Housing Ideas for Multiple Geckos

[andypg3]

Hey all,

We're thinking of getting another leo and trying to house two females together (of course we'll have an alternative viv setup if things don't go well). Just looking for some advice on size of viv, number of hides, feeding practices, etc... for two geckos.

We've currently got a 20L with multiple levels. Thinking about getting a 30 or 40 gal with the capability of being partitioned in case separation is in order.

All advice, personal experience on this matter is welcome, thanks in advance.

 

[killagreen]

The 20 Long is plenty big enough for 2 adult leos. I have kept 3 in a 20 L for about 2 years. They are great.

You should keep the new female seperate for a month or 2 after you get her to make sure she is heathy. After that time you could introduce them together and all should go well.

I have 3 dry hides, 1 over the heat tape and one not. 1 large humid hide. I feed crickets, i just throw in more than enough for them and what they don't eat comes out after about 2 hours. I sometimes take out 1 or 2 of the hides when feeding to make sure crickets can't hide.

I am interested to see a picture of your multiple levels in the 20 L. Might give me some ideas.

 

[JopherBMTH]

killagreen covered it all.

But I am also interested in seeing this setup. PM me a pic please =]

 

[fallen_angel]

We currently have two 20 L tanks, both housing 3 leos. It works out great as long as they all have a seperate hide they can go to if they don't want to lay together.

We have one moist hide that can hold all three comfortably, and the rest are dry hides. We keep a huge dish filled with mealies in the tank at all times. When we feed crickets, we also throw in more than enough to make sure everyone can eat what they want.

here's a pic of one of ours.. I tried taking a pic of the other setup, but the area of the room it's located is way too dark for my cell phone to take a decent pic..

 

[david13]

nice cage...i would like to see that cage too andy, it sounds interesting

 

[andypg3]

Thanks for your input guys, I was really wondering how many moist hides would be necessary, it sounds like one large moist hide will work fine.

I like your setup, its cool to see the leo using the hammock, I always wondered if they like those things.

I feed mealies and only during the night (member geckoranch convinced me to not offer food at all times and this feeding method is working very well for our leo), so I'm hoping there isn't extreme competition for food, I'll try to provide more than enough mealies, I might even offer two separate feeding stations.

As for my setup, its nothing special. Perhaps "multiple levels" should be clarified as two levels. I secured two 6"x12" pieces of tile on either end of the 20L atop the various rocks and hides approximately 3" off the viv floor. It effectively adds another square foot of floor space for the leo to explore and climb. On top of each tile I added a hide so she can get off the warm floor if she wants.

Its kind of like Jess's picture above where the rock hide is ontop of the tupperware hide only I secured piece of tile to the lower hide and some large rocks I placed in the viv. I'll try to take post a pic when I get home today.

Has anybody ever partitioned (divided) a 20L and housed two leos that way? If so, how'd that work and how was it setup?

Thanks again, I guess the next step is to make sure our girl is indeed a female (she's only 3 months old and I'm having a tough time determining male of female). Maybe I'll post a pic and get some help on here.

 

[Ccrashca069]

I feed at night from about 5pm on. If I am going to be gone I feed earlier. I feed mealworms primarly so I don't probs.

 

[fallen_angel]

Thanks for your input guys, I was really wondering how many moist hides would be necessary, it sounds like one large moist hide will work fine.

I like your setup, its cool to see the leo using the hammock, I always wondered if they like those things.

I feed mealies and only during the night (member geckoranch convinced me to not offer food at all times and this feeding method is working very well for our leo), so I'm hoping there isn't extreme competition for food, I'll try to provide more than enough mealies, I might even offer two separate feeding stations.

As for my setup, its nothing special. Perhaps "multiple levels" should be clarified as two levels. I secured two 6"x12" pieces of tile on either end of the 20L atop the various rocks and hides approximately 3" off the viv floor. It effectively adds another square foot of floor space for the leo to explore and climb. On top of each tile I added a hide so she can get off the warm floor if she wants.

Its kind of like Jess's picture above where the rock hide is ontop of the tupperware hide only I secured piece of tile to the lower hide and some large rocks I placed in the viv. I'll try to take post a pic when I get home today.

Has anybody ever partitioned (divided) a 20L and housed two leos that way? If so, how'd that work and how was it setup?

Thanks again, I guess the next step is to make sure our girl is indeed a female (she's only 3 months old and I'm having a tough time determining male of female). Maybe I'll post a pic and get some help on here.

Thanks They actually used the reptile hammock a lot at first, but not as much anymore (two of them have made the hammock their bathroom! lol) So you may or may not want one of those! However, we also have overhead heating, right above the hammock, and so they most likely don't use it as much since it's directly under the heat (we're going to switch to undertank heaters soon)..

Could you explain the benefits of not offering food at all times? I basically have always done this and perhaps it would be better if I didn't as well..

You're setup sounds like it will work out great, I can't wait to see pics! And if you can get some pics of your leo, we can help you in that department too

 

[andypg3]

http://www.geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=18261

Check this thread out (the 2nd page is the meat of the conversation)

 

[fallen_angel]

Thanks, I understand. Seeing food all of the time decreases the feeding response.. I agree completely, so I think I'll begin only offering their huge mealie dish at night

 

[andypg3]

Cool, it made sense to me to, and our gecko is doing great with it (like its all grown up and feeds itself now, haha)

For those of you that house females together, what are some warning signs for those that don't get along, i.e. what should I look for that would indicate they need to be separated.

Our leo is very dosile (sp?) with everything except mealworms, but is that a good indicator for co-habitating with another leo? If a leo has been housed with other females before and is moved into a new enclosure with different females, would one expect good behavior?

I know animals are unpredictable, but those with pertinent experience at least have some insight. Thanks.

 

[fallen_angel]

Cool, it made sense to me to, and our gecko is doing great with it (like its all grown up and feeds itself now, haha)

today is the first day that I removed the dish, so I'll let you know how it goes when I give it back to them later on tonight although I'm sure it will go well

For those of you that house females together, what are some warning signs for those that don't get along, i.e. what should I look for that would indicate they need to be separated.

When we were having problems, we noticed that one female was specifically stalking the other, and often. She seemed to never let the other one rest, always pestering her, touching her to make her move, etc.. We started to get worried, so we separated them for a day or so. We then put a male in the tank and let the females be together again - he seems to keep them in line - we no longer have problems with the females.

Obviously any biting or fighting is bad, unless it's between a copulating pair and if one of your leos stops eating, then it's most likely because they need to be separated

Our leo is very dosile (sp?) with everything except mealworms, but is that a good indicator for co-habitating with another leo? If a leo has been housed with other females before and is moved into a new enclosure with different females, would one expect good behavior?

In my personal opinion, yes. We have noticed this in our male (he was very dosile before we introduced him to females, and continues to be very laid back and mellow

I know animals are unpredictable, but those with pertinent experience at least have some insight. Thanks.

hope this helps!