Have you been wondering why your newly bought leopard gecko is suddenly screaming? Has the noise of your pet made you worry about its well-being? Why do they 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 reptile will prevent the screaming.
Are you eager to understand why your pet screams and what you should do? Keep reading for a better understanding…
Leopard Gecko Sounds and How Screaming Is Different?
These reptiles are known to be quiet and peaceful pets. However, if your pet is making a sound, it just means there is some reason behind it.
These reptiles are 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 Leopard Gecko is Screaming
They tend to scream when stressed or perceive a threat nearby them. There are multiple reasons why your pet may feel stressed or threatened.
Some of the reasons could be:
- Stimuli from External Environment
One of the most common causes why your pet 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 gecko’s enclosure, chances are that they may feel scared or threatened.
- Presence of Another Gecko in the Same Enclosure
Leopard geckos, especially the males, are known to get involved in territorial aggressions and wars. Female geckos may or may not live together, but males simply cannot.
If you are housing two males together in the same enclosure, chances are you might hear one of them clicking and screaming. This is because the presence of one might induce stress in the other.
They may also use screaming as a mechanism to warn off the other animals from their territory.
- Unfit Enclosure
If you have not set up the enclosure right, the surroundings can induce a lot of stress in your little reptile. In an enclosure that does not have proper conditions like sufficient space or the right temperature, your pet will get stressed and may end up screaming.
Along with this, if the 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 scream.
If they are not familiar with you yet, and you reach out to your pet at irregular intervals, it may perceive you as a threat, thus leading to screaming.
- Presence of Large Insects in the Terrarium
They are known to feast on large insects like crickets. Crickets also provide a high nutritional value and are readily available in stores or online shops.
However, feeding crickets can be pretty tricky. If you leave crickets in the enclosure, you might find your pet making noise. The reason behind this could be the stress caused to them by the loud cricket noises.
If left in the tank, the crickets can also end up biting them, which can cause your pet to scream.
Check out this video of a gecko screaming at a fly.
- Presence of Loud Noise
These reptiles are known to be sensitive to sounds and noises from their environment.
The presence of loud sounds can be very disturbing for them, and it may induce stress, leading to the expression of screaming.
If you are being too loud while handling them, 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
The age of them is also a contributing factor to whether they are making noise or not.
Juvenile geckos are known to scream, especially when newly brought home. These adult reptiles are usually accustomed to you and their environment, so they may only scream when they sense any threat or danger.
- The Personality
Each one has its own personality. While some 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 after being held is completely a personality trait.
- New Surroundings
If your reptile is newly bought, it may end up screaming now and then. They can perceive the new environment as a threat before it gets used to the enclosure.
These reptiles are naturally defensive, and the new surroundings can easily make them feel threatened or alarmed. These reptiles have been known to dig if they are feeling stressed or defensive.
How to Fix Factors Causing Stress to Your Leopard Gecko?
- Fix the Environment
If the cause of your pet screaming is its environment, you must take the necessary measures to fix it.
You must ensure that if your house has other pets like cats and dogs, which your leopard gecko may perceive as a threat, you must not allow these pets to be around the enclosure.
Placing the enclosure away from the window, where your gecko may accidentally spot any other animal or bird, is also advisable.
You can also consider adding soundproof noise-absorbing foam blocks to the enclosure to minimize external stimuli like loud noises.
- Do Not Leave Any Live Feed in the Enclosure
While feeding your gecko with large insects like crickets, ensure you do not leave them in the enclosure when your gecko 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 enclosure may cause the crickets to team up against your leopard gecko.
Remove any uneaten crickets from the enclosure immediately. Feed young geckos with smaller-sized crickets. Also, it is best to avoid too large crickets as a general rule of thumb.
- Set Up a Right Enclosure
You must choose the right enclosure for them. You must make sure that the 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 an enclosure that has a front-door opening as opposed to a top-cover opening. That way, whenever you reach out to fetch it, 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 geckos in two different enclosures. The stress caused by the constant territorial wars will be bad for their 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 them.
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 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 they 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 from them has nothing to do with you being an incompetent owner.
Use food treats to win its confidence and build a relationship of trust before you begin to handle it. That way, they 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 may seem unnatural to you, it is pretty normal for them to scream when they feel threatened or stressed out.
By fixing the causes of the stress or perceived threats, you can help your pet have stress-free and peaceful living conditions and stop the screaming calls.
