To seperate or not to seperate

[Jmeyer]

So i would love to hear from some very experienced phelsuma keepers on here. I have a young pair of phelsuma kochi i received mid July. The male was alittle smaller then the female. But he has grown quite a bit now! When i first put them together in July he was quite a bit smaller and she immediately attacked him so i seperated them. Now they are the same size and i put them together in her tank, i moved a few things around in the tank to help re create a new territory. But she chased him around alittle bit. Should i keep them together and let them work it out or take him if i notice more aggression? Side note i had a similar situation with my grandis but the male was aggresive. They get along really great now. So if it worked for them will it work for the kochi? Lemme hear you thought. Thanks!

 

[Adrn]

Moving things around may not be enough. I always try to use hot water on all objects and scrub off most traces of scent trail left by the original inhabitant. In this case, your female. Here in CA we are nearing the end of pairing/breeding season. You may just want to keep them separate through the cooling season. Then introduce them in late winter/early spring. This way, the female is rested and not pressured during the off-season, she has some weight to her without having to compete for food, making for a much better start to the 2011 breeding season. For example, I have a pair of Pasteuri that I have kept separate this entire year. I just acquired them this last year. The male is mature and ready to breed. The female just started laying duds toward the middle-end of summer. They will remain separate until March or April, depending on when the temps start to rise.
My two cents and the way I keep my geckos....

 

[Jmeyer]

Those are some really good points Adrn thanks for bring those up. I actually ended up taking all of the bamboo and wood out and washing it and then putting it in the oven for a quick heat up. But it makes sense to keep them seperate till the next breeding cycle. She was still extremely aggressive toward him anyway. He was sitting on the floor of the cage completely black and she was out looking for him. He obviously isn't matured enough to defend himself i guess. We'll how much he grows by the end of the year and then how she does entering next spring. Thanks Adrn

 

[jadrig]

All reptiles do better by themselves...Even if they are compatible, they are still stressing eachother out.