Baby Ackie, gaining trust.

[xnibotx]

Hi there,

So I got my Ackie about almost two months ago. He was just a hatchlling when I received him, probably a month and a half old. I was looking for some tips on how to earn his trust. I have never picked him up expect when I first put him in his cage. I am able to tong feed him and he will wait in front on me while I get the next cricket and will eat in front of me. I am able to put my hand in the cage and given a few minutes he will walk around his cage and has explored and crawled on my hand a few times now. I have never tried to pick him up yet. When I get up and move or move too fast he tends to duck and cover. I try not to spook him as much as possible and keep our interactions positive but he still seems unsure and scared of me. I am wondering if I could be doing something more to earn his trust or if it is simply due to him still being so young. Thank you for any advice you can give.

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by xnibotx

Hi there,

So I got my Ackie about almost two months ago. He was just a hatchlling when I received him, probably a month and a half old. I was looking for some tips on how to earn his trust. I have never picked him up expect when I first put him in his cage. I am able to tong feed him and he will wait in front on me while I get the next cricket and will eat in front of me. I am able to put my hand in the cage and given a few minutes he will walk around his cage and has explored and crawled on my hand a few times now. I have never tried to pick him up yet. When I get up and move or move too fast he tends to duck and cover. I try not to spook him as much as possible and keep our interactions positive but he still seems unsure and scared of me. I am wondering if I could be doing something more to earn his trust or if it is simply due to him still being so young. Thank you for any advice you can give.

Hi, I think you are on the right track, just keep doing what you`re doing, as you`re finding out, food is your "best weapon" when trying to gain trust.
Just for the sake of asking, can you show a few photos of the whole enclosure and give details of the conditions? Thanks!

[Veronica]

From what I've heard, you really want them to come to like you on their own terms. So no matter how tempting it is never force handle them. depending on the style of your cage, you could sit and idk, read a book while leaving your hand in there for a longer time.