Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey - new here, though I've had my female leo (Zuul) for...jeez. Five or six years, now. I bought her as a juvenile and she's had a ten gallon tank to herself all her life...but I'm considering buying a second (female) gecko now.

At first I considered buying a fat-tail for visual variety, but after reading a few sites here and there that seem to think that's not a great idea, I've pretty much shifted onto getting another Leo.

The problem is that most of the ones available around here are still fairly small at four or five inches, and I'm not entirely sure how Zuul will react to being presented with an unfamiliar intruder after being alone for so long. For all I know, she might get grouchy and try to eat it or something - which would be...well. Bad.

So basically, I need advice on how to go about this.

you need to get a new tank. i dont know that much about geckos but im pretty sure you should get a new tank. i think theyre pretty solitary animals. if you get another female i suppose it might be ok but the older one might try to fight with the younger one. if you get a male than the male will probably try to mate with the female and cause a lot of stress. anyway some more people can probably answer this better than i can.

You would first need a bigger tank - atleast big enough to house another hiding spot. My gecko was with another female before, and while mostly docile, they can fight sometimes, therefore needing their own places to hide and such. Plus, geckos get a little big. Two in a ten gallon tank is a bit much for them - they won't be able to get any exercise.

Getting a larger tank wouldn't be a problem. I'm really more worried about one of them getting hurt than anything.

That's a problem. Leopard geckos are agressive by nature. Males, as well as females, will fight over territory. Sorry to say, but it's trial and error. A gecko may seem tame at first, but when confronted with another gecko, they can turn and become completely different.

Have two seperate cages set up, since you'll need a quarentine period anyway.

Only put them together if they are approx the same size

watch them closely the first couple of days, and I like to watch non-stop for the first 30-60 minutes to make sure there is no fighting going on.

If they fight, you seperate them into their already set-up tanks.
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Brian Skibinski
Brian@MilwaukeeReptiles.com
www.MilwaukeeReptiles.com
Leopard Gecko Care Sheet

Hm...I'll definitely have to try that. Here's hoping I can afford it.