Have you been wondering why your newly bought leopard gecko is suddenly screaming? Has the screaming of your pet leopard gecko made you worry about the well-being of your pet? Why do leopard geckos scream?
Leopard geckos tend to scream when they are facing any threat or danger. They also scream when they are under a lot of stress. Eliminating the factors causing stress to your pet leopard gecko will prevent the screaming.
Are you eager to understand why your pet leopard gecko screams and what you should do? Keep reading for a better understanding…
Leopard Gecko Sounds and How Screaming Is Different?
Leopard geckos are known to be quiet and peaceful pets. However, if your pet leopard gecko is making a sound, it just means there is some reason behind it.
A leopard gecko is known to make a variety of different sounds, like chirping, squeaking, clicking, and screaming. It is important to differentiate these sounds from screaming to best interpret whether your pet is in distress and whether the situation needs your intervention.
Top 8 Reasons Why Your Pet Leopard Gecko is Screaming
Leopard geckos tend to scream when stressed or perceive a threat nearby them. There are multiple reasons why your pet leopard gecko may feel stressed or threatened.
Some of the reasons could be:
- Stimuli from External Environment
One of the most common causes why your pet leopard gecko is screaming is because it probably feels threatened due to something that it has spotted in the environment.
If you have other pets, like cats or dogs, roaming around near your pet leopard gecko’s enclosure, chances are that your pet leopard gecko may feel scared or threatened.
- Presence of Another Leopard Gecko in the Same Pet Enclosure
Leopard geckos, especially the males, are known to get involved in territorial aggressions and wars. Female leopard geckos may or may not live together, but male leopard geckos simply cannot.
If you are housing two male leopard geckos together in the same pet enclosure, chances are you might hear one of them clicking and screaming. This is because the presence of one of the pet leopard geckos might induce stress in the other leopard gecko.
The leopard gecko may also use screaming as a mechanism to ward off the other leopard gecko from its territory.
- Unfit Pet Enclosure
If you have not set the pet enclosure right, the surroundings can induce a lot of stress in your pet leopard gecko. In a pet enclosure that does not have proper conditions like sufficient space or the right temperature, your pet leopard gecko will get stressed and may end up screaming.
Along with this, if your pet leopard gecko’s pet enclosure opens up at the top, and your pet sees your hand descending from above to pick it up, it may feel extremely distressed and may scream.
If your pet leopard gecko is not familiar with you yet, and you reach out to pet your pet leopard gecko at irregular intervals, it may perceive you as a threat, thus leading to screaming.
- Presence of Large Insects in the Terrarium
Leopard geckos are known to feast on large insects like crickets. Crickets also provide a high nutritional value to your pet leopard gecko and are readily available in pet stores or online shops.
However, feeding crickets can be pretty tricky. If you leave crickets in your pet leopard gecko’s pet enclosure, you might find that your pet leopard gecko is screaming. The reason behind this could be the stress caused to your pet leopard gecko by the loud cricket noises.
If left in the tank, the crickets can also end up biting your pet leopard gecko, which can cause your pet to scream.
Check out this video of a leopard gecko screaming at a fly.
- Presence of Loud Noise
Leopard geckos are known to be sensitive to sounds and noises from their environment.
The presence of loud sounds can be very disturbing for your pet leopard gecko, and it may induce stress, leading to the expression of screaming from your pet leopard gecko.
If you are being too loud while handling your pet leopard gecko, it may perceive you as the source of loud noise, associate you as the threat, and end up screaming while it is being held.
- Age of Your Pet Leopard Gecko
The age of leopard geckos is also a contributing factor to whether your pet leopard gecko is screaming or not.
Juvenile leopard geckos are known to scream, especially when newly brought home. Adult leopard geckos are usually accustomed to you and their environment, so they may only scream when they sense any threat or danger.
- The Personality of Your Pet Leopard Gecko
Each leopard gecko has its own personality. While some leopard geckos like being held by their owner, others dislike it and are not comfortable when held.
This has nothing to do with the competence of the owner. Instead, the screaming of your pet leopard gecko after being held is completely a personality trait.
- New Surroundings
If your pet leopard gecko is newly bought, it may end up screaming now and then. The leopard gecko can perceive the new environment as a threat before it gets used to the pet enclosure.
Leopard geckos are naturally defensive, and the new surroundings can easily make them feel threatened or alarmed. Leopard geckos have been known to dig if they are feeling stressed or defensive.
How to Fix Factors Causing Stress to Your Pet Leopard Gecko?
- Fix the Environment
If the cause of your pet leopard gecko screaming is its environment, you must take the necessary measures to fix its environment.
You must ensure that if your house has other pets like cats and dogs, which your pet leopard gecko may perceive as a threat, you must not allow these pets to be around your pet leopard gecko’s enclosure.
Placing the pet enclosure away from the window, where your pet leopard gecko may accidentally spot any other animal or bird, is also advisable.
You can also consider adding soundproof noise-absorbing foam blocks to the pet enclosure to minimize external stimuli like loud noises.
- Do Not Leave Any Live Feed in the Pet Enclosure
While feeding your pet leopard gecko with large insects like crickets, ensure you do not leave them in the pet enclosure when your pet is not eating them.
It is best to feed live food like crickets, one at a time, as crickets are big. Putting too many of them in the pet enclosure may cause the crickets to team up against your pet leopard gecko.
Remove any uneaten crickets from the pet enclosure immediately. Feed young leopard geckos with smaller-sized crickets. Also, it is best to avoid too large crickets as a general rule of thumb.
- Set Up a Right Pet Enclosure
You must choose the right pet enclosure for your pet leopard gecko. You must make sure that the leopard gecko’s enclosure is not cluttered or does not have any decorative objects which it may perceive as a threat.
Along with this, you should also invest in a pet enclosure that has a front-door opening as opposed to a top-cover opening. That way, whenever you reach out to fetch your pet leopard gecko, it may not perceive you as a threat.
It will also see your hand coming in to reach it and will not be taken by surprise.
- Do Not House Two Leopard Geckos In the Same Terrarium
To avoid any territorial wars, it is best that you house two leopard geckos in two different pet enclosures. The stress caused by the constant territorial wars will be bad for your pet leopard gecko’s health. If you have to house two leopard geckos together and cannot buy another terrarium, then at least make sure you buy a large tank to house these leopard geckos.
Also, it would be best to house only leopard geckos similar in size to avoid domination and confrontation.
- Give It Space and Time
If your pet leopard gecko is newly bought, you must give it ample time and space to get familiarized with the new environment as well as yourself.
Do not rush into handling it, as your pet leopard gecko may perceive you as a threat. Give it space and be patient with the process. It is best that you avoid handling it for at least 2-3 weeks.
Remember that the screaming of your pet leopard gecko has nothing to do with you being an incompetent owner.
Use food treats to win its confidence and build a relationship of trust with your pet leopard gecko before you begin to handle it. That way, the leopard gecko will feel safe and trust you if it likes being held. However, avoid handling it altogether if it dislikes being handled.
Conclusion
Though screaming by your pet leopard gecko may seem unnatural to you, it is pretty normal for leopard geckos to scream when they feel threatened or stressed out.
By fixing the causes of the stress or perceived threats, you can help your pet leopard gecko have stress-free and peaceful living conditions and stop the screaming calls.
