housing multiple cresties

[Kagez28]

well i got a a nice large tank off of craigslist, it's a 29 gal, and i was hopping to be able to house some geckos in it. problem is i am not sure i know what sex grendel is. so is a 29 gal (30x28x18) large enough to house 2 juvie cresties, even if they both turn out to be male? the tank is gonna have lots of fake plants and vines and PVC pieces, so there is gonna be a lot going on and hope that will keep them separated.

also when housing multiple geckos together do you need to feed them separately, like take them out into a tub and throw in some crickets/worms?

[mlededee]

you could easily house up to 4 or so juvies in a tank that size, keeping in mind that the more juvies you put together the more chance for tail nipping and possible dropped tails. juvies get a little excited at times when they see a yummy little worm-like tail go by. that said, i house all my hatchlings in pairs (clutchmates together) and don't usually have any issues--it is when you start putting 3-4+ juvies together that you start getting some tail nips.

males generally needs to be separated at about 5-6 months of age regardless of the set up. even if they appear to be getting along you will hear some squabbling and they will likely start to nip at and chase each other. as they get older it will get worse until they are fighting aggressively.

i had heard that some people had success with housing males together that had never been introduced to a female. i put 2 young males together in a large cage with lots of vines and hides and let them co-exist for about 2 weeks during which time i closely observed their behavior. they kept their distance but one male quickly and obviously became the dominant of the two. if the other got too close the dominant gecko would bark at him and chase him away. i watched as the dominant male chased the other male away from the food and water dish until after he had had his fill, at which time the lesser male was allowed to approach and eat. it was pretty obvious to me that the housing arrangements weren't going to work out, and after just 2 weeks the males were getting more aggressive and bold with eachother. they now once again live separate and happy lives.

you do not need to feed geckos in a separate enclosure. in fact, many geckos will be distracted by it and not eat at all.

[djansen]

you should be fine, and you could feed them together, just make sure they are both getting food.
Say, how old is your unsexed gecko? have you ever heard of louping them?

[JLC]

..... the dominant gecko would bark .....

I wanna hear geckos bark!!

[mlededee]

they make all kinds of fun noises. squeeks, barks, chirps, whistles, and some sounds that really can't be described at all, you just have to hear them. you should have heard the angry yelp my female leachie made a few days ago when i poked her in the behind to get her to move so i could close her cage door!

[JLC]

they make all kinds of fun noises. squeeks, barks, chirps, whistles, and some sounds that really can't be described at all, you just have to hear them. you should have heard the angry yelp my female leachie made a few days ago when i poked her in the behind to get her to move so i could close her cage door!

Too cute! Will you hear some of this if you only have a single crestie? Or do they need others to interact with in order to vocalize?

[mlededee]

single cresteds don't tend to be very vocal, although they will sometimes vocalize in response to handling or something you are doing. i have a few that make a quiet whistling noise when they are nervous about being handled. males and females are vocalize before and sometimes during copulation. i have one enclosure with several adult females in it and i call them my cranky old ladies because they "argue" all the time, especially over the best spot in the paper towel tube.

[JLC]

. i have one enclosure with several adult females in it and i call them my cranky old ladies because they "argue" all the time, especially over the best spot in the paper towel tube.

Hehehehe...too cute! Well, someday I'll have at least a couple of little biddies that will hopefully bicker just enough to be cute.

[Kagez28]

i would say my lil guy is in the 3-4 month range. so the best thing i can do is wait till he/she can be for sure sexed. and if Gman is a she then i can pick up an sexed female around the same age. but if he's a male he's gonna be a loner the rest of his life. in that cause i got a 10 gal i can move him in to until he's big enough for the 20l i orginaly had planned for him.

[djansen]

Too cute! Will you hear some of this if you only have a single crestie? Or do they need others to interact with in order to vocalize?

the only time i heard my geckos make nois was when i put a male in with a female and he tried to get on her and she got away and he kept on chasing her. for a while he just sat at the bottom of the tank and made a low growl, it was kinda cool to watch.