Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys Ive had a male crested for about 1 year now and he's in a live terrarium 18x18x24... Temps Normal.. Humidity Normal.. Wight is normal.. Clean and have had no problems w/ him.. I bought the same female that he was enclosed w/ when i first bought him (the female was still at Petsmart =( ) ... soo i decided to buy her... I introduced them just now and she started to wiggle her tail.. HE then proceeeded to urinate himself and eat it.. and began to pounce up and down... He then licked her and went around her and bit her in her stomach and the female ran away... I was afraid that they were not going to get along so i took her out and placed her in a seperate terrarium that i set up just in case they didnt get along....

Is this behavior normal.. Should i just leave them together.. or should i not keep them together at all?!? Any help is appreciated..

on the male part that's normal courtship behavior, just doesn't seem like your female was ready at that moment to mate.

However, from what I understand of your post...you bought the female and put her in with the male right away, without any quarantine period or any other preparation. Personally I would keep them separated for at least a month, especially if she's been stuck in a chain pet store for so long. Is she of good weight? Is she healthy and parasite free?

Once she's done a month's worth of quarantine (and ideally a clean fecal from your vet to rule out parasites at least...though a full health inspection would be better, to ensure she doesn't have some other ailment), you can introduce her into the male's cage. If its large and with plenty of visual barriers (ie fake plants, real plants, etc so they can stay out of sight of each other if needed) and two feeding stations, they should be fine. But check daily to make sure she doesn't end up with any injuries. Even normal mating, where the male holds onto the female by biting at her neck and head, can leave lacerations. If you observe any, separate her and treat if minor. If very deep, then you will need to take her to a vet. Check the male too, an unreceptive female can bite the male. However for the most part, crested geckos are not overly aggressive with each other, unless you put two males together.
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PHLdyPayne

Awsome! Thank you so much for the info. Right now she's in a seperate cage for quarantine but i think she may be fine because the pet store from which i bought her was taking really good care of her.. Cause i was checking up on her like twice a week.. I even made them adjust the temp and humidity! Her poo looked ok when i bought her and she seems to be eating great even tho i bought her 3 days ago and usually they stress out and dont eat like the first one when i bought him. I heard that introducing them in a completly separate enclosure w/ no territory markings (urine) would help. So i bought a separate plastic container..

Do you think i should introduce them periodically for more and more time or just leave her in his cage right after introducing them in a seperate container?

Also i do believe that i have a terrarium big enough w/ plenty of live plants.. 18x18x24 and i will also provide two feeding stations...

One more question.. If and when i do place them together.. should i provide a container w/ moist pete moss just incase she lays eggs although she never laid eggs in the pet store?!?

Thanks for your advice this really helps me!

No real issue with putting one into the other's cage that I have heard of but always good to have a spare cage so you can separate her from the male a few months of the year to give her a break from egg laying.

After a month's quarantine, you can put her into his cage and leave them together unless you notice signs of stress or injury on either. Once she's mated a few times she should lay eggs for the rest of the season with no additional matings, as they do retain sperm.

It is a good idea to keep an egg laying container in her cage so she can lay when she is ready. It isn't too difficult to see the two large pale ovals through her belly when she's close to time of egg laying. For such a small lizard, their eggs are pretty big.
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PHLdyPayne

Sounds like he likes her,and if he didn't get his head bit off in the process she might like him back.