Leopard geckos. Need serious help. Have a serious problem. Take a look please. Best answer rewarded.?

Question

Ok, here is my whole leopard gecko story. On 8/7/08, nine days ago, I got my first leopard geckos. I got two of them and stuck them together in a 20 long cage. After doing research, I came to the conclusion that I could put two in the same cage. I think that may have been a bad idea. I have repti carpet as a substrate because I know that sand isn't good for them. I have two places for them to hide, 2 plants, a large driftwood thing and food/water dishes. The first couple of days were going smooth, both of them eating 6 crickets (oh I forgot to mention that the lizards are 3 months old at 4 inches and 2 1/2 months old at 3 1/2 inches). The fourth day that I had the lizards, I fed them live crickets and everything was going alright. I put a cricket in and both of the lizards raced towards it, both of them struck at the same time and Rocky, the larger one, bit Gex, the smaller ones head. It only lasted a second and the bite wasn't at the eyes or anything. On the fifth day, Rocky shed his/her skin and started to develop spots. Today when I was feeding crickets Rocky ate 8 and Gex ate 3. When they were both looking for food and Gex was on the driftwood, Rocky bit Gex's tail. This really scared him and he is now breathing heavily.

What should I do? Are there any solutions to this problem (I will accept any solutions)? Is there anything you can tell that I am doing wrong? Please help. All answers are welcome.

Answer 1

Don't be too concerned about Gexs' tail being bit. I have seen Leopard geckos that have lost their entire tail and it will regenerate. (Sometimes not back to the original size, but with a younger animal the chance would be better)

I would def. separate them, change the substrate to something like coconut fibers. Add a small amount of water to it, just to slightly dampen it. The fibers should also decrease the chance of any bacteria/mold growth in substrate. It's soft enough that it won't damage Rocky's or Gexs' delicate toes and feet.

It could very well be possible that Rocky is actually a "Rockette". What you'd call a "hot female"; a gecko that was incubated/exposed to a higher (92 F.) temperature which results in a more aggressive animal. It sounds like his/her feeding reflex is very high and I agree with the other answerer that it may perceive the smaller as prey.

So... Separate immediately, change substrate, keep an eye out when they're shedding (a 20 min. soak in tepid, very shallow water will help loosen any stuck old skin) and lastly, diversify their diet. Just don't feed crickets. Try waxworms and other small insects. (Not mealworms) Since the animals are young and growing, they will need to be fed more often also. Don't leave live crickets in the cage without a piece of apple to eat. If the geckos don't eat them right off the bat, you could be looking at injuries resulting from the cricket chewing on the geckos.

Good luck!

Answer 2

well you will have to separate them. It is ok to keep lizards together as long as...

1. They are both females.

2. They are both fed very well.

3. They are both within 1/2 inch of each other.

But it sounds like one is to big

Answer 3

Sounds like you have a nice setup, but this can happen when reptiles are housed together.  Aggression is common.  It is best to separate them into their own homes.  Males especially will fight.   Do you have an under tank heat mat?  It's a must with leos.  Temps must be 88-91F and measure the surface temp of the tank with a digital probe thermometer.  Don't forget to add a humid hide as well or you'll end up with shedding problems.

Here's a great site:

http://www.drgecko.com/index.html

Answer 4

The larger one is biting the smaller because when the smaller one moves he thinks it is food!! Can you move the smaller to another cage when you feed them? This way the bigger will not mistake the movement of the other as food.

Answer 5

well, you can use a piece of clear plastic to make a divider, or make sure they got ennough food. They should not bite each other after whos in charge is elected and food is a blundent. But not all pets get along. All i can say is work with what Ive told you and hope for the best, or seperate them with a divider

Answer 6

You need to separate them...at least until they are bigger.  If they are both males, they will never be able to live together.  I also strongly suggest you get rid of the repti-carpet.  My daughter volunteers at a local reptile rescue center and we adopted 2 leopard geckos.  One of them has only 1 claw left because before we got him, he had been kept on carpet and his claws got stuck in the carpet and pulled out.  I can only imagine the pain he went through :(  The owner of the center said it happens all the time with carpet!!  We use Ground English Walnut Shells.  It looks alot like sand, but is totally digestible.  Good luck with these two..sounds like a handful.