Hi all, I've had my male crested gecko for over 2 years. He has never, NEVER, bitten me. He has always been very tame. I brought home a female gecko a little while ago, however, she is kept in a separate enclosure. I brought them both out to introduce them and see what would happen. I had one in each hand. He ended up attacking the hand that was holding her and drew blood. Is this violent behavior related to mating? or is something else going on that I am unaware of? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Sarah
Hey sguthall =) This aggressive behavior is very likely the males sex drive, have you tried handling him alone since this incident and let him cool down away from the female a bit? Although I've never had a boy actually bite me, crested geckos (and most geckos/lizards for that matter) have somewhat violent mating rituals. Typically you will notice the male forcing himself upon the female and biting her on the head and neck for a good grip to mate. This is perfectly normal behavior, and although injury does not typically result to either gecko, on rare occasions the skin can possibly be broken. JB has a great page on breeding and if you scroll down you can watch a youtube video of a pair mating, you can see how violent the male can be with the girl during the whole process http://jbscresties.com/breeding.html Keep an eye on him and make sure he's eating and otherwise acting normal for the next day or two and dry to handle him again in a female-free environment to see ow he reacts. I would say he sensed the girl's presence and he got a bit excited though =)
Thanks JEFFREH! That was my thinking, but I just needed someone else's input. When he's handled alone he's fine, and is eating fine as well.
