[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>
> I was not so delighted when I opened the top to
> put crickets in and he lept out onto the blinds and made his way onto the
> ceiling in my apartment! It took me 30 min. to corral him into a reachable
> area to return him to the tank. He is so darn flighty and quick. Is there
> anything I can do to calm him a bit? I'm a little nervous now to open his
> cage to feed him, because I don't want him leaping out every time.
I don't know if you can tame him, since any of his species I've ever seen were a
bit skittish, and escape artists as well.
You could try what I do with arboreal glass climbing rocket-butts.
I always have the crickets in a deep plastic bag (whether or not they get the
shake and bake treatment). I make sure I lift the lid just enough to put the top
3 or 4 inches of the bag inside the tank, and lower the lid again. Then, lift
the bottom of the bag so the crickets slide towards the tank. If you work it
right, you can lift the lid just enough to slide the bag a bit farther inside
the tank, so the crickets are inside and can fall down. The lid can be lowered a
bit to keep just the tiniest space for jiggling the bag until the crickets are
all in the tank, but the gecko can't get out.
If you use the bowl feeding method (for mealworms?) you could aim the bag over
the bowl to dump them in. Though it doesn't help one bit if you have to reach in
and remove the dishes or furnishings. In this case, spraying the glass with
water helps a bit, kind of slows the gecko for a few seconds, which might give
you time to open the lid and remove the bowl, but don't count on it working
everytime and not for longer than a few seconds.
An acquaintance of mine has a sheet of clear plastic she drapes over the lid
before opening it. She reaches under it to open the lid. Apparently, if the
gecko escapes, bumping into the plastic confuses it enough to either jump back
inside the tank or sit and ponder the invisible barrier long enough to be picked
up and put back inside. That method's never worked for me, but it might work for
you.
Other than that, have a lookout (bribe a kid), and keep a large soft fishnet
handy.
Hilde
--
~*~***~*~
Chaos, panic, & disorder
- my work in the kitchen is done.
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