# crested geckos together?



## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

hi there hope you can all help and since its about cresties im sure i will get some good replies
i went to lillyexotics the other day and he showed me his cresties and i noticed they were in a exo terra 18inch cube and he was keeping males and females together year round and he said he has no problems with them fighting or over breeding?

i would love to do this have a male and a female together and get eggs once or twice a year just wanted to see people opinions on whether its a good idea or not. did think i would use the taller exo terra though think 18inch is a tad small for two


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## Sarah-Jayne (Jul 4, 2007)

Keeping males and females together all year round is risky as the female is at risk of over breeding and if she's not interested and he is they could end up fighting 

The 45x45x60 exo-terra is the minimum size for 1 adult crested gecko

I keep my 3 females together but my 2 males live by themselves (never ever put 2 males together)

At the end of the day it is your choice but there are risks involved in keeping males and females together, just as there are risks in keeping females together too you can never guarantee they will tolerate company


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## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

so are females alright together then


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## imitebmike (Jun 22, 2008)

generally, sometimes you get the odd females who bully/dominate


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## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

well i havea unsexed juvie at the moment now so will be waiting for a while and then will match it accordingly just hoping its a female otherwise i will be having just one crestie


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## imitebmike (Jun 22, 2008)

Hmm, but even when you do that, make sure you have a spare viv for any little accidents that may occur


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## Sarah-Jayne (Jul 4, 2007)

I lost a female last year, she got in a fight with one of the others ended up with necrotic tissue in her vent and a bad infection I took her to the vets right away but there was nothing could be done and unfortunately she passed away so it's a risk to take but I think I was very unlucky


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## CrestieCrazy (Feb 3, 2011)

Your also very likely to get more then just 1-2 clutches of eggs. It's fairly normal for most to lay upto 7 times and ive even heard of females laying upto 10 clutches in a season. Something you may want to think about because eggs may be laid that you don't find and hatch all by them selves. You then may be left with hatchlings you can't house or sell. Just a heads up incase you thought you could just get rid of he eggs and not worry about further clutches. 

CrestieCrazy


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## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

think its might be safer and better for meand the gecko to just keep i by itslef seems like there are too many risks involved woth keping cresties together will wont bother i think


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## imitebmike (Jun 22, 2008)

What you can do however, is plant up the viv and get a millipede or two xD


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## Sweetcorn (Aug 2, 2008)

Mine are only ever together for breeding and then separated. I have enough trouble trying to keep pairs of females together never mind breeding groups year in year out.

Even in a 60x45x60 I've had females falling out. Mind you I watch mine like a hawk, so tend to notice quite quickly if there's a problem.

It can be done but it's just luck as to whether they will cohabit happily or not.


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## Lambretta (Dec 2, 2010)

How about hatchlings though? I see shops keep baby cresties together, in a group of 3 or 4. Is that ok with babies? If yes, when would it be the best time to separate? I've got a 30x30x30 exo terra and buying a 45x45x45 next week and i don't know how many cresties to buy. Thinking of buying two, keep one in the small exo and buy a faunarium for the other till they grow a bit so i can sex them. I assume 45x45x45 is not big enough for 2 cresties though?
Sorry for hijacking


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## Jozza85 (Feb 28, 2011)

Im currently keeping two cresties in a 45x45x60 and not having any problems. They weighed 13g when i got them and are now up to 25g. I have a 45 cube on standby for any accidents.

I think a 45 cube is minimum size for an adult but a 45x45x60 is better. IMO


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## JamesJ (Apr 12, 2008)

I grow my cresties up in small groups generally. I monitor their weights and for signs of fighting, any bully or gecko which isn't putting on / loosing weight (only ever had 2) is taken out and housed alone. I also loope sex them from about 8g weekly, as soon as I spot pores on a male its removed from the group.

I usually split the males from the females for the winter. Last year I didnt, the geckos stopped breeding and gained back a few grams lost from breeding but this year I've had less eggs / irregular laying patterns, I deffinatly won't leave them together for the winter again.


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## Chris18 (Mar 22, 2009)

I've said this many a times
It is possible to keep them together year round but it requires a lot of information that isn't already really out there.
If you can find out the conditions for cooling the geckos it could possibly be done but why risk it? It isn't natural for them to be housed with a male all the time and it's just you wanting to save space.
You also have to keep a very close eye on any fighting, dominance or weight loss.
It's frustrating that a lot of shops are now pushing 0.0.2 pairs and a lot of people are falling for it, it isn't uncommon on here to see people having 0.0.2s and then writing a thread because their 9 month old gecko is gravid because they didn't have the experience to notice sex in time.
If it was up to me no one would sell 0.0.2 'pairs' unless they were sold with 2 enclosures.
I have no problem with breeders keeping really young babies together however as I have rarely heard of issues.


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## kezzbag (Jan 16, 2011)

hmm thats why im designing and building a cage that splits into 2 atm...just to keep me busy lol....id do way more research on them but like iv been told befor start with one


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## Baby_DJ (Sep 24, 2008)

I have my two housed together as they have been together for their lives although not related. I have the equipment ready incase of any problems and will sex them asap, if they are both females they should be okay together but i will 'upgrade' their housing when they are bigger to a 60x45x60.


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## jasont21 (Aug 25, 2010)

i think at the end of the day, its down the person and the geckos. There is nothing wrong with having them together, as long as you have enough hiding places and space it would be fine. As for all year round, i did have mine all year round, but leaving 2 - 3 months (winter) with the male separated. Now though, i only use the males when i need to and they have their own tanks. Simply becuse the females and the males put more weight on when there not chasing and hasling each other for sexy time. 

As far as keeping females together, again its up the geckos and you. 
I have 4 females currently in the same tank, none are related and they all get on. There is plenty of hiding places, but most of the time, when sleeping, they will sleep together in the same bush, or... (it looks halarious) they will all try to cram into one of the magnetic caves you can get. But they all cuddle up to each other and have never shown any hostility. 

Im awake until 2-3 most nights and watch them alot of my time. Mainly cos i dont have a TV and they can be quite entertaining, and its then i will see how they interact. They are also next to my bed, which means anything that goes on sound wise, i hear and can act apon that if needs be. (never had to so far)
As long as you can do the same, can give them enough space and hiding places and can watch on them to see how they interact, it shouldnt be a problem. 

All that essay said... i personally wouldnt keep a male and a female perminantly together as the male will constantly badger her and stress her out. If your going to have a perm tank, (although keep one spare for the male) i wouldnt have any less than a trio, only because it gives one of the females chance to chill while the other is busy. 

Some people may agree... some people wont. But quite a few people have different ways of doing things, this works for me and all my geckos are healthy and do well.


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## M022ER (Dec 3, 2009)

Females are fine being housed together, especially if they were from the same clutch (mine are sisters), although, sometimes they may fall out a tad.

But a male would most probably "wear out" the female, if housed all year round constantly, lowering the maximum age your female will reach.

In my Opinion i'd would put a male in with a female for a while for breeding then put him separate again. But, everyone has a different opinion.


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## M022ER (Dec 3, 2009)

Lambretta said:


> How about hatchlings though? I see shops keep baby cresties together, in a group of 3 or 4. Is that ok with babies? If yes, when would it be the best time to separate? I've got a 30x30x30 exo terra and buying a 45x45x45 next week and i don't know how many cresties to buy. Thinking of buying two, keep one in the small exo and buy a faunarium for the other till they grow a bit so i can sex them. I assume 45x45x45 is not big enough for 2 cresties though?
> Sorry for hijacking


It'd be easier to keep them together from the start and separate if need be, because otherwise you are introducing a crestie into another "territory" and expecting them to be fine. 

I got mine of a breeder, they were from the same clutch, been housed together as hatchlings and were "probable females" .. thus i have never had any problems.

My two females are in a 45x45x60 exo with lots of foliage and climbing apparatus. plus 2 separate food dishes to avoid one missing out. I've ha dno problems


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## Sweetcorn (Aug 2, 2008)

I did have one pair of females that had been living together happily for over a year. This year I introduced a male for breeding and all 3 got along great. The problems occurred after the male was removed and one female laid her first clutch. She became very aggressive towards the other gravid female.

I separated them but am hoping that once they have finished laying for the season that I'll be able to re-introduce them.

People just need to be aware of the signs, monitor very closely and have a back ready in case of problems.

Raising juvies together is fine if you know how to sex at an early stage and can separate any males.


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