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Why Does My Crested Gecko Poop On Me? Crazy Pets.

A photo of a crested gecko resting

I think I would be willing to bet that the topic of today’s article is something all crested gecko owners have experienced. Being pooped on by your pet when you are handling it, it is not fun!

So why does your crested gecko poop on you when you try to handle them, is it a sign that they are happy and relaxed? Or is it a case of them being upset and stressed? Maybe it is something else completely!

When you get pooped on by your crested gecko, make sure to check it’s poop. It has to be a normal thick substance. When it is not the right poop or very thin, it could say something about their health or diet. Make sure you provide them with the right food.

Well I wondered the real reasons behind it and decided to do some research. My hope and aim was to hopefully find a way to stop it from happening. The following article is what I found out.

Why do crested geckos poop on you when handled?

Ok so first off I want to talk about the teal reasoning behind why your crested gecko poops on you. Later on in the article I will give you some helpful tips and advice that you can use to stop it from happening.

So why do Crested Geckos poop on you? There are three reasons why a Crested gecko may poop on you. The first is that it may be feeling slightly stressed, the second is that it may be relaxing on your warm hand. However it is more likely doing it because it has learnt that you will put it back in its tank after pooping on you.

So those are the reasons why it happens in the first place. Now let’s break all of them down and see if there are things that we can do make to change the situation.

Ways to stop a crested gecko from pooping on you.

In this section we are going to look into different ways that we can try to stop your pet from pooping on you.

I will break each down into the categories that we had reasons for earlier on.

Below is a quick video of a crested gecko pooping on its owner, just so that you know your not the only one!

Pooping due to warmth and comfort.

This reason is quite a rare reason to get pooped on by your crested gecko but that does not mean that it can’t happen.

Unfortunately there is not much that we can do in this situation. If you find that you do get pooped on because your crestie is warm and comfortable then your best bet is to immediately place it back into the tank. Then you can thoroughly wash your hands with antibacterial soap. I will go over why the soap is so important a little later.

Pooping due to stress or upset.

If you suspect that your crested gecko is pooping on you because it is stressed then there are a few things that you can do.

Usually if it poops on you and is stressed it will also be making some noises. If you are not familiar with the noises and meanings of crested gecko have a look at this article that I wrote. It will be perfect for this situation.

Stress is a major problem and can lead to much more serious issues than pooping in the wrong place. If you believe that it is doing it because of stress it is best to give it a little space. Place it back in its tank and let it have a breather.

You should also have a think about your cresties tank set up. If you can invest in a larger tank and some more hides and furniture, do it. One of the leading causes of stress in crested geckos is a poorly set up tank.

Take it one step at a time with the handling until things settle down. You can maybe increase the frequency of handling but reduce the amount of time of each handling session.

crested gecko poop

Why does your crested gecko poop on you?

Pooping due to wanting to go back in its tank.

This reason is more common than you will believe! Crested geckos are ok with a little gentle handling but they can sometimes be stubborn and want to be left alone.

So in defence they are quite often known to take a poop on the handlers hands or arms. The gecko knows and hopes that you will then place it back into the tank where it wants to be.

It does this because it remembers from previous occasions that when it poops on you, you place it back, crafty little things.

So to overcome this we need to not give into their demands. If it poops on you carry on handling it but add on an extra five minutes.

By making this small change you are showing that by pooping on you the crested gecko will not get its own way. It may take time but eventually it will stop doing it as it does not get what it wants.

The importance of washing your hands after crested gecko poop.

When handling your crested gecko you should always make sure to wash your hands anyway. Geckos are known carriers of salmonella and if you was to accidentally get this into your mouth it can be very bad.

It is especially important to wash your hands very thoroughly if your crestie poops on you. The poop can be full of nasty pathogens and parasites and you really do not want this in your skin.

Children are most likely to put there fingers in their mouthes after handling so make sure they know how important it is.

Conclusion.

Crested geckos are an amazing species of animal to look after a pet. Part of this ownership may lead to times that are a little bit yucky, such as when you get pooped on.

However this behaviour can be changed if you follow the above advice. Cresties are most of the time quite clean pets that prefer to poop in one spot, so please do not let this put you off getting one. When you get crested gecko poop on you, make sure you wash your hands.

I really hope this article has helped you in some way and if you enjoyed it why not check out another. There are some fun and related article links below!

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