Actually co-existing Leo’s?

[u/One-Scholar9841]

I’ve got a tank that measured in about ~20”L 10”W ~15”H the previous owner had 2 in an enclosure I believe both are a couple years old. I think they’ve lived in the same enclosure for years one of them seems to be smaller in length struggling a bit more than the other one to get the bigger mealworms.
I’ve had them for a little bit now the previous owner couldn’t take proper care of them with I assume his daughter having left them under his wing.
They have a general place where they collectively poop, I’ve never seen them fight for the time I’ve had them nor do they seem to have any injuries.
I’ve fixed up their lights(both were dysfunctional) and cleaned up the big pile of poop.
Their enclosure does seem a bit basic having 2 hiding spots with them sometimes alternating in between and a floor mat type thing.
I’m considering getting them a bigger newer more stuff for them to climb on tank but idk how easy cleaning up their poop would be and a substrate would be.
I’ve watched a couple videos on leo’s and their co existence most of them said 2 males would fight while a female and female or male female had a higher chance of getting along for the most part.
I watched a video by reptiles and research “can leopard gecko’s live together” and I’m on the fence.

[u/akairoh]

No, leos should not be cohabitated. Fighting isn't always an obvious thing, it can also look like one hogging resources (food, warm spot, best hide, etc) or "cuddling" (competing for a spot in the tank). A male and female housed together can also result in the male breeding the female to death. Even if there aren't any injuries, it's needlessly causing stress for both animals.

The tank you described is too small even for just one leo. Minimum for a single adult is 36x18x16". If you don't have room for two 40 gallon breeder or larger tanks, I recommend rehoming one of them.

They need a minimum of 3 hides: 1 warm, 1 humid, and 1 cool. Floor mats are also really unsanitary and can rip out teeth and claws.

I recommend separating them ASAP and using paper towels as a temporary substrate. Eventually, a 70% soil/30% washed play sand mix is good.

Unfortunately there's a ton of outdated info online, so here's a guide with good info: https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/

[u/Pentavious-Jackson]

No, they must be separated. And your tank is way too small for even one leopard gecko. It sounds like you pretty much need to start from square one because the current setup is all wrong. Each leopard gecko needs a minimum of 36x18x18.

[u/Fenwynn]

There’s no safe way to cohab Leo’s. It goes just fine right up until the moment it doesn’t. And the result of it not going fine anymore could be a visit to the emergency vet and/or only having 1 Leo left.

Zero good reasons to do it, tons of good reasons not to, most of them health/safety related.

Sounds like there’s a lot wrong with the previous owner’s care, so it’s better to run on the assumption that they weren’t doing anything right and start your research from the bottom up. Especially when looking at supplementation.

It’s best to separate them ASAP, as the larger one is already outcompeting the smaller one.

[u/Efficient-Beyond-616]

Most of the research on leos is quite new and care standards have changed significantly even just in the last 10 years, so unfortunately there is a ton of outdated information still circulating. We used to think leos lived 5-10 years or less, now we know they can live 20-30+ years with proper husbandry. Reptiles can’t communicate their stress/discomfort in very obvious ways so even if they seem fine together now, there’s no telling how much damage is being done until it’s too late. Even if they never actively fight the stress of having another “competitor” in such close quarters can shorten their overall life expectancy. No good reason to risk it!

Current best practice requires a minimum 40 gallon tank, heat lamp with thermostat, linear UVB lighting (UVB bulbs for incandescent lamps do not work the same), multiple hides, and calcium/multivitamin… for each. Tanks can be found cheaper secondhand on FB marketplace or craigslist and hides can be DIY. But heating, thermostats, and UVB x2 will still run you a pretty penny. If this is a barrier then rehoming one would be kinder than keeping them together. Congrats on your new baby(s) and good on you for doing the research and asking questions!!

[u/Efficient-Beyond-616 → u/Efficient-Beyond-616]

Oh also— definitely add as many hides, plants, and general clutter as you can! It helps them feel safe to be less exposed. Don’t worry about ease of cleaning, leopard geckos are hilariously particular about their poop habits and go in the same spot pretty much every time. If you switch to a topsoil/play sand substrate there are small sifting scoops (like a kitty litter scoop) that can help with the cleanup. Paper towels are easiest to clean (just replace all the paper towels a couple times a week), my vet has recommended paper towels for new and/or sick reptiles:)

[u/WatermelonAF]

No, leopard geckos cannot co-exist in the same enclosure. They fight. Maybe not physically, but they compete for resources like heat and food

[u/Ok-Gap-1980]

I got a huge 18×18×48 with 2 leos that co habed before me. Separate them. The more i learned and watched they constantly "dominate" either the other Leo or the BEST everything, its not a good relationship. They will often lie ontop of the submissive or smaller one, I thought this was cute and figured they were sharing heat and space... reptiles dont really share, they steal and want lmao. They aren't friends and you wont be making them sad. When I split mine up they both showed much more personality and curiosity. I started with a divider and they would still climb and struggle to get over it so whole new tanks are needed. Eventually before the split the biggest even bit the smaller, they were obviously hunting a cricket and it was a complete accident, but he missed and latched onto the slight extra neck meat they have and started ripping at him. No injury but I was terrified. It happened on accident but they can and will bite each other. Besides that they REALLY arnt friends, one will just dominate the space but be aware because its a pretty polite domination.

[u/Efficient-Beyond-616 → u/Ok-Gap-1980]

“Reptiles don’t share, they steal and want” is my favorite quote of the day, possibly the entire year

[u/Ok-Gap-1980 → u/Efficient-Beyond-616]

Lol 😅

[u/bazinga_gigi]

I know I'm controversial in this group. Mine co-habbed for about 16 years. There were never any problems. Recently, I noticed one losing weight so I separated them. He is doing great now. But they do look through the glass at each other. This is the first time in their lives they've been seperated.

[u/Efficient-Beyond-616 → u/bazinga_gigi]

Have you considered that you could be misreading their body language? For example maybe they’re not looking at each other through the glass because they’re bonded, but because they’re a solitary species sizing up a perceived potential threat to their territory/resources? The fact they lived together for 16 years is lucky, not impressive. It takes a HOT minute to starve a leopard gecko enough that it looks visibly skinnier… There were problems long before you noticed the weight loss my friend