Worried my leo no longer trusts me

[JediJarhead]

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I've been working with my leo on handling. Every day I lower my hand into the tank and let him crawl onto it on his own. ( I don't actually know its sex yet as he's too young) He's taken a liking to me and lets me hold him for about a minute before he's ready to be back on the ground. However, tonight he ran up my arm without warning and up to my shoulder lightning fast. I tried to calmly get a handle on him to keep him from falling to the floor and accidentally grabbed his tail and lower abdomen. He didn't drop his tail but I'm worried I may have had too firm of a grip and possibly hurt him a little and lost his trust. He's acting normal and active in the tank now, but when I came close to the tank afterward he started shaking when he noticed me. I'm worried he's going to associate me with that negative experience and not let me handle him anymore. Any advice?

[Elizabeth Freer]

Are there any bruises on the underneath side of your leo's abdomen?

Just give your leo a few days to recover. Then gently resume your handling routine.

I'm happy he kept his tail in spite of this experience!

[JediJarhead]

No bruises that I’ve noticed. Thanks for your help! The fact he kept his tail is what gives me the feeling he didn’t lose ALL trust for me.

[Elizabeth Freer]

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No bruises that I’ve noticed. Thanks for your help! The fact he kept his tail is what gives me the feeling he didn’t lose ALL trust for me.

You're definitely welcome!

I hope he'll trust you again quite soon.