2 Male Cresties

[Holbeird]

Hi I recently got two male cresties (don't worry, I'll have pictures up later this week) I was just curious what size tank I'd have to keep them in to make sure they don't fight. I got these from a lady my wife works with and she had two in a 40 breeder. I wanted to downsize if I could but I don't want to cramp the little guys. Should I move both males to 10 gallon tanks, or could two go into a 20 Long? How about a 35 gallon? Thanks

[Laooda]

I would defentlly separate them, if I understand correctly they can become pretty aggressive towards one another.... not to mention the fact that they're addictive... so you'll probably get more eventually! LOL

I've used the kritter keeper 20 long with the sliding-locking lids turned on their end and they have worked great!

You BETTA get those pic soon!

[mlededee]

Definitely keep the males separately. Even if you don't see them fighting right away they likely will and one may bully the other to the point that it doesn't get enough to eat and starts to lose weight and fail to thrive.

[NightLad]

Crested geckos are arboreal lizards, so height is just as important, if not more so, than length.

Keeping two males together is never a good idea, even under the most ideal condition – that being, two brothers who were raised together from eggs and have never scented a mature female prior to being placed together in a home environment without any females present prior to reaching sexual maturity. (Say that five times fast!) But even then, if they got a scent of a female their biology would take over and they’d become aggressive, territorial and most likely fight. While it is rare for their fights to be lethal, they can really do damage to one another.

Even the most cautious breeders (some of whom I’ve met and toured their facilities) won’t do it. They will keep the juvies together only so long as it takes for them to reach sexing age, and then they will be separated. Crested Geckos can’t be sexed until they reach 4-6 months in age.

2 females can be housed together if there is enough space, such as an 18X18X24 Exo Terra terrarium, but anything smaller is inadequate for two crestis. You can check these enclosures out here: Exo Terra Glass Terrarium

A way to save space and guarantee their safety would be to get 2 12X12X18 Exo Terra terrariums. These are the smallest arboreal-intended terrarium I would keep a crested in.

Make sure you understand their care needs properly, because although they are relatively simple to care for, in terms of reptiles in general, they do have specific care needs that must be met. If not, then they can and will suffer.

Forgive me if you already know some of the information I’m sharing with you, but I don’t know your level of knowledge so I’m just trying to cover the major bases.

Here is a good primer on the care of Crested Geckos: Crested Gecko Care Sheet

You may also like to check out this crested gecko site + forums: http://www.ciliatus.com/content/ You can buy the Crested Gecko Diet here, too. I'd recommend this place over a pet store, because they only sell th newest and freshest CGD while pet stores tend to sell the small CGD in older bottles.

Lastly, keep these points in mind;
- They are nocturnal
- They require 60-80% humidity (Some people enjoy using the small/medium Exo Terra waterfalls for this purpose, but clean them weekly!)
- Temperatures above 80-82F can be LETHAL
- You can feed them Crested Gecko Diet mix and thus illuminate the need for crickets, although supplementing one feeding of crickets per week is an excellent way to help them reach their full growth potential and is a good way to boost their diet.
- Provide hides and hanging vines/leaves for them to hide in, but also a horizontal resting place.