leachie questions

[oscar]

as you all know, i got my new leachie about 2 weeks ago. when i got him he was all calm and everything, but since he's been in his enclosure, he's turned into a demon from hell.. with hemorroids. if i get anywhere near him, he will lunge, hiss, whistle, and breathe hard and heavy til i leave him alone. i'll admit i am nervous about letting get ahold of me.. and i really dont want to send him flying across the room if i jerk about as he is gnawing on me. anyone have any ideas.. i mean i assume that i should be around his enclosure every nite and make sure he starts to not associate me as a threat, but its made it difficult to clean up after him and feeding him can be a chore.

i have a set of workgloves i use for my more difficult herps.. should i try that?

Scott.. the wuss.

 

[GeckoFiend]

I think you should just reach your bare hand in, wiggle your finger in front of him and pull him out when he latches on

Or, you could try feeding him his food from spoon-that should help him trust you...

 

[RHACADANK]

LEACHYS CAN GIVE YOU A BAD BITE, SO I WOULD NOT TRY THE FINGER TRICK. :lol: TRY COVERING THE ENCLOSER 8) (LEAVING ENOUGH AIR MOVEMENT) OR BLOCK THE AREA WHERE THERE IS A LOT OF TRAFFIC. ALSO TRY TO TAKE HIM OUT ON A PIECE OF HIS BRANCH OR BARK. LET HIM THINK THAT YOUR HAND IS A TREE BRANCH. I WILL USUALLY SPRAY THE ENCLOSURE WITH FRESH WATER AND JUST REACH IN AND GIVE HIM A LITTLE PET ON THE HEAD/NECK AREA. BE CAREFUL, HE SHOULD LET YOU KNOW IF HE IS UPSET. DO THIS DAILY; A LIGHT MIST AND A SMALL PET ON THE HEADNECK AREA EVERYDAY AND HE SHOULD GET USE TO YOU. IF HE SEEMS UPSET LET HIM RELAX AND TRY TOMARROW. THE GLOVES ARE OK TO USE ALSO, BUT GET USE TO TAKING THEM OFF WHEN HE SEEMS RELAXED. GOOD LUCK.

 

[oscar]

lol.. grreeeeeeat. as for the pet on the head... unfortunately, he wont even let me get close enough. i do try and open the door every day to spray or feed him, but as soon as he thinks i am getting to close i see him start breathing hard then if i get closer, he lunges with a hiss.

btw.. Babamba just thinks he's funny.. he didnt really expect me to listen.

Scott

 

[bleeding_sarcasm]

he was probably a sweetheart because he was cold, and all reptiles are then. then you got him home, and he warmed up, and now hes a bit more grumpy. you kindof just have to bite the bullet [no pun intended] dont squeeze him, give him room to move, let him jump from hand to hand. tips: dont touch his face/mouth and dont grab his tail. if you can take him out for a while let him crawl around under close supervision, a little time to acclamate, then maybe hell be a little less totally stressed out. that is always one of the problems assosiated with buying adult or even sub adult animals, youre not always sure theyre going to have been handled, and may not be hand tame. worst case scenerio you never tame him up, hes always agressive, and will remain eye candy for the rest of his days. even that isnt so bad for such a pretty animal. just dont take it personally, most reptiles would rather not be handled. and tameness just comes out of tolerance.

 

[oscar]

yeah, i agree.. and it makes it really difficult to clean the cage when i have to constantly watch out for an attack. lol. i employ some welders and i'm gonna have em order an extra set of gloves on the next order.

Scott

 

[bleeding_sarcasm]

we had a cuban rock iguana for a few years and he regularly chewed through leather gloves. so now we have pleanty. they have holes in patches, and we dont need to use them for anything besides taking our big hognose female out. we got her from a friend and is most likely wild caught.