Purchasing First Leos

[JSiron6]

Hi, I'm about to purchase my first Leos in a week or two. I have a cage I ordered from showcase cages. The size is 36x24x24. I feel like I have done most of my homework -thanks to this forum. I do have a ? though. I'm not in to breeding at least for a couple years. I think I would like to at least have 3 in that cage. Should they all be females? I'm thinking of going to a show near Chicago May 10th. If I want to get 3 should I buy 3 from the same hatching or can I buy from different vendors as long as their the same size, age. I sure hope I wouldn't have to separate them for 90 days if from a different breeder. So I guess I'm asking how to go about starting my collection.or different options. Thanks . Jeff

 

[goReptiles]

It's really not the best idea to house multiple geckos in the same enclosure, but if you do they have to be all female or 1 male and females. If you don't want to breed just yet, then get all females. They also have to all be the same size.

 

[Stevie]

I house all my geckos in groups and until now there haven't been big problems. As Whitney said, if you don't want to breed just yet (wise thing to do, I wish there were more people like you), just put several females together.

Greets,

Stevie

 

[lepgeckosrock]

As Stevie and Whitney have said yes they need to be all females,but if they do come from different breeders you should seperate them for 30 days or if you get 1 or 2 now then add some later any that are bought later should be kept seperate from what you already have for 30 days it's a habbit to always keep them seperate when you get new leos for a couple reasons 1 is to make sure it is healthy and 2 to allow it to adjust to the new house and your smell.I had 2 leos and just added a 3rd from a breeder I would trust with my life and still I put the new one in a 10gal tank by itself mostly for reason number 2 I got him yesterday and am still waiting on him to settle in and start eating if I was to put him in with my other one it could stress him out even more.

 

[JSiron6]

Thanks who responded. Just so I'm sure .Unless I buy three Leos at the show or from a breeder at this forum, from the same hatching -I need to separate them? If I buy all three from the same vendor and different types of morphs ,but were breed at the same place I probably need to still separate them right? What I would like is to get three different types of morphs at the same time and not necessarily from the same parents. I just don't have the extra supplies tank ,heating, hides. etc. Just want to save money by getting them from the show or have shipped together and to start them out together. So do I have any other options except getting three sisters at the same time.. Thanks, Jeff

 

[Reality]

so its not good to get any at petco huh? i really wanted to buy the 2 they had there felt so bad for them...

 

[goReptiles]

Jeff, you should really separate them anyway, even if they're from the same breeder and especially if they're different ages and sizes. The morph doesn't really have anything to do with whether you should separate them or not. If you don't have the extra supplies, then you should just stick with what you can put in that one tank. You really shouldn't house them all together. It's best to house them separately-quarantine and permanent. A show or online breeder is your better bets in terms of quality and health, but even still quarantine is a big thing to make sure they're good to go. You shouldn't house geckos of different size together because you'll more than likely end up with bullying. The same can go for geckos of the same size, which is why it's not really recommended to house multiple geckos together. I'm not saying it's impossible, just not recommended by many.

Reality, you shouldn't get reptiles because you feel bad for them. Many of those cases end up with a lot of money spent rehabing.

 

[JSiron6]

If sisters do I still need to quarantine?

 

[Stevie]

It is always (!!) a good idea to quarantine. The animals are packed with parasites, viruses and bacteria that are suppressed by the immune system. When the animal is stressed however (for instance when it gets sold and moves from one side of the country to the other), the immune system is working less efficient. The disease can strike at that moment. Quarantine the animals makes sure that they could get rest to recover from the trip, you can watch them more closely, you can check wether they eat or not, etc, etc, etc. It is best for yourself house the animals solitary. You don't have to do it, but if many people advise you to do it, than it's up to you whether you do it or not...

Greets,

Stevie

 

[lepgeckosrock]

I have chated with several breeders and have found that alot of them house up to 3 females together but you have to make sure there is plenty of room for each one to have a moist hide and a dry hide on the warm end and you need atleast 2 dry hides on the cool end hence a 20 gal tank would be ok for 2 females or get a 40gal (since a 30 is same as 20 except taller) if you want 3.

 

[fallen_angel]

I'm not sure how many gallons his cage is, but it's bigger than a 20 gallon based on measurements

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

I always recommend a minimum of 30-day quarantine for ANY newly acquired reptile... regardless of who you get them from.

 

[JSiron6]

Thank you all for responding.I'm not trying to rush things ,just getting opinions. Of course you hear the pet shops telling you anything to get a sale. I also hear from breeders who ship up to 4 Leos at a time. So since I was heading to a show next weekend I thought maybe I could just get them then.. I can wait if its best. One other ? Do most you breeders keep the hatchlings together or separate them right away. If there together until the 15 gram size when alot ship them- then I thought it be ok to get three. Its probably best to wait anyways since you can get different types.. Again thank you .Jeff

 

[Ccrashca069]

Some seperate them some keep clutchmates together. When shipped, they are all put in their own delli cups seperately.