Does Fred really miss Wilma?

[LKells]

I acquired a pair of leos, housed together in a 30 gallon tank. They are about a year old I think. They got along very well, no issues at all. Except the female laid two eggs soon after I got them & was carrying more soon after. So I figured it was best to house them separately.

Wilma, the female is now in her own 20 gallon tank. I separated them because I didn't want them to breed & didn't want her to be stressed. She laid her two eggs, I disposed of them & all seems fine with her.

But Fred, alone now in his 30 gallon tank, seems to really miss her. He could still see her the first few days they were apart but I have been able to move her across the room.
They used to *hang out* in the evenings, poke around together, bask side by side. During the day if Fred was on the cool side and hadn't seen Wilma for awhile he would go into her hide to check on her, sometimes staying next to her.

He doesn't do too much now, just a few minutes of exploring after eating in the evening.

So does he really miss her?
Thanks!

 

[acpart]

This issue comes up from time to time on this and other forums. In general, as you'll doubtless hear from lots of people, leopard geckos and some (not all) other reptile species are solitary and probably not capable of forming social relationships. The best response I ever heard is that separating geckos that have been together for awhile results in a change of routine and habitat and that is initially stressful in the same way moving a gecko to a new cage would be. Many of what looked like social behaviors are probably not.
That said, I have had experience with one of my (many) geckos who seemed to be more "content" (not so much trying to "dig" his way out of his cage) with a cagemate. On the other hand, I have recently had to separate them because after years of living with her (yes, it's a male/female pair, but the female doesn't ovulate anymore and until recently he wasn't bothering her too much) he has been more aggressive this season and she has marks on her.
I suspect that once they've been separated for awhile, each will settle down into a new behavior routine which has been disrupted because of the change.

Aliza

 

[Phoenix1115]

That's heartbreaking for a hopeless romantic like me! I suppose it's possible, but as long as he's still eating well and is relatively active he's fine

 

[pilsboy]

u could try getting him maybe a smaller terra, some geckos feel better in smaller inclosure

 

[acpart]

That's heartbreaking for a hopeless romantic like me! I suppose it's possible, but as long as he's still eating well and is relatively active he's fine

There's no harm in anthropomorphizing as long as you know that's what you're doing (heck, we anthropomorphize about God all the time). That way you can preserve your hopeless romanticism.

Aliza

 

[katie_]

I would say no.
They probably shared basking spots because it was the most ideal area, not because they enjoyed each others company.

 

[Phoenix1115]

I would say no.
They probably shared basking spots because it was the most ideal area, not because they enjoyed each others company.

Ah, the realist =P