A question about sexing & aggression, I guess.

[anjie]

Ok, I got my 3 leos from a friend who had gotten them from another guy. Supposedly 1 is a female & the other 2 are males. They have been together in the tank for a long time. They never fight. They even lay together under the half log I have. I tried to see which ones were the males & which was the female. On one of the smaller ones I could absolutely see 2 small bulges by the vent, which is what I read was the sign it is a male. But the other one that I was told is a male, I can't really see the bulges. It has a really fat tail, so it is kind of hard to tell.

I guess my main question is will I be able to keep them together if they do turn out to be 2 males & 1 female?

I personally think the boy who had them didn't take care of them at all. He only fed them a dozen crickets once a week, sometimes forgetting for a few days after they were due to be fed. He never gave any vitamins. He didn't gut-load the crickets, just brought them home & dumped them in the tank. Never misted the leos with water & they didn't have a moist hide box.

Do you think after I nurse them back to health they will become aggressive with each other?

Any help would be appreciated!! Thank you!!

 

[fallen_angel]

If they turn out to be two males, they should not be housed together, because two males can fight to the death. A male and female should not be housed together until they are of a healthy weight and size to breed; and if they are, make sure you are ready for eggs.

How old and unhealthy are they? Perhaps they do all get along just because they aren't healthy/stressed. You should seperate all geckos any time they are not in good health. Do you have the necessities to house all three seperately?

 

[Ccrashca069]

Do you have any pics to post of the leopard geckos? I agree with Jess and for the reasons she stated.

 

[LadyGecko]

I agree that all 3 geckos should be housed in separate tanks for the reasons already stated

Good Luck with them
Sandy

 

[geckoboy16]

Its usually a better idea to house them all separatly. Dont risk having them fight. Good luck!!

 

[anjie]

Unfortunately, I do not have a way to separate them. I guess I shouldn't say that they are unhealthy. They actually look pretty good, even though 2 are pretty skinny & one is heavier. I fed them again tonight, about 20 or more crickets & they all ate an equal amount.

I found a really good image online of the male & female for sexing. None of them have the darker colored spores above the vent. I just checked all 3. So, I guess they are all females. They are well over a year. Because I believe they were adults when my friends nephew got them from a 'breeder' who had been evicted from his apartment. These 3 have lived together for a very long time & have never fought. They curl up together under the big half log, in the moist box together. They actually seem pretty content together. I do have some pictures.

Forgive the sand. I am waiting for my husband to get paid so I can get tiles.

Thank you!!

 

[Stevie]

I think they look fine. They could be a bit heavier I guess, but the way they look at the camera is good! Nice and curious, the way I like to see my leos react to a novel object. I wouldn't know if there are two males, you should get some problems at this size if there were, so I would let them be sexed by an expert (for instance....this forum!!!). Good luck with them!

Greets,

Stevie

 

[roaches42993]

I would use paper towel for the time being . I use it all the time anyway but im pretty sure you already have some somewhere and its much safer then sand . Also somtimes geckos are just bigger . I have three females that I house together and one is 70grams and the other two are 55 ad they get along just fine .

 

[syntheticreality]

They look alright to me. I would take them off of sand. It looks like two have regenerated tails. No big deal, just pointing it out. Try to get pics of the genital regions so we can help you determine the sex of each.

 

[fallen_angel]

They are all very gorgeous!! And I agree, while you are waiting on the tile, you could use some paper towels for the time being.

 

[Mel&Keith]

I can only see the base of the tail on one and it's obviously a male. Males will fight once they reach sexual maturity (if not sooner) and females can mate at as small as 20g (50g is usually the minimum weight for healthy breeding) so your only real choice is to separate them. Depending on how big your tank is, you might be able to divide it if the other 2 are females. Your best bet for the health and happiness of your geckos is to get 3 separate tanks for them. See the housing section for lots of great tips on set ups. You might also consider building your own rack, there are several good threads with step by step instructions. It's a good think they have you as an owner now!

 

[fallen_angel]

Mel is right, the one with the longer regenerated tail is definitely male, you can see his bulge in the photos (didn't notice before, thanks for pointing that out Mel!!)

 

[anjie]

Thank you everyone!!

I can't seem to get a good picture of the underside of them . The reason I thought they were 3 females is because the males darker spots are covered by a piece of shedding skin. I picked him up & really looked & I can see the dark spots now. The other one that I was told is a male also, the heaviest one with the still growing regenerated tail has no dark spots at all. She has to be a female. There is no way that I can get a picture of her, she barely likes to be held.

These 3 are definitely over a year old. The kid that had them had them for a year & they were full size when he got them. Wouldn't they have reached sexual maturity by now? And they never fight. Just in the past week that I have had them, they come out more & are alot more active. Even while eating they have become very active as opposed to the first day. But they still stay together all the time.

Here's a picture of the moist box. I need to get a bigger box with the proper stuff to keep it moist, right now I just wet paper towels several times a day for them.

And sadly, it may make me seem like a bad pet owner, but I not only lack room to have 3 separate tanks, but I don't have the money to set up 3 different tanks .

Here's a picture of the whole tank. I want to replace the rock with another log as they seem to really like the log. This picture is from the first or second day, I have added the moist box since then.

Thank you all for your help & advice!!

 

[fallen_angel]

You can see if they are males from just a profile-view, as well. Males have noticeable buldges at the base of the tail. Here is the best pic I could find with a bulge showing

You could just add a second moist hidebox so that they don't have to be so cramped..and maybe you could at least partition your cage so that the male is alone and the other two females (?) are together.

 

[LadyGecko]

Your geckos are very nice but please get them off the calci/vita sand

We are all saying this for a very valid reason
That stuff is Nasty when it gets inside of them

I know that it is sold as healthy for geckos and other reptiles but honestly that is a bunch of marketing BS

They will be better off the sooner that you get them off of that sand

With the case of having 1 male and 2 females

Are you prepared for then to breed and the females to lay eggs?

I am not trying to be rude but if you can not house those 3 separately what are going to do with stressed and gravid females?

There must be a way for you to be able to get them into 3 separate containers

You can get Sterlite tubs (I use sweater boxes) from Wal-Mart for under 10 bucks each and get 2 more uths to put under each of them to separate them

You don't need to use tanks/aquariums-you can make your self a mini-rack and line the tubs with paper towels

Good Luck with your Geckos

Sandy

 

[dim&shell]

Your geckos are gorgeous!! I wish I could get some good pictures of them but my camera is crap - actually getting a proper camera on Friday just to take pictures of them (my bf thinks I'm sad Lol).

Just a quick question how old are geck's when they reach sexual maturity?

 

[skyline]

Not completly revalent to the subject I just wanted to make a sugestion. I would get them off the sand it can cause inmpction and impaction can kill your gecko if not dealt with quickly. I would just put them on paper towels