If you are a crested gecko owner, it is natural for you to wonder, can crested geckos bite? Why do they bite? Are their bites painful? Can they cause infections? And many more. These fears in you are legit since crested geckos are reptiles and reptiles are infamous for their sharp teeth. Don’t worry, this blog put up will solve your questions and help you know more about your sweet companion.
So, do crested geckos bite? These pet lizards, also known as eyelash geckos do bite if they feel threatened or stressed. It’s not their expressive or overemotional outbreak that makes them bite; they only bite for their protection.
Why Do Crested Geckos Bite?
Like I mentioned before, crested gecko usually bite for defense, probably because it is in an unfamiliar environment, this could be solved easily by letting them adjust to the new environment by themselves for a couple of days. This is by far one of the most common reasons for a newly owned crested gecko to bite. They are simply scared.
Another reason could be that it’s under stress. This could also make your crested gecko bite you. Do not try to handle it if it doesn’t like it a lot. Especially don’t hold him tight, just let him rest on your hands or arms. If it is stressed, prevent from touching it until they are calmed down. Crested geckos are low-maintenance pets, they don’t usually require a lot of handling and aren’t difficult to feed.
Crested gecko tends to bite when it is scared, mostly when they feel like they’re about to be hunted down. Just keep it back in its cage and prevent it from touching it in this case. Sudden movements from the surrounding could also make them scared.
Crested geckos bite when they feel like their territory is being invaded for defense. This can happen if someone tries to touch his food or even touch their skin by surprise.
Also read: Can Crested Geckos swim
If your crested gecko was a juvenile or adult crested gecko, then there could be a chance that it was mistreated by the previous owner. This might have left memories of traumatic experiences which might make your gecko aggressive. In this case, let your pet lizard feel that you are harmless towards it.
Does a Crested Geckos Bite Hurt?
But just like with leopard geckos, crested gecko bites don’t hurt much, it would feel more like you are being pinched. Many people compare crested gecko’s teeth with fish teeth.
Your lizard pet’s teeth are small and weak. This is exactly why specialists advise not to feed your pet crested gecko with hard food, they wouldn’t be able to tear the flesh from the fruit. So you don’t have to worry a lot about pain.
What to Do When Bitten By a Crested Gecko?
Well, you shouldn’t really worry a lot about it; a bite of crested geckos doesn’t usually cause health issues like other animals, since they don’t carry any common bacteria around with it.
But it’d be best for you to wash your hands thoroughly with antibacterial soap, just in case. If you get busted skin after being bitten, apply some antibacterial ointment, after washing properly using anti-bacterial soap. But it is very rare for a crested gecko bite to break the skin.
Also check out how often cresties shed.
Is it Normal for Crested Geckos to Bite Each Other?
Crested geckos may bite since it has teeth, but they shouldn’t normally do it often. There are a few reasons crested geckos bite each other, the most common is both being males, they fight and bite each other for authority. This usually doesn’t occur between females, they will get along well. If you put two male crested geckos together, they might show disliking towards you too, so it’s best to leave them in separate tanks, they can be territorial.
Bottom Line
Crested geckos do bite, only if you make it stressed or scared. They are not normally aggressive. So don’t get it wrong when your crested gecko bites you, try to understand it and make it feel that you care for its happiness too. Like they say, actions speak louder than words. They may not be affectionate at first, but they’ll soon be, so be patient and show your crestie the love you have.
