Changing Social Dynamics

[acpart]

I know leopard geckos are supposed to be solitary creatures who do better alone, but of course there are a lot of anecdotal accounts of some social behavior. I've been fascinated with the changes that have occurred in one of my display tanks as I've modified the groupings:
--originally I had one non-breeding male gecko who spent a lot of time trying to dig himself out of the glass cage. He seemed to get calmer if I gave him some time on my shoulder or time to "explore" behind the couch cushions.

--I added a female who doesn't ovulate anymore and who is something of a hermit. She spends virtually all her time in her magnet hide and only sticks her head out at feeding time if she's hungry. Whenever she comes out (for instance, to poop), the male would start dragging his butt and trying to mate with her but would back off when she rejected him. Even though he couldn't see her most of the time, he became much calmer in the cage and reduced his "digging" behavior a lot

--I added another female to breed with him once it was clear that she would accept him. After one successful mating, he stopped bothering the females and butt dragging to a large extent. The new female is very active and explores the cage every evening. Interestingly, the "hermit" female now spends most of her awake time with her head poking out of the magnet hide and is sometimes out and about as well.

--For years, I have had to hand feed the male and the original female. I still have to, to some extent, but the new female is more of a hunter. Right now, for the first time, the 2 females are taking turns eating mealworms out of a dish. I've been trying to get this older female to take mealworms from a dish for more than 5 years!

I guess Ginger (whose first egg just hatched) is a good influence.

Aliza

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Awww that's sweet. She just needed a best friend

 

[Khrysty]

I had a female who would eat way too much (she still looked starving after 30 mealworms a night...we got her as a rescue so that may be part of it)

I also had a male that had to be hand-fed because he wouldn't take food out of a bowl. When I put the two into the same 20 gallon, all of a sudden the male was waiting at the bowl with the female, who let him eat his fill before she ate the rest.

Whether it's social or dominant behavior, it made both of those geckos easier to feed. It was interesting to see.

 

[BrilliantEraser]

Those are all absolutely fascinating stories, and they give me plenty to think about! Do the changes in behavior stem from a fulfilled social need, or from the ability to learn new behaviors through mimicry? Either one is potentially beneficial, and definitely a new idea to consider for those owners who have "hard-keeper" leos. If it is indeed a social fulfilment, then that could change some long-held beliefs about the hobby. Interesting!!