Gecko not eating

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daycrarble

New member
Hello gang, I have a male crested gecko that I have in a 60 gal hexagon tank. His conditions are perfect, he was fine up until about a week ago when I added a female to the tank. She was housed in a 20 gal tank for about two months and was ready to be transfered over. I noticed my male staying toward the top of the tank and not eating and I do not think he has eaten in the past 5-6 days which is weird since normally he would lick the water bottle cap clean of his CGD. My female has been eating fine and looks very healthy though!! I added double of everything in there so they both have thier own water dishes, their own CGD cap, even thier own hiding spot in thick vines. They seem to be getting well together aside from not eating. I am going to try crickets tonight to see if it will kcik start his eating, if not, any suggestions??? Oh, I also tried hand feeding, was not successful. Thanks everyone!!!!
 
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daycrarble

New member
Ok, I have devastating news! So I put in more vines and stuff for them to climb on so i took them out and was playing with them, I put them back in and i put them close to each other on the substrate. I turn out the lights to watch them moe around and as my male started to move, my female attacked him!!!! SHe went and bit him and i freaked out cuz idk what was going on ,so i went over and she had his whole foot in her mouth! she ran away when she heard me screaming and coming toward her so i broke up the fight. they were beside the food so maybe thats why, maybe she is territorial, idk what to do! im guessing thats why hes been hiding and not eating! I want them in one enclosure to breed so i dont wanna split them. you think I should just let it go and they will resolve it themselves or do you think he will die from it? please help ASAP! thanks!!!
 
cassicat4

cassicat4

New member
Separate your geckos now. They each need to be in a separate enclosure.

Geckos are not social creatures, and don't do well sharing their space with others. For cresteds, males and females should never be housed together permanently - only during breeding season and only for copulation should they be together, but this is very temporary.

Yes, one or both of your geckos could get seriously injured or worse if they remain together. The female was feeling territorial and that's why she attacked the male. She may have also been bullying him/intimidating him prior to this, and that's why he's not eating. Both of them are very stressed and should be separated immediately or you risk further harm to both of them. They will not resolve this on their own, and once these aggressive behaviors are apparent, they will only get worse.
 
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daycrarble

New member
Ok i forgot to mention though that i did house them in the same enclosure but a screen seperater to kep them apart but together. The male actually pulled a "Houdini" and got on her side. And i thought i closed the gap he got through but my female did the same thing! So if they tried to get through to each other, dont they seem to be wanting to be together? I mean im just asking, ill seperate them tonight but im juss curious as to what you think!
 
cassicat4

cassicat4

New member
daycrarble said:
Ok i forgot to mention though that i did house them in the same enclosure but a screen seperater to kep them apart but together. The male actually pulled a "Houdini" and got on her side. And i thought i closed the gap he got through but my female did the same thing! So if they tried to get through to each other, dont they seem to be wanting to be together? I mean im just asking, ill seperate them tonight but im juss curious as to what you think!
Click to expand...

When a crested gecko sees another within close range, generally, it either wants to eat it, attack it, or mate with it.

Being that it's not breeding season and therefore unlikely your geckos are "in the mood" (as evidenced by the aggressiveness displayed by the female) that leaves the other two options.

Again, they are not social creatures. They do not desire the company or interaction of another. They like their space, and thrive better when there is no inherent threat to their space, livelihood, or food by another in close proximity.

Separating them is necessary, unless you feel like cleaning up dropped tails, open wounds, broken bones, lost appendages, or worse.

Just recently, a breeder on another forum posted pics of a hatchling gecko that had been attacked by its clutchmate and lost its leg as a result. It shows that even young geckos from the same clutch do not play well together.

If and when you choose to breed these two, you can house them together temporarily, and I'm talking a couple weeks. However, they still must be closely monitored for any negative behaviors such as the ones currently expressed. As well, along with ensuring they're of proper breeding weight and size, they must be close in size or you'll run into the same problems as you're having now.

How old are your geckos?
 
cassicat4

cassicat4

New member
The female is a bit too small to breed - it's generally recommended that they are at least 35g before breeding. Males can be a bit smaller as they don't experience the same post-laying weight loss that females do, so his weight is fine.

Do you know how old they are? Weight is not necessarily indicative of sexual maturity, and if they're too young, you're also asking for problems by attempting to breed them.

Separate them, and if you wish to breed in the future (i.e. in the late spring or early summer) ensure your female is of an appropriate weight and age and then introduce your male for short periods of time, and remove him after copulation.
 
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