Housing A.Felinus Together.

gekkocorner · #1 10-02-2010, 07:02 PM

I wanted to find out from other Aeluroscalabotes felinus keepers/breeders if any of you are keeping or have kept Cat geckos together either on MF ratio or FF?

I know that in the care sheets available and many posts here in this forum It is recommended to house them individually, and this will probably generate some debate but I want to know if any of you has had success or any negative effects from keeping them together?

Reason I ask is because before I had any knowledge of this website I kept a pair (gravid female pictured) that had been housed together for over three years, the female laid fertile eggs and they both had very fat tails and did wonderfully. This particular pair slept in different hiding spots, but at night they usually hanged out close to each other. I sold these pair recently to make space for others but I still have eggs incubating from them.

With the recent shipment of Borneos, I ran out of space to house them all and I decided to keep 4 females that were in good shape together in groups of 2 for a few weeks. So far I'm very impressed with the results. They are doing fantastic and even though they are housed in larger terrariums ( 18x18x24In ) with several places to hide, they sleep together night after night. I'm also attaching a picture of them sleeping together.

I understand that Aeluroscalabotes are said to be solitary animals in the wild but does anybody have any data of studies done to wild felinus to show if they were almost always found alone? or if they are territorial towards each other? etc.

Any input or comments will be apreciated

gekkocorner · #2 10-06-2010, 06:40 PM

Nobody has any comments on this?

anybody else housing felinus together?

In the meantime this baby just hatched today, the other one should follow shortly.

Ozymandias · #3 10-06-2010, 08:17 PM

i'd actually be interested into this also? i know we keep them together at work but this is when thay are really young and we don't really get them in often.

Gexter · #4 10-06-2010, 08:55 PM

I'm surprised no one has replied to this. My good friend breeds this species and he has always done them in pairs (1.1). In my opinion, they are very passive geckos to begin with. It is rare that they would ever show any signs of aggression towards keepers or each other.

As breeders, we tend to overlook the fact that many species actually prefer to find compatible mates for the remainder of their lives rather than being separated and introduced each and every season. Good examples of these species are tokay geckos. You are one of many success stories I have heard/read of A. felinus bonding with their tank mates. It seems to always occur in pairs and I am sure that with the growing popularity of this species, it may be proven that this might be the true secret to the successful breeding or even acclimation.

Your animals look great and in my opinion if this housing has worked so far for you, you should continue to do so.

**Riverside Reptiles** · #5 10-06-2010, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gexter

I'm surprised no one has replied to this. My good friend breeds this species and he has always done them in pairs (1.1). In my opinion, they are very passive geckos to begin with. It is rare that they would ever show any signs of aggression towards keepers or each other.

As breeders, we tend to overlook the fact that many species actually prefer to find compatible mates for the remainder of their lives rather than being separated and introduced each and every season. Good examples of these species are tokay geckos. You are one of many success stories I have heard/read of A. felinus bonding with their tank mates. It seems to always occur in pairs and I am sure that with the growing popularity of this species, it may be proven that this might be the true secret to the successful breeding or even acclimation.

Your animals look great and in my opinion if this housing has worked so far for you, you should continue to do so.

It's not aggression that's the issue, it's the stress that is the issue. These animals are by nature VERY solitary in the wild. This is most likely the reason why females are able to retain sperm for over a year. Because, in the wild, they may not come across a male more than once a year. Marcus spent time in the field studying these animals in the wild, bred hundreds of them, and kept his in solitary enclosures. I've always done the same. But then again, I keep most of my herps individually for many reasons. I think that the reason that nobody has really responded much to this is because this debate has already been had here if you dig through the old posts. It all comes down to your personal choice as to how to keep them. But knowing that they are solitary in nature seems to me to make keeping them solitary in captivity a no brainer.

Gexter · #6 10-07-2010, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riverside Reptiles

It's not aggression that's the issue, it's the stress that is the issue. These animals are by nature VERY solitary in the wild. This is most likely the reason why females are able to retain sperm for over a year. Because, in the wild, they may not come across a male more than once a year. Marcus spent time in the field studying these animals in the wild, bred hundreds of them, and kept his in solitary enclosures. I've always done the same. But then again, I keep most of my herps individually for many reasons. I think that the reason that nobody has really responded much to this is because this debate has already been had here if you dig through the old posts. It all comes down to your personal choice as to how to keep them. But knowing that they are solitary in nature seems to me to make keeping them solitary in captivity a no brainer.

I agree in respects to the fact that they are solitary animals in the wild...but if this was so, why are so many breeders having success keeping them together and why are there so many instances where they seem to get along such as this one of gekkocorners? I mean, they sleep together....if they were solitary animals naturally, why would they do so rather than finding totally opposite parts of the enclosure?

gekkocorner · #7 10-07-2010, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gexter

I agree in respects to the fact that they are solitary animals in the wild...but if this was so, why are so many breeders having success keeping them together and why are there so many instances where they seem to get along such as this one of gekkocorners? I mean, they sleep together....if they were solitary animals naturally, why would they do so rather than finding totally opposite parts of the enclosure?

Yea they don't look very stressed at all in that pic.I've had animals before like chameleons, tortoises, other geckos etc that couldn't stand other tankmates or prefered to be housed alone and they would made this very clear by not feeding, retreating to different corners of the tank, loosing weight etc. These guys are not only feeding very well but they also are sharing hiding spots, breeding ( And defecating in the same place, something that I find very interesting ). Most reptiles are solitary in nature but yet we still house most of them in pais or groups in captivity and I coudn't see why not cat geckos.

Then again I respect Ethan's reasons for keeping his reptiles alone and agree that since most geckos are solitary by nature it doesn't hurt to house them individually. I just think that Cat geckos can do just as well in pairs and are able to reproduce when housed this way.

The two babies that just hatched were from the pair that has been housed together for years.

**Riverside Reptiles** · #8 10-07-2010, 09:55 PM

I don't personally don't know of "so many" felinus breeders that keep theres together. In fact, every serious felinus breeder I know keeps them individually. I've acclimated and produced lots of felinus myself, and kept these animals long term...not just for a year or two. Marcus noted many issues with keeping them together. His experiences are all here in this forum if you have any real desire to find out this information. You are welcome to do as you please with yours. But personally, I'm not willing to take the risk with my animals simply to save on space.

Luperosaurus · #9 10-08-2010, 01:51 AM

As I think it will be no problem to keep them by pair if they will have enough shelters, branches and plants.Some flowerpots covered from above bark pieces are fine day shelters I have kept and keep them by pair very long time without any problems.

gekkocorner · #10 10-08-2010, 02:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luperosaurus

As I think it will be no problem to keep them by pair if they will have enough shelters, branches and plants.Some flowerpots covered from above bark pieces are fine day shelters I have kept and keep them by pair very long time without any problems.

Thank you for your reply. I wanted to hear that somebody else that has bred them was keeping them in pairs and has success with them. I have a large enough group that I'm going to keep a few pairs together and others alone and see how they compare ( if at all ) after a few months