Feeding Geckos Together

[Spots]

I have two baby snow geckos.
One is smaller than the other but older. [unnamed]
The other is fatter and younger. [dots]

Dots likes to protect the unnamed one and is more free going and adventureous. The unnamed one is skittish and aggressive.

My question is, in order to feed them, should I seperate them?

They are eating crickets now (with meal worms always available in the dish on the side). Dots usually goes out to catch all the crickets first but the unnamed one is always close by. I usually try to get them on seperate sides of the tank and throw crickets equally at them so I know they are eating the same amount. Problem is, sometimes a cricket will wander to the other side, causing Dots to follow it. The unnamed one will see it too and they will both go after the same one. The unnamed one hates this. And Dots normally will get to it first, causing the unnamed one to be pissed off and attack Dots, (in a nice way i think?) Once she grabbed onto Dots tail (in hopes of Dots dropping the cricket out of her mouth to the unnamed one can get it?) and Dots just casually walked away. I check later, and there were no bite marks. She's done this a few times, on her nose, tail, toe...and Dots does not seem to mind. She just continues hunting for crickets and doesn't defend herself as if she thought she was under attack. After every occasion, (I was there to witness to seperate them if necessary) they both just go back to their hide together and lay down together. I assume that means they are getting along okay right? Is it like when puppies bite on eachother in a playful way?

 

[Geckoguy77]

When I got my first two, the smaller one was the pig. Now they trade off, but I fed both at the same time, one cricket each at a time. Sometimes one will steal the cricket, other times they will take turns. They are both the same age, but one is a little larger than the other, but the small one still is a hog.

Will

 

[BrilliantEraser]

I would separate them, permanently. It's not a good idea to house leopard geckos together if they are showing aggression towards one another at any point. No, they are not "playing" or "getting along" with one another. Leopard geckos are solitary animals and have no discernible social structure or hierarchy. What you are seeing is just out-and-out bullying/dominance. If not separated, this could escalate into one gecko attacking and killing or severely injuring the other. They'll be completely fine when separated, don't worry! It's a major safety precaution, though.

 

[roger]

I have two baby snow geckos.
One is smaller than the other but older. [unnamed]
The other is fatter and younger. [dots]

Dots likes to protect the unnamed one and is more free going and adventureous. The unnamed one is skittish and aggressive.

My question is, in order to feed them, should I seperate them?

They are eating crickets now (with meal worms always available in the dish on the side). Dots usually goes out to catch all the crickets first but the unnamed one is always close by. I usually try to get them on seperate sides of the tank and throw crickets equally at them so I know they are eating the same amount. Problem is, sometimes a cricket will wander to the other side, causing Dots to follow it. The unnamed one will see it too and they will both go after the same one. The unnamed one hates this. And Dots normally will get to it first, causing the unnamed one to be pissed off and attack Dots, (in a nice way i think?) Once she grabbed onto Dots tail (in hopes of Dots dropping the cricket out of her mouth to the unnamed one can get it?) and Dots just casually walked away. I check later, and there were no bite marks. She's done this a few times, on her nose, tail, toe...and Dots does not seem to mind. She just continues hunting for crickets and doesn't defend herself as if she thought she was under attack. After every occasion, (I was there to witness to seperate them if necessary) they both just go back to their hide together and lay down together. I assume that means they are getting along okay right? Is it like when puppies bite on eachother in a playful way?

Since they are different sizes and temperment I STRONLY suggest u house them seperately them for good

 

[fl_orchidslave]

If this behavior continues there will be injuries. It can stress one to the point it will barely seek food at times, thus causing it not to grow like it should. It may seem harmless but when you see a hurt baby laying there or detached tail in the tank you will be broken-hearted. Not uncommon but totally avoidable. They need separated immediately.

 

[bebetee]

Well for me .. I have two females housed together and I feed them both individually.
I have those plastic "pet carrier" box ..and I feed them in there. Or if you have like a another small tank just throw in some crickets ...wait until it's finished eating and then feed the other one after ..works well enough for me!

 

[Spots]

They are roughly the same age (I did say older...but I meant by a week or two which may or may not play a part at such a young age?) and are only a few grams different. Like I said though, the gecko only behaves the way it does during feeding. They still sleep together in the same hide (even though there are three other hides) and when I take one out of the cage, the other one goes out looking for her. I have been preparing for separating them if need be but now that they know each other, I want to make sure that they are actually hating each other before I separate them. Like I said, there have been no bite marks either and Dots does not defend herself or attack back or run away. As I watch, they eat roughly the same amount of crickets each so I know that one is not eating more than the other causing one to act aggressively.

I really don't want to separate them because they seem really happy together (apart from feeding time) so I really want tons of opinions before reaching a conclusion

If you go to my profile and look at my pictures, you can see the geckos and their sizes.

 

[Alex G]

They don't get "happy" together, like others said they're solitary animals and only tolerate each other. Sharing the same hides means they are competing for the best space, not cuddling. There should be three hides per gecko.