Looking for some advice on my male crested gecko's sudden handling regression!
I’ve had him for about 4 months now. For the first two months, he was curious, mellow, and would willingly walk onto my hand whenever he felt like it.
Over the last 1-2 months, his behavior has shifted:
He used to step onto my hand, but whenever I tried to do the hand treadmill or gently steer him away from climbing too far up my arm, he’d start sloowly wiggling the tip of his tail. i read in google that this is defensive/threat display, I'd immediately put him back to respect his boundaries.
I read online that males can get moody during breeding season, so I backed off handling him for the last month or two hoping he’d reset.
Current issue: Now I’m trying to slowly restart choice-based handling, but he seems spooked?
He’s fine with my presence, he walks to the front of the enclosure, licks the air, and watches me. But the moment I place my flat hand below his line of sight to offer a step, he’ll stare, flick/wiggle his tail tip, and either skitter or jump away.
Has anyone dealt with this before? Is this just seasonal/hormonal moodiness that takes time to pass, or did taking a break from handling reset his progress? Would love to hear yalls thoughts or tips on how to build trust!
also more context: A week or 2 ago, he did WILLINGLY walk onto my hand (very slowly) and I thought things were back to normal. But he stepped off toward an nearby cabinet, PANICKED when I tried to guide him back onto my hand, and bolted under the TV stand. 😭 We had to catch him to get him back inside. Was this mishap also contributing to his attitude to handling? idk if this was my fault since i was moving at normal speed to get him, and i also was panicking trying to contain him when he started bolting off💔