viv for 2 gold dust day gecko

[nmsig08]

hello, I am looking to set up a bio viv for two gold dust day geckos in the near future. I was wondering is the 18"x18"x24" would be suitable for two of them? Or would I need to get something bigger?

oh, I am looking to get two females at first and then possibly introduce a male later.

any help would be appreciated!!

 

[acpart]

Welcome to GF! I can tell you what I've done based on my experience, though others may differ. I got my first gold dust day gecko about 12 years ago and also got a viv that was about 24"x10"x21" (more or less) for her. She lived in it for 9-10 years and, as far as I could see, didn't really utilize the entire enclosure. At the same time I had a crestie in a 12x12x18 that seemed pretty cramped. Eventually I switched them. She didn't seem to mind the smaller viv and he thrived. She died after 11 years, I suspect of old age.
A few months ago I got a pair of females. I decided to house them in the 12x12x18, which is fairly densely planted so there's a lot of surface area for them to utilize. The guy I bought them from tends to keep them in relatively small enclosures and he assured me that this would work out. The females are juveniles and one is bigger than the other. As soon as I got them, I noticed that the bigger one would chase the smaller one every time she tried to go near the top of the enclosure. I worried about this, separated them, and contacted the guy I bought them from. He told me that it was fine to keep them separate, but he keeps them in colonies and notices that they establish a pecking order after which things are pretty peaceful. I put them back together, and from what I've seen, they have established different places to be in the enclosure, and each of them is getting benefit from the lights. They are both growing. So, I conclude that at least a 12x12x18 is big enough for 2, I'd go bigger for more than 2, and I'm sure they wouldn't mind an even bigger viv if you want to provide it.

Aliza

 

[nmsig08]

Thanks for the info! I was looking at the 12x12x18 but I was worried it would be too small for two of them. But it sounds like an 18*18*24 should be perfect size for two females, and eventually a male as well!