Crested Gecko Poop: Reasons They Go On Owners & Prevention
Crested gecko pooping on you? Well, this is surprisingly common. Well, at least for those who are new to crested geckos. Thankfully, it is an issue that you should be able to solve fairly easily.
On this page, we are going to go through some of the reasons why that crested gecko may be pooping on you. We also want to share a few ideas on how you can deal with the problem.
Contents
Stress
In 99% of cases, your crested gecko is pooping on you because they are stressed. We suppose that it is similar to a defense mechanism. As their body tenses up, well, they end up loosening certain parts of their body. This results in them pooping on you.
There are a variety of things that can cause stress in a crested gecko. However, since it is happening when you are holding the crested gecko, then it is highly likely going to be because the gecko isn’t a huge fan of you holding them or, in some cases because you are holding them in an incorrect way.
You will likely find that younger crested geckos are more likely to poop on you. As they get a bit older and used to you holding them, it is far less likely that they will get stressed.
Sickness
We don’t mean to worry you, but there is a small chance that your crested gecko is pooping on you because they are sick. Although, we cannot stress enough how rare this is. It is also unlikely to be the case if they haven’t been pooping in abnormal ways in their enclosure.
If your crested gecko is sick, then it is likely that its poop is going to be a little bit on the watery side of things, or it may have a slightly odd color. You may also notice other changes in their behavior.
If you believe that your crested gecko is sick, then we highly recommend that you head to a vet. They will be able to get to the bottom of the issue.
Accident
If your crested gecko has pooped on you just once or twice, with no rhyme or reason as to when it is happening, then it is probably just an accident.
Sometimes crested geckos can get a little bit overexcited when they come into contact with their owners, and when this happens, they are more likely to let out a sneaky poop.
This is nothing to worry about, and chances are that you won’t be anything that you can do to prevent it.
What To Do When Your Crested Gecko Poops On You
You should put the crested gecko back in thier enclosure right away. This will ‘train’ them to know that pooping on you is wrong. Sure, it probably isn’t going to be as easy to train a crested gecko as it would be to train a dog. However, a lot of people find that the crested gecko is eventually going to learn their lesson.
Make sure that you clean up the poop with a good disinfectant soap. You don’t know what is in that poop, and you certainly don’t want that bacteria to be hanging around on your hands for too long.
How To Prevent Your Crested Gecko Pooping On You
If the crested gecko is doing it by accident, or sick, then there isn’t much that you can do to stop the gecko pooping on you. Obviously, if they are sick, then you will probably want to head to a vet.
If the issue is because they are stressed, then you should probably get to the bottom of why they are stressed. Most of the time, it is because they are not happy with the handling.
We recommend that you watch videos on how you should handle your crested gecko. This will ensure that you are holding them in the most comfortable position.
If you have recently got your crested gecko, then don’t handle it right away. Build yourself up to it. Start by petting them lightly while they are in the enclosure. After about a week, you can take them out of the enclosure for a few minutes at a time. Treat them gently. Let them know that they are safe with you.
Over time, you will find that your crested gecko becomes a lot more confident when you are holding them. The result? They aren’t going to get stressed when you take them out of that enclosure and, hopefully, this means that they aren’t going to be pooping on you.
Conclusion
It is likely that your crested gecko is pooping on you because it isn’t happy with you handling it. It is a bit stressed. This is common with younger geckos. However, as they get used to you handling them and they realize that you aren’t a threat, they will stop pooping on you.