so many questions...

hey guys i was wondering if you guys could help me out by giving me some advice on some things.
#1 i see a lot of people with picture of their leos sleeping out side their hides or wondering around their cage. my little charm always is in her hides and never really comes out and about no matter what time it is. (im a night owl and am up pretty late and even when all the lights are off except a computer screen and her little blue moon light she still is in her hides and asleep most of the time. i have yet to ever see her drink out of her water dish. is this normal for a 4 month old? or am i doing something wrong? i always take her out of her cage to feed her, is that wrong of me?

#2 ok next thing is i'm worried i might be taming her wrong, like i mentioned before i take her out every night to feed her, she seems to only be eating every other day now but i still try and take her out to handle her. when i go to take her out i take her hide out so that i can get to her like i said she is always in her hide. and then i slowly reach in and place my hand down beside her but she is afraid of it so she always walks away, i eventually get her on my hand and then take her to my bed were i either feed her or just let her be with me. i have gotten to the point were after a bit she settles down while she is out with me and will some times lay on my warm hand and let me pet her head and back. but that doesn't last more then like 5 minutes and then she wonders around trying to find a place to hide.. i'm worried i'm not taming her right and i would like her to want to come to my hand instead of running away from it. any advice or forum threads you guys can think of that could help me? should i be keeping her in her cage more?
thanks.

At this stage, its pretty normal for her to be reclusive like that. In all honestly, I've established a "human = food" relationship with my leo's so when I come around they come out of their hide and look at me.

It's an age and bonding thing, where they feel comfortable enough to reveal themselves. I know at four months, my leo's were still very frightened.

What you're doing handling wise, is good. Just keep at it, and remind yourself that leo's will never actually want to sit and cuddle; they just come to tolerate your existence close to them.

Leopard geckos in general are more skittish when they are juveniles. But as they get older, reaching adulthood, they become more docile. Your best bet is to be patient and give her time. She needs time to mature, and she needs time to get used to you being the "food person". It'll come one day when she stops being afraid of you.

But Kodieh is completely correct, leopard geckos "tolerate" handling. They don't actually like to be cuddled with like cats do. I still think leopard geckos make great pets, they are just a different type of pets. They are one of the easiest reptiles to care for and handle. Some of them will get so used to you that they'll just lay on the bed and watch tv with you, or sit on your shoulders.

I'll say each geckos are different. Sometimes over handling can be harmful as it may stress them out more. If you find that your gecko is still afraid of you, maybe it's best to not handle her for awhile. Give her time to settle in and get used to you. Once she stops shying away when you approach the tank or open up the tank, then that'll be a good sign that she's ready to be handled. Again, a lot of this comes with time & age. Some geckos are simply too skittish when they are younger.

I have 3 leopard geckos that will climb onto my hand willingly when I reach in. So yes, it's possible, but it really takes time.