Mating behaviour and Feeding

[Mezmurize]

I'm not sure if I have a problem or not, my two roomies have recently started to take up quarrel to the point of physical harm so let me explain the setting and situation and hopefully someone can put my mind at ease since mating season is on the approach. After which I have a brief question about feeding.

I have a 2-2.5 year old female (was a juvenille when I bought her 2 years ago) and a 1.5 year old male housed in a 36x18 enclosure that have recently took to the events of boxing and I'm starting to get worried. I'm fearing I'm reading into this as something more than mating behaviour but I want to be sure. My female has recently acquired bites and bruises on her neck, bum and tail area and on her cheeks as well which have got me worried that this might not be so much of "aggressive persuasion" from the male. They've been housed together for approximately 4 months now and this is the first sign of any physical harm. The male has a bit of bruising around his neck but it's nowhere as serious or frequent as my poor little girls.
They both have areas they call their own and rarely does the other concern themself with the others hides, and if they do there's been no fighting that I can see. With that said, a lot of this has been occuring as nocturnal activities. The temperature, substrate, feeding and water/ calcium availability has remained the same during this time so logically my mind wants to jump to mating behaviour since it's a friendlier approach than fighting.

A second question is, if I have 1/2" or 2/3" crickets in the tank and they're able to make it up to the top of my tank, are they able to escape my tanks wireframe top? The size of the space between wires is 4-5mm but I'm just concerned about escapees when everythings locked down tight. I know cockroaches can fit through anything so I no longer trust any insect :main_laugh:

Thanks to everyone for their replies and if you need any additional information please let me know!




EDIT:> And yes I now see where I posted this... talk about over zealous- sorry if a mod would please move this? <3

 

[fl_orchidslave]

I would take the male out before there is a serious injury, and try again after everyone heals up. Maybe just put together for a day at a time, gradually increasing, to be sure there is no unnecessary roughness. They have been known to bite a tail almost clear off in their brutality.

 

[Mezmurize]

I don't actually have another location he can be housed right now. They seem to have normal behaviour during the day or any time I have an eye on them so I don't quite understand it, she's about an inch larger too.

Would it be possible to house him in a container that's 5x8x7"? That's the approximate size of my worm cage and it's unfortunately the only thing large enough (which I understand to still be too small). I could then place that inside the tank where his hide is that he loves (to hold the same approximate temperature) and keep him there when I can't readily watch him? I'm just hoping this is natural aggression, she's just done shedding as of today so it's only emphasized by her bright colours. A lot of her bites are fading and weren't administered all at once (maybe 3 occasions over a 1 week period).

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Whenever you have a group of geckos, its necessary to also have another setup available. Communal housing doesn't always work out. That's just one of many parts of proper husbandry.