[stetra]

Hi all,

Whats the rules on housing a male and female crested gecko together.
The female is 42g and the male is 30g (altho since we bought him a couple of days ago he's eating like a horse) both around 18 months old.
They live in a 18x18x24 exo terra.
Will they just breed constantly?
They seem to be fine together so far, they seem to just keep out of each others way. one sleeps one end and the other at the opposite end of the viv.
If you need any pics or more info, let me know.

Thanks

[lauraleellbp]

Since you just bought the male, it would be much better to house him separately for at least a few months in quarantine. This way you can monitor him for health issues and be sure that he is eating.

You CAN house Crested gecko pairs together- IF you are prepared for the consequences of breeding. Cresties are extremely prolific (2 eggs approximately every 3-4 weeks for 6-8 months a year) and males sometimes will try and overbreed females. Breeding itself can be very stressful on animals and sometimes break into fights and wounds that need treatment. Producing eggs is especially hard on females, and you'll need to monitor her closely to be sure she doesn't start losing too much weight and that she does not develop any deficiencies. Also keep in mind that females can store sperm and continue to lay eggs for over a year even after just one mating with a male- so it can be very difficult to get a female to stop laying eggs even if they are taking a toll on her health.

Crested gecko eggs take 60-100 days to hatch on average (depending on incubation temperature), and hatchlings do best when housed separately. Caring for hatchlings can take up quite a bit of room, money for supplies, and time caring for them as you often have to help them with sheds.

At this point, if you are sure that your have two breeding-worthy adults and that you are prepared to breed them and care for all of their offspring, I would wait till next spring. This will give you adequate time to quarantine the male and allow him to put on some more weight to catch up to the female. Big weight differences can often be problematic when trying to house animals together, as the larger often will bully the smaller away from food- to the detriment of the smaller gecko.

Also, waiting till spring will hopefully make it easier to cool your female come nexy fall/winter and give her the needed 4-6 month break that they need each year to recover from the laying season.

[stetra]

Thanks for taking the time to reply.
They don't seem that bothered about each other, both eating well because I put 2 things with food in(1 at the top and 1 on the floor) but I will take your advice and seperate them at least until he catches up in weight.