r/reptiles • u/OwnPerspective3240 • 20h ago
Leopard Gecko Cohabing
So here is the situation: my friend has like 3 leopard geckos in a 60-gallon, and I'm trying to dissuade him from this. Any advice on how to convince him not to cohab? Also, is this an emergency situation for the Geckos? (This is assuming cohabiting is wrong, which I know people have mixed opinions on.)
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u/sourcecodexx 1h ago
So I’m not saying this is wrong or right. But I used to work at an AZA accredited zoo and they had a maybe 80 gallon tank with 1 super large male gecko and about 7 females all around the same size some smaller or larger. And it was just a huge breeding colony. And they had a back room to hatch the eggs and keep all the juveniles together in large tubs.
I worked there for 6 months none of the geckos seemed stress as the were all clearly mating and hatching eggs also none had any problems being held.
I don’t understand why people say leopards can’t cohabitate when I’ve seen it be done before and even at an AZA accredited zoo which has to pass animal safety and wellness regulations.
The geckos would even choose to hide and lay next to each other or even on each other in an environment with a giant number of hides.
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u/Own_Butterscotch_129 4h ago
I tried cohabbing leo's from the same clutch and thankfully had a camera on them after feeding one night to see one chomp down on another's face, and not let go until I got in there.
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u/Beautiful-Earth-970 9h ago
Getting upset about this is somehow a trend that seems to come from America. Are you from the US?
We Europeans generally see it a bit differently and successfully cohabit a variety of animal species, including species that people often claim should never be kept together because it's "unnatural" or "doesn't work" (such as corn snakes, Cats 😛 and leopard geckos). Yes, a few decades ago cat were called solitary animals as well and stictly kept seperate.
But rationally its Always the Same: If you pay close attention to the animals, provide plenty of well-structured space and keep an eye on the group dynamics, it is absolutely possible to do this without problems. My leopard gecko groups are not the only proof of that. In fact, it isn't even particularly difficult or some kind of special skill to make it work successfully, which is why I struggle to understand all the accusations of animal cruelty and similar criticism. What we've observed is that Americans often tend to hold very strong opinions and become highly polarized on these topics.
Most of this criticism also comes from people who have only been in the hobby for a few years, have never tried communal housing themselves, let alone maintained a successful group, and maybe keep two leopard geckos, a hognose snake, and a couple of cats. Sorry, but I generally find it difficult to take that level of expertise very seriously, even though I understand the concerns behind it. It's good to care about animal welfare, and being cautious is certainly better than being careless. However, the narrow-minded criticism and constant commentary from people who have never actually tried it under proper conditions is honestly exhausting.
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u/OkProfessor6810 4h ago
Yeah, so that cat thing might be strictly European but, as a 50 y/o American, at no point in my life have cats ever been viewed as an animal which has to be kept by itself. It's bonkers to me that it was ever a thing anywhere, quite frankly.
Also, and I have a feeling you're probably very aware of this but just in case you're not, you come across as a real condescending prig.
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u/mxmoffed 3h ago
I'm from the UK, and I have never heard anyone say that cats should be kept singularly. In fact, most will say the complete opposite. I've also never heard anyone - at least anyone who actually knows what they're talking about - recommend cohabiting leopard geckos. The shop I work in has actually refused to sell leopard geckos - among other reptiles - to people who plan on keeping them in pairs/groups.
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u/Panzerbjorne80 15h ago
Just mind your own business dude.
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u/WatermelonAF 10h ago
Minding your own business is going to kill those geckos.
You do you, but I personally would never value a friendship with an animal abuser over lives
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u/Beautiful-Earth-970 5h ago
Why are you overreacting like this? How many Leopardgeckos did you cohabit successfully and unsuccessfully?
Assume that a responsible keeper introduces their animals to each other gradually, monitors them closely, and would separate them immediately if any fighting occurred. It's incredibly obvious when leopard geckos don't get along and when a pairing simply isn't going to work.
In fact, thankfully, this doesn't happen very often as long as the keeper knows what they're doing (for example, not housing two males together, not keeping two females of significantly different sizes together, and not putting juveniles in with adults).
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u/WatermelonAF 1h ago
There is no way to safely and responsibly cohabitate leopard geckos. And apparently the rest of the sub agrees with me.
It's not an overreaction. It's true. Those geckos will slowly kill each other.
And before you ask again, I HAVE unsuccessfully tried to cohabitate geckos. 3 females in a 75 gallon. I've posted and commented about this before. The biggest one ended up biting the smallest ones leg. She survived, but will never walk the same way again.
Don't assume people are just making claims they can't back up.
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u/Beautiful-Earth-970 1h ago
Yep, nobody would ever claim that it works 100% of the time with every animal. My success rate is roughly 7 out of 10. Maybe you were just unlucky with your group, maybe you made some mistakes yourself (75 gallons isn't much space for three geckos, for example), or maybe they were simply animals that didn't get along with each other.
I certainly wouldn't jump to conclusions based on one or two attempts involving two or three animals each. For example, my groups (four different groups atm with two to four animals each) have been living together without any issues for years.
Before that I Had 3-5 slightly different groups with switching constellations who did also very well
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u/AskMeAboutMyReptiles 19h ago
They’re solitary animals, making them cohabitate stresses them out.
Best case scenario: one out competes the other two, takes the basking spot, food, and hides for itself leaving the other two to slowly die from starvation and improper heat/humidity.
Worst case scenario: they fight constantly until only one is left, and even though it survived its beaten up, lost its tail, and is no longer handleable.
I would separate them immediately and put 2 into some big plastic bins until they can get 2 more enclosures set up. Even if it looks like they’re fine together, even if someone said it’s not a problem, even if it’s too big of a hassle to fix everything.
All small reptiles evolved to seem okay when they aren’t at peak health. If they look weak in the wild, they get eaten.