Settling In??

I brought home my first (12 wk old) Leopard Gecko three days ago. How long should he be left to settle in? He is eating well but is very shy, when ever I enter the room he makes his way back to his moist hide, will he get used to me being in the room over time?

many thanks!
George

Oh yeah, he probably will! I just bought my first leo a week and a half ago and she was a little shy at first but now whenever I come in the room she comes out of her hide and stares at me like, "Well? Where are my worms?"

He'll get used to you soon enough. The amount of time varies from gecko to gecko. I have new geckos that eat and will walk onto my hand on the very same night they arrived. On the other hand I've seen geckos that take a couple of weeks before they stop hiding & running away when I approach the tank. Some geckos, especially younger geckos, are quite skittish and can take quite awhile for them to grow out of it.

Once he gets used to you being the guy that feeds him, he'll stop running away to hide. But it'll take awhile, and often the age of the gecko reflects how quickly they become docile.

You can attempt to earn their trust by laying your hand flat in the tank slowly, and allow him to approach you and sniff you. They may or may not approach your hand, if not, just slowly take your hand out. If he does approach, just lay still and allow him to lick you, get your scent, and walk on or around your hand. The quicker they realize you aren't there to eat them, the faster they stop being all scared.

First off, welcome to the forum! hope you enjoy your time here and I hope we are able to help you!

I've found it depends on the leo. Some will become your best friend right away, others will take a few weeks.
Since yours is just a young one, it may take a bit longer, as the young leos are a bit more skittish than the adults.

As Mardy said, you can slowly put your hand in the tank and let him/her approach you.
Patience is key.

Thankyou so much for the advice, really appreicate it! Its hard because there are so many different verions on what to do, some say they would take a couple of days others say weeks, but i think as you say it will depend on the Leo, so ill let you know how im getting on with my Charli!

D'awww! He's super cute!!

awwww so cute!
Welcome to the forum!!

Hey!!

Well we'e had Charlie for a good few months now and im pleased to say he's completely came out of his shell, he's fantastic, so friendly and not a fussy eater too!
A MASSIVE thanks to you all for your reassurance when I first brought him home, you guys are awesome! :-)

George

You're welcome George... that's why we're here glad to hear he is doing so well. Keep up the good work.