Aggresive female?

[ShaffersExoticHerps]

I put 2 of my females together last night for some well deserved rest in a larger enclosure. I noticed my one female was picking on the other a little and then stopped. I thought everything was ok. When I got up this morning she had chewed a hole halfway through her tail and she chewed some of her face. Does anyone know why a female would do this to another? I had 4 hides for the 2 of them. They had plenty of space to be away from one another. Thanks, Mike

 

[MichaelJ]

Wow!

Couple of questions before a solid answer.. I'm not trying to be a jerk at all, but it's just a question.. are you sure they were females?

I've seen this happen with some females that were part of a group of babes that were temp sexed for males at 87-88 and one came out as a female - it's thought that they contain higher amounts of testosterone than regular females and often won't breed, and are very aggressive.

Was the nasty one much larger or longer than the other?

Were their any male scent markers or any males in the immediate area?

With all the tail nips we've seen happen we give everyone separate tubs at all times.. it's less stressful, easier to monitor for everyone, and things like this won't happen.

I'm truly saddened by what happened.. How is the little victim doing? are her injuries going to be life hindering so you'll have to put her down?

Nature is ugly sometimes and I'm sorry this had to happen to you and that little girl..

 

[Val]

I would guess that the real reason is that they're solitary creatures and prefer to be alone. It's not uncommon for females to not get along and there's really no way of knowing who will and won't tolerate each other. The only time we've ever had more than 1 female successfully live together was in a 75 gallon tank with tooons of hides. Other than that, any other attempt at housing females together has ended with one getting beat up by another. To make everything easier for us and them, everyone is housed seperately so no one gets beat up.

 

[ShaffersExoticHerps]

They are both females that have laid eggs for me. The one that got attacked was actually bigger than the other. There was no males near. I keep these two females together every fall and winter and I have for nearly 4 years since they were both hatchlings.
I like to take some of my leos and put them in larger enclosures for viewing when they are done breeding and laying for the season. I usually do this with 2-3 in each enclosure. Some may call it wrong and I may agree now, but I have done it this way for a long time and had no problems.
The injuries are not life threatning and I thank you for your concern and help. It has just been stressful on the leo and myself. I feel like I have let her down.
Thanks again, Mike

 

[David Loftin]

So... I keep some of my females together. They have been together for a LONG TIME and have established dominance between themselves long ago. I do not have any issues with feeding or with them maintaining their weight. I have never had any signs of aggression show while keeping them together. Actually.. I have only once had a problem with introducing a female to an already established colony. The female just got cornered immediatley... I removed her as soon as I saw this. No harm done. I know better now. I have even kept "hot" females together. I have not had a problem at all with them either. When you put two animals together they have to sort out their dominance that is just what happens. But hey.. she might have just been having a bad day?

 

[ShaffersExoticHerps]

So... I keep some of my females together. They have been together for a LONG TIME and have established dominance between themselves long ago. I do not have any issues with feeding or with them maintaining their weight. I have never had any signs of aggression show while keeping them together. Actually.. I have only once had a problem with introducing a female to an already established colony. The female just got cornered immediatley... I removed her as soon as I saw this. No harm done. I know better now. I have even kept "hot" females together. I have not had a problem at all with them either. When you put two animals together they have to sort out their dominance that is just what happens. But hey.. she might have just been having a bad day?

Maybe a bad day. But like you said, you learned and so have I. If I see any sign of aggression in the future with any leos, I WILL remove them immediatley. I will not take a chance. She is starting to heal nicely and is eating well. Thank you for your help, Mike

 

[Val]

It has just been stressful on the leo and myself. I feel like I have let her down.

Don't beat yourself up over it. Like you've said you've done it for years without any problems. There's no real way of knowing who's going to get along and who isn't and why, all that matters is that if you see a problem you fix it and you did.

 

[ShaffersExoticHerps]

Don't beat yourself up over it. Like you've said you've done it for years without any problems. There's no real way of knowing who's going to get along and who isn't and why, all that matters is that if you see a problem you fix it and you did.

Thank you!

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

WOW, Mike! I'm sorry our female got injured! I used to house my females together, and for the most part it worked out great. But, there was always a dominant female that bullied the less assertive ones until they got their 'pecking order' worked out. In the rare times that there were injuries, I always removed the dominant alpha female so the one that got picked on could establish her territory and defend herself.

Now, I house all my geckos individually, and in all honesty, they are doing MUCH better as solitary creatures.

 

[ShaffersExoticHerps]

Yeah. I'm going to stick with housing them individually. It will save me a lot of headaches. I can't stand to see an animal get hurt.