Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got a little gecko (4 or 4.5 inches) from PetCo (I know, it's PetCo)and have him/her quarentined in a 10gal tank to get it used to me and my house and what not. I already have a larger gecko (about 8 inches) in a 20gal tank and plan on adding sand. My question is, would it be alright to put them together, or should the new one grow more? How big does the little one need to be before it is housed on a sand substrate? Thanks

here we go...........
a leo should not be put on sand unless it is over 6 inches in length. you will also want to make sure the little leo has been properly quarantined for at least a month and that it is around the same length as the bigger leo before you put them together. you can put your leo on sand if you wish, but even adult leos have been known to have problems on an all sand based bedding (my leos did!!!). sand can be dangerous and if you don't want to risk your leos' health then you won't use it. if you want to use sand in your setup, then try using slate pieces, or tiles and filling just the cracks in with a little bit of sand. this way, the leo won't be grabbing mouthfuls of it. this looks attractive and is pretty safe. but even if you use this method DON'T put the younger leo on sand or with the bigger leo until it is over 6 inches in length.

cleo
1:3 leos (Phoenix, Beanie, Pixie, Katrina)
2 eggs cooking

I agree
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JJay
4.5.3 Leos
(& 11 eggs cooking)
0.1 Map turtle

oops, sorry about the double post....

I just want to add that at feeding time, the larger will intimidate the smaller and the smaller will not eat, may not even try to eat unless it's taken out of the cage and caged by itself for feeding time.
Also, if you put a smaller leo in the same tank as a larger leo, the larger one will see the smaller one's tail as dinner. If the smaller one gets his tail bit off, it will grow back but will never look as nice as the original.

It's just not a good idea to put two different sized animals together. Wait till they're the same size. (and don't put tow males together... they will fight!!!!)

JJay
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JJay
4.5.3 Leos
(& 11 eggs cooking)
0.1 Map turtle