Question about Males and Females.

[NickBoudin]

So i have a 55 gallon tank, that i'm setting up for my geckos. My 4 foot strip of 3 inch heat tape will be here tomorrow. It's going to go along the back of the bottom of the tank. Right now as for substrate i have 4 12 x 12 ceramic floor tiles in there, sand colored, they look great :lol:

My question is :

If I want to start breeding in January ( I think that's when breeding season starts agian) Should I seperate my male from my 2 females? One of my females is a lot younger then the male, but my male, and my "breeder" female are both the same age, and have previously been housed together for as far as I know. ( I rescued these guys ),


So does being together for so long effect the male and females relationship?

Should I seperate them to make sure the females get nice and fat, and my breeder gets her time away from him durring the winter?

Or, should I keep them all together, and just make sure that I have multiple hides, and food and cal. Dishes?


Please respond ASAP because They'll be put in the new house tomorrow, since I need the current tank they're in for something else

Thanks everyone, I appreciate any feedback posted

 

[mynewturtle]

Well nick, on TT you posted you just got your hatchling on august and your females should be atleast 1 year.

 

[NickBoudin]

You're correct. But also I neglected to post about my rescues at TT, and you can find here that she's well over 8 months old and is around 50 grams right now. If you look through my posts here, you'll find it.



Thanks.

 

[NickBoudin]

Here's the empty tank, with the tiles in there. They fit PERFECT.

 

[NickBoudin]

No one knows? Or has any advice?

 

[GoGo]

That tank isnt well suited for leopard geckos, since its so tall instead of wide. Its only a foot longer than a 40 breeder and not even as wide. You cant house your male with your females according to your said conditions. He would if it was breeding season and she was ovulating over sex the 1 female because of being constantly left in there, and could suffer a prolapse and she could suffer from all of it. And if he did it with the younger female then she could die due to the eggs being unable to pass.

 

[NickBoudin]

So then, this set up isnt suitable for leopard geckos?

I dont understand how...

 

[GeckoRing]

It is probably fine for 2 geckos. You run a lot of risks keeping the male in with the females, especially if one is young. Some house geckos together, the difficulty comes when problems creep up. You have to keep a really close eye on everyone! Do you have belly heat in the setup? I have come to firmly believe that when breeding you should really house them separately because it is so hard to monitor their health when you don't know who is eating what, and defecating and on and on. Breeding is hard on their bodies, and you have to react to problems quickly. I think it is more easily done if you are not breeding them.

 

[GeckoRing]

Sorry, I missed the belly heat on your first post. The other thing to consider is that the male will be much more interested if he is not always with the females.

 

[NickBoudin]

So then i should divide the tank? Make sure the females are eating just as well as the male? And then come january Move the female in with the male for a short amount of time, and then back in with the younger female?

 

[GeckoRing]

You could separate the tank for your 2 females, and maybe should if they are that different in age. I don't think you have room for all three. You could keep the male in 10 gallon, though I find this to be a bit small, it is doable. I'm sure this is not what you want to hear, but I hope you are not discouraged.

 

[NickBoudin]

So you're saying I cant have my 2 females together on one side, and my male alone on the other side for the winter? They're all together now, and they get along great? I dont understand what the problem would be, can you explain it more completely. Thanks

 

[acpart]

I don't know how long your tank is, but I have 4 geckos in a 20L with a 12"x12" upstairs and everything has been fine (one of these geckos spends most of her time in the magnet hide). I do separate my males and females between Oct. and Jan. If you don't, it may reduce the male's interest but there's no guarantee that it would be a problem. It seems to me that as long as both females are the proper weight for breeding, and you keep monitoring them for weight gain/maintenance and for any sign of dominance (one gecko constantly sitting on another, scratches on the body not related to mating) and there are enough hides for everyone, you should be OK.

Aliza

 

[GoGo]

I know you stopped listening to me after I said the tank wasnt that suitable for leo's but you should have read the rest. You said one of your girl's is still young, not fully a year old yet even. If the male mates with her, and she ends of carrying eggs. IT. CAN. KILL. HER. Same thing if the male keeps mating with the other female and she keeps laying eggs with no breaks from HIM inbetween.

 

[NickBoudin]

My male has shown absolutaly no interest in any of my females, and they all seem to have their "own" parts of the tank anyway.