Have you ever watched your crested gecko in its tank and though to yourself “is it lonely in there?”. Well it is a valid question and one that needs to be carefully though about if you are planning on letting two or more crested geckos live together. So can crested geckos live together?
What may seem like a good idea at first can often prove problematic and sometimes even fatal to your crested gecko. So it is worth having a browse of this guide to make sure that you take the correct steps when trying to house crested geckos together.
How many crested geckos can live together?
So can crested geckos live together?
Crested geckos can live together and get along just fine as long as you keep the right mix. Multiple females will generally be fine as will multiple females and one male. However two male leopard geckos is a bad idea and will lead to fighting and stress.
As previously mentioned that was just the short answer. Below I will go through all of the different combinations and let you know which crested geckos can live together. I will also provide you with all of the tips that you need to make a smooth transition to multiple geckos in one tank.
More than one female crested gecko in a tank.
This is by far the safest and most practical way to house crested geckos together. If you really do want to have two or more living together in one tank two females will prove the easiest way.
Female crested geckos are not at all territorial at all and are very socially accepting. Because of this there should be no issues with stress and food stealing as there will not be a hierarchy between them.
As a rough guide up to 5 female crested geckos can live together providing that the tank is big enough to provide enough space. Also it is worth making sure that there is plenty of hiding areas for each of the geckos. This will stop any potential confrontation if one of them does not feel very sociable.
Can crested geckos live together?
More than one male crested gecko in a tank.
This is one that should never be attempted under any circumstances. Male crested geckos are very territorial and will fight for space and also food and breeding rights.
Although crested geckos do not have nasty powerful teeth they can still cause injury to each other and even worse stress. Stress is not good for your geckos health.
Along with the about problems you will also encounter food stealing by the gecko which is more dominant. This can leave the submissive gecko malnourished which is dangerous and ultimately deadly.
Do not attempt to let two male crested geckos live together.
Male and female crested geckos sharing a tank.
Can crested geckos live together as a couple? Although more difficult than only females living together it is still possible to house male and females together, although I would not advise it.
Problems can occur such as food stealing by the more dominant male crested gecko and this can lead to stress for your female geckos. This is not good for the geckos health or your own sanity having to keep a constant eye on the situation.
Along with food stealing there is the potential probability of breading. Nature suggests that if you keep male and female crested geckos together then at some point in time you will end up with a whole load of baby crested geckos. If this was the plan then it is fine but if not you may want to reconsider letting males and females live together.
A good rule to follow when planning to let males and females live together is to have a large tank and stick to one male and two females. However it is still possible to have one male and up to four females given that the right sized tank is purchased.
How many baby crested geckos can live together?
Baby crested geckos may be small but you should still follow some rules on housing them together.
Generally housing baby crested geckos together should be pretty uneventful and fine to do. Below is some guidance to how many baby crested geckos you can having living together in the same tank.
This is based on a minimum 10 gallon sized tank:
- Hatchlings up to the age of 2 months: up to 4 per tank.
- Juveniles between 2-4 months old: a maximum of 3 per tank.
- Pre-adult 4-10 months old: No more than 2 per tank.
It is also worth noting that once the crested geckos have reached pre-adult age (4-10 months) males should be separated to stop conflicts occurring.
What you need to do before letting new crested geckos live together.
If you are planning to let your crested geckos live together there are some steps that you should take to make sure it goes smoothly. This is important for your geckos health so I will list them below.
Parasites.
Can crested geckos live together, will they get parasites? Like many lizards Crested geckos can carry parasites which can then be passed on to other geckos that are sharing the same tank. This can make treatment tiresome and also costly. To avoid this it is recommended that to follow the next tip.
Quarantine.
Whenever you plan to introduce a new crested gecko into an already occupied tank it should go through a period of quarantine. This can be a couple of weeks in which you can observe for any parasites, diseases and other issues. Take care to note it’s pooping habits as this can be a sign that the gecko is already stressed and may need more time before introduction.
What to look out for after housing two or more crested geckos together.
As well as taking steps before introducing crested geckos to each other there are things you must do once they are living together and settling in. These are observations to make which will ensure that neither of the geckos is stressed or goes hungry.
Food stealing.
Can crested geckos live together, won’t they steal food? Food stealing by crested geckos that live together is one of the biggest issues that owners will face. It is really common for the more dominant of the geckos to actively steal the food of the other geckos. This is a major issue if left as it can leave one or more of them malnourished. Make sure to give them the right food.
To overcome this try to set regular feeding times and watch as you feed the geckos to make sure what food stealing is not occurring. If it happens on a regular basis it may be time to house the geckos separately. If you would like to know what food to feed your crested gecko check out this guide.
Stress.
Can crested geckos live together, does it cause stress? Stress can be a major problem for crested geckos. This is even more so when trying to introduce a new gecko to an occupied tank. There are any number of reasons for stress in crested gecko but below are some of the most common ones:
- lack of space and territory.
- food stealing.
- bullying or aggressive tank partner.
- a non sociable crested gecko.
Make sure to keep a close eye on your geckos to see if any of the above are happening. If it does not resolve itself after a couple of weeks it may be time to house the geckos separately.
Can crested geckos live together? If done right it is generally fine to let two crested geckos live together
Other important information.
Can crested geckos live together? A couple of other tips for you if you are planning on letting crested geckos live together:
- Remember that crested geckos have different personalities, just like us humans. As such there can be personality clashes within the tank so keep an eye on this. A really active gecko may not be a good tank match for a lazy gecko.
- Never put an adult male gecko in the same tank as a female crested gecko until it has reached adult stage.
- If you notice a big size difference between two crested geckos then this could prove an issue when trying to get them to live together. The bigger, stronger and more dominant one will take all the food and territory.
Related questions.
Does my crested gecko need a friend? No absolutely not. Do not feel like you need to get another in the same tank to stop your gecko from feeling lonely. Crested geckos are not communal animals and as such lead a pretty much solitary life in the wild. Generally they will only partner up to mate. A single crested gecko will be more than happy not to have to share its tank with another.
What tank size do my crested geckos need as a minimum? As a bare minimum you should have a 10 gallon tank for a single crested gecko. Once you decide to have more than one in a tank it is time for an upgrade and it recommended that the new tank should be 18x18x24 inches in size to accommodate.
My crested geckos seem stressed, how can I reduce this? The best way to reduce the stress from having multiple crested gecko in one tank is to increase the size of the tank. Or you can try adding extra hiding places for your geckos. These can be made up of rock caves and small tree branches.
For more helpful crested gecko articles on this website check out this link where you will find many more.
