If you’re anything like most reptile owners, then you will agree when you hear that the only thing better than having a crested gecko as a pet is having multiple crested geckos as pets. And it makes perfect sense.
Crested geckos make for great pets.
They are active in the right conditions and have a decently long lifespan of 10 to 20 years. And it goes without saying, they look adorable as well.
However, when having more than one crested gecko in your house, a fair question is, can you keep them all in one tank?
Can Crested Geckos Live Together?
No, ideally, every crested gecko must have a separate enclosure.
Under no circumstance should crested geckos live or be kept together in the same enclosure. They are solitary creatures and prefer to be alone.
But if you are keen on having your geckos cohabitate, then there are some precautions that you must take before putting all of your geckos in one tank.
Potential Crested Gecko Pairings in an Enclosure
DO NOT KEEP MULTIPLE CRESTED GECKOS IN THE SAME ENCLOSURE DOING SO WILL LEAD TO UNNECESSARY CONFLICT AND PROBLEMS.
If you are absolutely keen on keeping your crested geckos together in a single enclosure, you must ensure that you never keep 2 male crested geckos in the same enclosure.
Here are 3 potential pairings that work out in the long run with a little extra care:
Female and Female
This is by far the best crested gecko pairing for cohabitation. That is not to say that there won’t be any fights. After all, even female crested geckos are behaviorally solitary in the wild.
But the breaking out of fights will be a much rarer case in the case of 2 females.
Female and Male
This is another pairing that might work out well with a little extra care. There won’t be as many fights, that is for sure.
However, there could arise a whole new problem: the risk of unwanted hatchlings, and the risk of the female crested gecko stressing out and having health problems.
The risk of unwanted hatchlings is easily understood – mating is a certainty in such pairings.
The problem of females stressing out is that males tend to be more sexually active and aggressive than female geckos.
So, you will have to ensure that your male crested gecko isn’t being aggressive towards the female gecko when in heat.
2 Females and a Male
This pairing works out slightly better than just a male and a female gecko. With 2 different females, the load of mating will be shared, and each will get ample time to rest.
Tips On Keeping Crested Geckos Together
- Never keep more than one male crested gecko together in the same enclosure.
- Provide plenty of plants, branches, and hiding places for your crested geckos.
- Get the largest possible enclosure you can.
- Cohabitate only geckos of the same size to avoid a power struggle.
- Have regular supervision to avoid any mishaps.
Pros of Crested Geckos Living Together
Speaking of the pros, there are no concrete advantages to keeping all of your crested geckos in the same tank. The only three advantages of having them cohabitate are savings of space, time, and money.
You save on a lot of space
Obviously, if you get a separate enclosure for every gecko, it will take up more space in your house. Your living room may in fact have less space for human beings.
So, getting a single enclosure is a major savior in terms of the space occupied by enclosures inside the house.
You save on time in maintenance of the enclosures
Another no-brainer case in favor of cohabitation is that when you have a single enclosure, you’ll require less time in its maintenance, as opposed to having multiple enclosures for multiple geckos.
But whether this saving in time translates into something tangible and productive is a different question altogether.
Savings in money
Having 1 enclosure will cost you 3 times less than having 3 enclosures, that’s for sure.
Cons Of Crested Geckos Living Together
While you do save up a lot on space, time, and money by taking to the cohabitation of your crested geckos, you’ll see soon enough that the disadvantages far outweigh the pros.
Individual Personalities
Every crested gecko has its personality. It is not possible to predict how well if at all, your crested geckos will gel up together.
While one of your crested geckos may not be bothered by the presence of others, another one might stress out and spend the most time in hiding. It’s a case of hit-and-trial at best, and certain failure at worst.
Cumbersome Planning
Long before you adopt a second crested gecko, you need to have backup plans ready in case the entire cohabitation gig doesn’t work out well.
It will require a lot of planning, and maybe even investments in an additional enclosure set up just in case.
Losing Tail
If you’re an experienced crested gecko parent, you might already know about this. But for the uninitiated, a crested gecko, unlike other reptilian counterparts, does not regrow its tail once it’s lost.
And forcing your crested gecko to cohabitate with another can increase the chances of your crested gecko losing its tail.
Stress and Poor Health
Crested geckos are not suited to the life of community and companionship. If forced to live with other members of its species, your crested gecko may get stressed to a point that it starts affecting your gecko’s health.
It could lead to loss of appetite, which can then cause a whole host of lifestyle diseases.
Constant Supervision
Regardless of how you pair your geckos, you will need to have constant, or at least very frequent, supervision over them.
You will have to ensure that no fights break out wherein one gecko might injure another.
Size Tank Needed For Keeping Multiple Crested Geckos
For 2 or more adult crested geckos, an enclosure should be at least 18” X 18” X 36” in size. However, it’s best to get the largest possible enclosure you can – to avoid inconveniences to the geckos.
If you can arrange for it, a better alternative to a tank will be a Paludarium.
But even in that, keep the size of the enclosure both vertically high and horizontally wide for comfortable accommodation.
Plants And Branches For Your Crested Gecko Community
There is a whole host of branches and other foliage that you can opt for your crested geckos’ enclosure. Here are a few that you can look into:
- Driftwood
- Cork Bark
- Bamboo
- Dracaena Ficus
- Pothos
- Philodendron
- Sandblasted grape branches
- Spider plant
- Aloe
- Mopani Wood
Can You Keep Baby Crested Geckos Together?
Yes, you can keep several baby crested geckos together without a great risk of fights or stress. However, it is always better to keep an eye out for any kind of mishap when making crested geckos of any age cohabitate.
When you are dealing with baby crested geckos, things get different in a good way.
It is easier to handle a community of baby crested geckos as they tend to be more sociable and less solitary as compared to adults.
Summary
Crested geckos are essentially solitary creatures who prefer to live alone. They can get stressed out when forced to cohabitate.
However, with some precautions and due care, you can have female crested geckos, or a pair of female and male crested geckos, live together. You will have to keep an eye out always to avoid any mishap.
