Leopard geckos are docile, calm and hardy pet lizards, but some factors might cause them stress and scare. There can be various reasons for stress, and your leopard gecko might be scared of you or freaking out for a reason. Stress can be caused by both environmental factors and health issues. In this post, we will discuss how to tell if a leopard gecko is scared and stressed.
Leopard gecko stress signs
- Being skittish, stressed and aggressive when you want to handle it
- Hiding in a hideout for long periods of time
- Leopard gecko is eating less than usual
- Problems with shedding
- Tail wagging
- Dull colors
- Scratching at glass, also called glass surfing
- Leopard gecko is running away from you or freaking out
- Not pooping or eating properly
- Fast breathing
- Digging a lot
- Leopard gecko shaking its head/ head twitching
Reasons for stress in a leopard gecko
Your leopard gecko might be displaying the above stress signs due to different reasons. Let’s discuss these stress reasons and ways on how to destress a leopard gecko.
Reason 1: Wrong temperatures in the tank
Your leopard gecko might become really stressed if the temperatures in the tank are too low, too high or if there is no temperature gradient. If the temperatures are too high, your leopard gecko is likely to avoid the warm spot and always hide in cool hide.
And if the temperatures in the tank are too low, your leopard gecko is likely to spend more time in a warm side, including warm hide. It will also eat & poop irregularly and seem more lethargic.
Overheating can cause dehydration and organ failure, while cold temperatures (especially coupled with high humidity) can lead to respiratory infections and digestive issues.
The ideal temperature in the hot spot on the ground where your leopard gecko lays should be 88-92 degrees Fahrenheit (31.3-33.3 Celsius). The air temperature 4-6 inches above the ground in the hot spot must be 80-83 degrees F (26.6-28.3 Celsius).
The air temperature in the cooler side must be 73-76 degrees Fahrenheit (22.7-24.4 Celsius). If you can’t achieve proper temperatures with an under tank heater like this, use a ceramic heat emitting bulb with a tank bigger than 25-30 gallons. However, with 10 gallon tanks it will be hard to create a gradient even with an UTH only.
This way, you will create a temperature gradient so that your leopard gecko can thermoregulate. You will need to place a thermometer in a warm side near the floor, one in 4-6 inches above the ground and one in a cool spot.
Leave an under tank heater 24 hours a day, but you can turn it off at night if the house temperatures don’t drop below 68 degrees F (20 Celsius).
Read all about lighting, heating and humidity in a leopard gecko’s tank in this post.
Reason 2: Breeding or puberty behaviors
Your leopard gecko might become skittish and aggressive during the breeding season/puberty. This is especially true if a male can see or have a female nearby – he will be very interested to get closer and mate with her.
Female leopard geckos can produce infertile eggs even without mating a male. During this period, your female leopard gecko can become moody, will be digging and can stop eating before laying eggs. Leopard geckos reach the puberty stage at around 8-10 months old, but will differ.
Some breeders make their leopard geckos go intro brumation, to prepare them for a breeding season. This is not something that new leopard gecko owners should do. Instead, do your best to keep temperatures, light cycles and humidity same all year round.
Any fluctuations will tell your leopard gecko that it’s winter and it can go into brumation. Also, don’t place a moist hide in a cool side, as low temperatures and high humidity can make your leopard gecko start brumation.
Your leopard gecko might also become skittish, aggressive or start freaking out during the puberty period. Some leopard geckos will be restless, refusing to eat, trying to escape the tank, glass surfing and showing other behaviors during the puberty. Once your leopard gecko reaches maturity, the behaviors should lessen or pass. This can be at around 12 months.
Reason 3: Feeding issues
You need to be careful with some feeder insects that you are offering to your leopard gecko. First of all, feeder insects must not be larger than the width between your leopard gecko’s eyes.
Very large insects can cause choking and paralysis, or your leopard gecko will refuse eating them at all. This is likely to cause lots of stress, too.
Another thing to note is that some feeder insects can bite your leopard gecko and cause it stress & pain. If your let your leopard gecko hunt on its own by releasing the bugs in the tank, then some crickets might hide in/under the substrate and bite your leopard gecko when they become hungry.
What is more, superworms are capable of biting your leopard gecko. When offering a superworm, hold its mouth shut or even chop its head off to prevent any bites.
It is better to offer the feeder insects for 15 minutes, and remove them after. This will help create a feeding schedule and avoid overeating, which can cause poor appetite and picky eating. There are exclusions – if your leopard gecko hasn’t eaten for a long time, you can leave some worms in an escape-proof dish.
If your leopard is a picky eater and you are looking for solutions, read this post for advice.
Reason 4: Your new leopard gecko isn’t used to you and is scared
When you bring a new leopard gecko home (doesn’t matter if it’s a baby or an adult), it will need time for acclimatization. It can take around 3-6 weeks for a leopard gecko to get used to you and its new home.
Sometimes, it can take even longer, so you will need to be patient. It can take much longer to actually bond, and if you make any mistakes or break the trust, you need to start over again.
You will need to use correct handling and bonding methods to make your leopard gecko comfortable. If you are too rough or pushing too much on your leopard gecko, it will become extremely stressed. Your leopard gecko is likely to hide a lot and refuse eating much for the first days-weeks when you bring it home.
Generally, if your leopard gecko is freaking out or is scared of you, don’t try to handle it. Only approach its tank slowly and place your hand in the tank to start bonding again. Then, you can start with hand feeding/feeding with tongs few times a week.
Read about correct leopard gecko handling techniques in this post. And what is more, you can find lots of useful information on taming your leopard gecko here.
Reason 5: Sickness
If your leopard gecko is sick or infected with parasites, this will cause it lots of stress. You can tell that your leopard gecko is sick if it’s being lethargic, hides a lot, poops irregularly, doesn’t shed or eat regularly, is losing weight, limping, wheezing, regurgitating food and more.
Don’t confuse lethargy with normal crepuscular behavior, when your leopard gecko will be hiding for most of the day and coming out in the evening.
You need to offer a varied diet, gut-load and supplement the feeder insects to prevent any deficiencies. Don’t forget about hydration and offering fresh water at all times, as well as high moisture bugs such as hornworms.
You also need to clean your leopard gecko’s tank regularly to avoid any infections.
To learn more on leopard gecko illnesses and diseases, read this post.
Reason 6: Wrong tank size and/or very frequent environment change
Your leopard gecko might become severely stressed if you house it in a tank that is too small for it. While you can house a hatchling or baby leopard gecko in a small 10 gallon terrarium, you must upgrade to an at least 20 gallons with time.
Make sure that your juvenile leopard gecko (5 months+) is housed in a 20 gallon tank. Leopard geckos need space to explore and each leopard gecko deserves a tank that is at least 20 gallons. With adults (12 months+), you can get a tank as big as 50 gallons, and that is entirely up to you. Each leopard gecko should have its own hideouts.
Your leopard gecko will be highly stressed in a small tank. On top of that, it will be too hard to create a temperature gradient in tanks that are 10 gallons. If you have no choice but to house your leopard gecko in a 10 gallon tank, make sure to use a heating pad underneath that is maximum 50% of the tank’s size.
What is more, don’t move things around dramatically too often. It doesn’t apply to adding one or two new accessories in the tank – dramatic changes include taking the tank to a different room, moving things around completely etc.
Your leopard gecko needs to get used to a new environment, so changing everything dramatically more often than every 2 months will cause stress. Not to mention that your leopard gecko will have a pooping spot that can change when your amend the layout of the terrarium.
Reason 7: Loud noises around the terrarium
Very loud noises around the tank will stress your leopard gecko. This includes both loud TV or music around the leopard gecko’s habitat and shouting.
Make sure to place your leopard gecko’s terrarium in a more quiet spot, rather than in a living or entertainment room. What is more, when approaching or handling your leopard gecko, don’t scream or shout. Leopard gecko are very sensitive to loud noises.
Reason 8: Shedding
Shedding is not a stressful event for your leopard gecko, but it can cause discomfort. When shedding, your leopard gecko might stop eating for few days before, during and after the shedding.
It might also spend more time in a moist hideout, which is normal. Some leopard geckos will hate any contact during the shedding days – they won’t like handling, or even you approaching the tank. Don’t interfere and only help your leopard gecko remove retained shed.
Reason 9: Bullying and competition
Two or more leopard geckos that are housed together can bully each other. As we have discussed before, you should never house two males together, because they will fight for the territory. Also, never house leopard geckos of different sizes and ages together. However, bullying can happen even between females and even babies.
Babies will be competitive for food and space. If one baby is larger than the other one, it will most probably bully the smaller one.
The smaller leopard gecko will get stressed and will be missing meals. This is why it is recommended that you house each leopard gecko separately.
If you have no choice but to house two leopard geckos together (provided they are not males or of different sizes) then make sure each leopard gecko has its own hide and that the tank is of suitable size. Two leopard geckos will be fine in a 30 gallon tank.
Reason 10: Very bright lighting
Leopard geckos are known to hide from the bright light during the day, and come out in the evening (crepuscular species). This means that they don’t need bright lighting in the room or their tank, either.
To heat a leopard gecko’s tank, it is often sufficient to use an under tank heating pad only. With bigger tanks, you can use a ceramic heat emitting bulb that only heats, but doesn’t produce light.
Don’t use fluorescent lighting with your leopard geckos, and even UVB lighting is not necessary if you properly supplement the food.
If you choose to have a light bulb, use low wattage bulbs that are half dimmed (such as incandescent or daylight). Light from the window and the room might be enough for your leopard gecko, though.
Very bright lighting or high UVB lights (more than 5%) will stress your leopard gecko, hurt its eyes and interfere with a photoperiod.
How to tell if your leopard gecko is scared?
You can tell that your leopard gecko is scared of you if it runs away when you approach its tank and doesn’t let you handle it.
You need to spend lots of time bonding with your leopard gecko before it becomes fully comfortable with you. For some people, bonding takes only 3 weeks, but for others, it can take 3-6 months.
Be calm, speak in a soft voice, hand feed 1-2 times a week, approach your leopard gecko’s tank often and with time, it will stop being scared of you. Make sure your hands are always warm before handling.
Some leopard geckos have a different personality, and don’t like handling at all. Leopard geckos are not very sociable lizards, and not all will become fully tame.
Experiment with your leopard gecko to see what it likes. If you are doing everything correctly and it’s still uncomfortable, you will need to respect its personality.
Don’t try to handle your leopard gecko for the first 2-3 weeks after bringing it home and don’t handle when your leopard gecko is acting scared. This will only worsen the situation.
You can read all about taming and bonding with your leopard gecko in this post.
“Leopard gecko runs away from me”
Your leopard gecko can run away from you when it is stressed or scared. Once again, don’t disturb your leopard gecko and make sure its tank is set up correctly.
Make sure your leopard gecko is not sick and never remove its hides while it’s hiding from you. It will only make things worse and break the trust. Always search for the root of the problem and try to fix things, instead.
Leopard gecko opening mouth and shaking head
Your leopard gecko might be suffering from a neurological disorder if it’s opening mouth, shaking its head and running in circles. Leopard geckos do sneeze normally, but it’s often quick.
Your leopard gecko might also open its mouth when trying to swallow a bug or when it’s choking. But if these symptoms occur too often, then your leopard gecko might be ill.
If your leopard gecko is a pure or mixed Enigma morph, it might be suffering from Enigma syndrome. Your leopard gecko might have very mild ES symptoms, or start displaying them only when under stress. Symptoms include leopard gecko walking in circles, death rolls, head shakes and more. Read this post to learn more about ES in leopard geckos.
Is my leopard gecko lonely?
No, leopard geckos are solitary creatures and don’t feel lonely if living alone. Leopard geckos are fine with living alone and will be happy if the basic care needs are met.
They mostly care about food and shelter, so don’t worry about getting a pair for your leopard gecko if you don’t want it. Lonely life is fine for leopard geckos. Of course they can live in groups, but they can become competitive as well.
Leopard geckos are truly amazing pet lizards and with love and patience, you will be rewarded. If your leopard gecko is stressed, do your best to find out the reason, and if it’s scared, give it time and space to destress. You can find more useful information on leopard gecko care on this page.