Crested Sexing Question

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steppedinpoo

New member
How old does a crested gecko have to be before the pre-anal pores are visible? I bought a jeweler's loupe to try and determine the sex of my gecko (whom I'm currently calling Pat, since I can't tell if its male or female) I can see some sparatic, faint dots on random scales but no definite line of pores which i'm told is consistent with a male. Has anyone used this method on young cresties?
 
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mikew1234

New member
How old is the gecko? If you see what look like pores, good chance it's a male. If your unsure, make another attempt to look in 3 to 4 weeks. You'd be surprised how much difference that makes
 
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steppedinpoo

New member
Not really sure of it's age, I bought him or her back in late june. He/she's about 4" to 4 1/2" from nose to the tip of the tail. I'll try and snap a picture of the pores soon.
 
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steppedinpoo

New member
That's actually where I got the info in the first place, just couldn't remember the name of the site. Thanks. The main reason I want to determine the sex is so I can get another crested to put in the tank with he/she but I heard that two males in one tank is a no no.
 
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mikew1234

New member
Two males of all but a handful of geckos, and most other reptiles for that matter is a no. If you can get a guaranteed female, then that would be best for you. If your current gecko turns out male, then you got a pair. At the least, two females means no violence. A 4 inch gecko will be difficult to tell either way though. Once they hit that 6 inch mark, it gets obvious.
 
Spyral

Spyral

New member
mikew1234 said:
At the least, two females means no violence.
Click to expand...

This isn't quite true. I have had several females who did not tolerate other females in the same enclosure. It ends up with nipped heads & tails, no tails, and food bullying on top of stress. So it's always good to be prepared to house all crested geckos separately if they don't get along.
 
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steppedinpoo

New member
Here's a pic, the bulge isn't really that noticeable in this pic.

CBGBE.jpg
 
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mikew1234

New member
Spyral, You are correct in that statement, but I am surprised you run into females fighting frequently. I regularly housed 3 to 4 females together with minimal issues. But with every gecko, comes a different personality.

Steppedinpoo, I believe you may very well be correct with that assumption.
 
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sajane

New member
I also wonder about the fighting issue. I have 2 geckos, 1 is 20 grams and 1 is 28 grms. I would like to house them together but do not want anyone to lose a tail. I do not see pores also no bulges yet.
 
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steppedinpoo

New member
Rewind to my original question, how old do they have to be to see the pores? or is there another method someone has used to identify sex and if so at what age is it evident?
 
Aimless

Aimless

Super Moderator
the pores are usually visible by ~ 8g, but can take up to 15g to be 100% sure. IME the bulge develops between 8-20 grams.

if you have geckos that are not of mature weight and you want to co-hab, please DON'T. if you have a male-female pair, they will breed and reproduce before they are physically ready to withstand the rigors of a breeding season (especially the females).

if you put two young females together, it can also be hazardous. often the larger will bully the smaller and may even view it as prey, and they all grow at different rates so if they are the same size today they may not be next month. also, the established gecko may be a bit more inclined to feel territorial, if she's been in the enclosure any length of time.

if yours is a girl, and you get another girl, I'd raise them to maturity in something smaller and then introduce them simultaneously in a larger, more-permanent enclosure. this is probably a bit more strict than necessary, but better safe, than sorry. you will be less likely to have fighting, stressed out geckos, or perhaps even dead geckos.

I have a pair of adult females that I introduced as adults at the same time in a new cage. they share a food dish and sometimes "cuddle".
 
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sajane

New member
So, aimless, do you think my geckos are big enough to house together? 20 &28 GRMS? Also they would have developed signs if they were males by that wt?
 
Aimless

Aimless

Super Moderator
um...IME, that's probably OK, although one of your geckos is 150% of the size of the other. that's pretty significant? I never housed any together until both were over 30 grams (except very young clutchmates, and them only for a few weeks after hatching).

does anyone here have any experience with co-habbing geckos in that size range? I just always figure the safe route is the best, but it may be OK at that weight.

if your geckos are 20+ grams they should pretty clearly be sexable. if there's any doubt in your mind, just wait for them to grow a few more months.
 
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mikew1234

New member
Sajane, at that size difference, there will likely be problems.
Aimless, if I had a couple of females which were similar sizes, I would house them together. Males always needed to be separated. I kept a group of 5 females, from 15 to 20 grams together in a 55 on it's side for what started as a temporary situation, but lasted a little longer than expected. They all did ok together. I had one drop a tail because another grabbed it though.
 
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sajane

New member
i think i ll keep mine separate, i really dont want to take the chance of a dropped tail, they are so pretty with their tails
 
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