How to House a Male & Female Leopard Gecko in One Tank
Leopard geckos are attractive pets, and they are among the easiest lizards to care for and to breed. Whether you are interested in collapsing your lizard environment needs down to the smallest number of enclosures or you are interested in housing your leopard geckos together in the same tank for breeding purposes, make sure that you understand the basics of housing a male leopard gecko with a female leopard gecko.
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Instructions
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Wait until both geckos are of a safe breeding size. For both males and females, this means that you should not house them together until they weigh about 45 grams. If the female is smaller, she may have issues delivering her eggs, which can contribute to severe health problems.
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Choose your tank. To adequately house two adult leopard geckos, you will need a 30-gallon tank or larger. When dealing with leopard geckos, remember that larger is better when it comes to living space. A larger space can reduce battles for dominance, which in turn will be less stressful for both geckos.
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Quarantine the geckos in separate tanks for at least three months. During this time, any diseases or parasites that a leopard gecko might be carrying will become evident. This can help you keep any health issues from spreading from animal to animal.
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Match your leopard geckos by size and age. When you have a gecko that is significantly older or larger than his cage mates, there is a good chance that that gecko will bully the others.
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Keep plenty of food and water in the tank. If the geckos believe that there is a scarcity of food in their tank, they will start to fight for it. Make sure that they have a healthy amount of food and water available at all times.
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Observe the leopard geckos closely for the first few weeks. Sometimes leopard geckos simply do not get along with each other, and if there is constant fighting or aggression, you may need to house the pair separately or try them with new cage mates.
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Tips & Warnings
Leopard geckos housed in mixed-sex pairs will likely breed and produce eggs. If breeding and egg production happen too often, your female leopard gecko may experience undue stress. If your female seems too stressed by egg production, remove her to a solitary cage or to a cage with another female leopard gecko.
Never house two male leopard geckos together because they will fight for dominance--often ending in death of one of the lizards.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
