Hello, I am new here and fairly new to having geckos. We inherited two geckos last summer when a family member passed away and left them behind. We did some research and found they were not being housed properly so we made adjustments and they have been doing well. They are in a tank that is 30inches by 12inches. Well last night we had a knock on our door and a friend of a friend dropped off two more geckos in a smaller tank saying he was moving and desperatly needed a home for them. We have taken them in and they are both females although one is much smaller then the other, would it be safe or a good idea to add them to the larger tank with our male and female. we would prefer to have one tank if that is possible but we are still learning about these cool little guys and dont want to do anything wrong. We are not breeding our original two and have no intention to start doing so, would that be an issue with three females with one male? Worried about the small one being bullied as we have no idea if it is small because of age or because of not getting food. Thanks for anyone that can help us with this.
New gecko questions
- Thread starter JMcIntyre
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leezard
New Member
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- 167
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- Battle Ground, Wa
If you are talking about Leo's they all really should have there own tanks. Unless you plan to breed them a male and female should not be in the same tank. You can sometimes get away with housing females together but you need to keep an eye on them and make sure they are not fighting or bullying.
andrew5859
Hats Off Exotics
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- Pennsylvania
Welcome to Geckoforums!
I am glad you acknowledged that the first geckos were improperly housed and corrected it most people just assume everything is fine.
I would buy another tank if not individual tanks for everyone. If you cannot I would strongly suggest buying just one more tank to separate the male and smaller female. I think you could get away with housing the two females that are the same size together if they both get along but everyone really needs their own tank.
I am glad you acknowledged that the first geckos were improperly housed and corrected it most people just assume everything is fine.
I would buy another tank if not individual tanks for everyone. If you cannot I would strongly suggest buying just one more tank to separate the male and smaller female. I think you could get away with housing the two females that are the same size together if they both get along but everyone really needs their own tank.
Thanks, from all the pictures I've looked at and the research I've done I am pretty sure they are leo's. When it comes to our original two (male and female) they came to us living together so we left them like that and they seem happy, they are usually lying right together or on top of each other. Both of them are the same size and eating well, they have been together for at least two years now so would it be bad to seperate them now? When we first got them they had aquarium gravel for substrate and no hiding spots, when we renovated their home we added two hiding spots so they each had their own but they only ever use one together. I had worried at first about them breeding but I read that without proper temperature changes and stuff they probaly wouldnt and so far they havent. Hopefully that was not wrong information. As for the two new females I am a little worried about the small one, I am going to watch her closely on feeding day to make sure she is eating and keep an eye on her weight. I will look to see if I can get another tank for her and seperate them if you think that would be better. Thanks for your help, I am glad I joined the forum.
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- Somerville, MA
Here are some thoughts about your questions and your situation:
--usually a male and a female will breed. I have seen situations, though (no guarantee) where a male and female kept together all the time seem to have reduction in breeding. On the other hand, I keep my fat tails together year round and when breeding season comes up, so do they (so to speak). I do keep a male and female leo together year round and they don't breed because the female doesn't ovulate anymore.
--if you have a male and 3 females, the chance that they will breed obviously goes up a lot
--the size tank you have, a 20 gallon long, is ideal for 2 geckos. I keep 3 geckos in a tank that size because I add an upper, heated level which is 12"x12". If you do a forum search for "upstairs" or "second floor" you'll see some simple designs
--many people feel strongly that leopard geckos should be kept individually only. I am not one of those people. I keep my leos in 1 male/2 female breeding groups during the season and in 3 female groups with the males separate during the rest of the year. This generally works pretty well, though there are exceptions. This year, one of the breeding females (who is laying dud eggs) needed to be moved to her own cage because the male was stressing her. All the others have been fine
--that said, you need to quarantine any new geckos from your current ones for at least a month, so don't put them together now anyway
--I would recommend, after the quarantine period, considering getting a 10 gallon tank for the male and putting the 3 females together in the tank you have now, if you can add some floor space by putting together a second level. If one female is smaller than the others and appears to be bullied, or if any of the others don't get along, they will need to be separated. Alternatively, keep the current male and female together and the other 2 in a second tank. I mix and match my gecko groups every year and don't find that they bond with each other; separating your current two should be fine.
I hope this is helpful.
Aliza
--usually a male and a female will breed. I have seen situations, though (no guarantee) where a male and female kept together all the time seem to have reduction in breeding. On the other hand, I keep my fat tails together year round and when breeding season comes up, so do they (so to speak). I do keep a male and female leo together year round and they don't breed because the female doesn't ovulate anymore.
--if you have a male and 3 females, the chance that they will breed obviously goes up a lot
--the size tank you have, a 20 gallon long, is ideal for 2 geckos. I keep 3 geckos in a tank that size because I add an upper, heated level which is 12"x12". If you do a forum search for "upstairs" or "second floor" you'll see some simple designs
--many people feel strongly that leopard geckos should be kept individually only. I am not one of those people. I keep my leos in 1 male/2 female breeding groups during the season and in 3 female groups with the males separate during the rest of the year. This generally works pretty well, though there are exceptions. This year, one of the breeding females (who is laying dud eggs) needed to be moved to her own cage because the male was stressing her. All the others have been fine
--that said, you need to quarantine any new geckos from your current ones for at least a month, so don't put them together now anyway
--I would recommend, after the quarantine period, considering getting a 10 gallon tank for the male and putting the 3 females together in the tank you have now, if you can add some floor space by putting together a second level. If one female is smaller than the others and appears to be bullied, or if any of the others don't get along, they will need to be separated. Alternatively, keep the current male and female together and the other 2 in a second tank. I mix and match my gecko groups every year and don't find that they bond with each other; separating your current two should be fine.
I hope this is helpful.
Aliza
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