which to separate?

[rhino43grr]

i have 4 juveniles in a 50 gal. tank (48x13x18) right now, two are about the same size, while there is one that is substantially larger and another that's a bit smaller.
the smallest one stays in one hide away from the others almost all the time, so i'm guessing i should put her in by herself but i thought i should check to see if separating the big one would be better. :main_huh:

 

[Snowy & Petra de Gecko]

I cannot help you

The question is ... what are the ages?

I think that you should have the Leos of the same relative size in the tank. I would assume that they would be close to being adults (say 10 months or 12 months).

How can you monitor what they are eating when they are all competing for the same food?

If you have to keep them together then, make sure that they are being fed the same.

If not, then separate the smallest and feed her like crazy.

But, wait for some additional responses.

 

[Bennayboi]

I wouldnt recommend housing leos together at all. Even if it can be done by experienced care givers. But in your situation i would separate the little one to prevent it getting bullied.

 

[rhino43grr]

they're all from the same clutch, so they're the same age. they've been together since i adopted them from another geckoforums member several months ago. i don't have the space for 4 different tanks and i already had the 50 gal. tank when i got them.
the three big ones all eat about the same, one's just grown faster than the others. the smallest one is picky so i had been having to put mealies right in front of her nose.

 

[Bennayboi]

The difference in growth rates is probably due to dominance issues.

 

[acpart]

You may have to do a little mixing and matching to figure out what the best solution is. I agree that sometimes one gecko is bigger than the other because of dominance, but on the other hand, I had clutchmates who were never housed together and now have about a 15 gram difference between them. Some geckos are just meant to be a different size. It's generally a good idea not to house geckos of very different sizes together, but some of it depends on the temperaments of the geckos. I had a breeding group last season who were together Jan-Nov. The females were all in the 55-65 gram range and the male topped out at 116 grams. He is very gentle and I watched the females carefully. Everyone ate, maintained their weight and did not look scratched or banged up.

My advice is to separate the smallest one who is in greatest danger of not thriving. If you feel that the other 3 are having any issues and can't fit another tank, consider either dividing the tank if it's big enough or installing an upstairs (lots of good designs on the forums) with maybe a separate food bowl up there for whoever "claims" that space.

Aliza

 

[Snowy & Petra de Gecko]

Once Again ACPart

ACPart has given some great advice.:main_thumbsup:

 

[rhino43grr]

the "big three" are all similar in size, one just has a chubbier belly. i don't have a scale (secret santa, hint, hint) so i don't know the weights.

the small one has seemed more comfortable in her 10 gal. tank, she's actually been outside her hides on several occasions recently that i've seen compared to before when i would rarely see her leave her little "high hide."