If you look around the web and socials, you’ll notice that owners are always asking whether they can house leopard geckos together. It is quite a contentious topic and it’s best for us to cover it in detail.
I have scoured the internet and consulted with my fellow herpetologists to give you the best answer.
Well, leopard geckos are chill animals, but they shouldn’t live together, especially if they are of the same sex. Male leopard geckos tend to be territorial and aggressive toward other males. Juveniles can be housed together until they approach sexual maturity.
In this article, we are going to cover which leopard gecko combination can live together without fighting. All in all, you should remember that leos are solitary creatures and they don’t like living in groups.
Contents
Can Leopard Geckos Live Together?
Leopard geckos can live together but it’s important to house them separately if they show signs of aggression toward each other. Proper tank size and temperature control should also be maintained to ensure the health and well-being of all geckos. It’s recommended to observe their behavior and separate them if necessary. If possible keep leopard geckos separately, since they are solitary animals.
Reasons Why You Should Avoid Housing Leopard Geckos Together
According to my own experience with leos, keeping them in groups does not work very well. In fact, there is a reason why experts recommend owners to use a 20-gallon tank when housing an adult.
- Housing two or more leopard geckos in a 20-gallon tank means the creatures will have reduced space. They have to share the available space and this may cause a lot of stress.
- A leopard gecko will not see another gecko as a ‘friend’ or ‘partner’. There is a high chance that the presence of additional geckos will make your leo feel threatened.
- Keeping leopard geckos in a group can result to vicious fights between them. Some of these fights can result to leos losing their tails or even worse killing each other. Some fights may cause oral injuries in leopard geckos.
- Housing a male and female leopard gecko together can lead to overbreeding and ultimately result to stress. Besides, overbreeding can bring about a lot of health issues including egg-binding.
- Some leopard geckos won’t eat when kept in a group. This is a response that can be brought about by stress.
Can Leopard Geckos Kill Each Other?
Housing leopard geckos together is a recipe for disaster. As I mentioned earlier, leos are solitary animals in the wild and that should be respected. So, if you have pet leopard geckos in captivity, don’t assume that they’ll get along when kept together.
Keep in mind these geckos have survival instincts and they’ll want to eliminate any competition in their habitat. As you well know, survival for the fittest means that a leopard gecko will fight any intruder as a way of protecting its territory.
Sometimes these fights go to extreme cases and they can even result in life-threatening injuries or even death.
Fights mostly happen with male geckos as they are known to be aggressive and territorial once they hit sexual maturity.
Will Two Female Leopard Geckos Fight?
Surprisingly, it is pretty easy for a pair of female leopard geckos to get along. I have tried housing two females together and they didn’t fight or stress each other out.
All you need to do is keep them in a large tank. Ideally, you can house them in a 30-gallon enclosure. Make sure you place plenty of hides in the enclosure. Ensure the enclosure has plenty of supplies to avoid any fights.
Should You Keep A Male & Female Leopard Gecko Together?
This is a contentious topic among leo owners and breeders as well. Some people have had tremendous success with cohabiting male and female leopard geckos.
As long as both geckos are living together in harmony, then it’s fine. The problem arises when the male and female leopard gecko overbreeds.
Males can cause a lot of stress to female geckos especially if he is obsessed with mating. Sometimes the other geckos will not eat
According to my own experience, males and females should be kept separately unless they are breeding. Once the geckos are done with mating, they should be separated.
Factors To Consider When Housing Leopard Geckos Together
I am not advocating for leopard geckos cohabitation, but if you have to, kindly put the following factors into consideration.
1. Sex/Gender
The gender of your leopard geckos should have a huge influence on your decision. There is no way you can keep two or more males together and expect things to go well. They will fight each other over territory and injure each other.
Males and females can cohabitate, but only for a short time. Ideally, you should separate them after they mate.
Two females can be kept together as long as they are living in a large tank and there is enough supplies.
Related How To Breed Leopard Geckos Correctly & Ethically
2. Leopard Gecko Size
If you want to house multiple leopard geckos together, start by checking their size. Large geckos have a tendency of bullying the small ones. This means that the small leos won’t have enough to eat and will always feel stressed.
If you must house leos together, do so when they are about the same size or age. Babies and juveniles can do pretty well when housed in the same enclosure.
3. Tank Size
The recommended enclosure size of a leopard geckos should be about 20 gallons. Housing multiple geckos demand for more space. So if you have two geckos, then you might need a 30 or 40 gallon tank.
A large tank can accommodate two leopard geckos, multiple hides, two food dishes and water trays as well. As long as the enclosure is large, the two geckos won’t have to compete or fight for resources. They can always have enough hiding spots in case they stress each other out.
Related Do Leopard Geckos Need A Heat Lamp?
4. Gecko’s Health
It makes no sense to house multiple leopard geckos if one of them is ill. Reptiles get sick too and they can spread diseases to others.
So if you have a sick leopard gecko, I would suggest that you isolate it instead of keeping it together with other geckos.
Some leos might even take advantage of the sick one. It becomes an easy target and might even be starved of food, water, and supplements.
Related Causes And Treatments for Leopard Gecko Impaction
Final Thoughts -Can Leopard Geckos Live Together?
Having read the above information, it is pretty clear that leopard geckos should not live together. They are solitary animals and no amount of taming can change that. House this species together at your own risk!
