometimes nipping) if he is calm and relaxed then there is no problem handling him. Start with having him out like 10 mins at a time & work your way up. I'd say 2 hrs is pretty lengthy for the gecko to tolerate imo, but coming back from the expo he was probably appreciating your body heat! Lol