One of the things that will come to your mind when planning on buying more than one gecko is how many leopard geckos can live together. However, you will not find many articles out there that do justice to how many leopard geckos you can keep together.
In the wild, leopard geckos are solitary animals and mostly spend time together only when it is time for mating. The females don’t also care for their young ones. Despite being solitary, some leos can cohabit together as long as you follow the basic guidelines.
In this article, you will get an insight into whether you can keep leopard geckos together, how many leopard geckos can live together, and so on.
Contents
Can I Keep Leopard Geckos Together
As stated above, leopard geckos are solitary species. They are territorial animals and will fight with any other leopard geckos they encounter both in the wild or captivity. If you keep leopard geckos together, they will fight for space, food, and every other thing within the tank.
However, some leopard geckos can live peacefully with each other. This is possible if you can follow the basic guidelines regarding mixing different species, sexes, and sizes.
Pairs And Groups
A male and female leopard gecko can live happily together in an enclosure. You can also keep a group of females with a single male but with a proper amount of space and care. Although you can keep multiple females with a male, you cannot keep multiple males together as they will fight for territory.
Breeding
Once you house a male and female gecko together, they will breed with each other. If you keep a male with a group of females, it will mate with most of them. The females will then lay eggs that you can remove from the enclosure and place them in a safe place for hatching.
Female leopard geckos do not care for their eggs or protect their eggs. Once you notice that the young gecko hatches, you will need to place them in a separate tank because adults can harm small hatchlings.
Body Size
Whenever you are housing leopard geckos together, always ensure that they are about the same size or body weight. If you place smaller geckos with larger ones, the smaller ones will be bullied and will not grow well.
Species
You cannot house different species of geckos together. This means you cannot house leopard geckos with other gecko species, even in mixed-sex pairs. It is best to use a separate tank for each species because geckos are usually territorial and will fight each other.
Tank Size
Although your leopard geckos may get along with each other, problems may arise if there is not enough space for each individual. They may fight over space, food, accessories, and so on; the stress can then lead to illness for your gecko.
The recommended tank size for keeping a pair of leopard gecko is a 20-gallon tank, and you will need a bigger tank if you want to keep more leos together.
How Many Leopard Geckos Can Live Together?
You can keep multiple female leopard geckos with a male leo. The multiple should not be more than five female leopard geckos. However, you need to ensure that the tank is big enough to contain them.
If you have a 20-inch long terrarium with enough hiding spaces, you can hold about 1-3 adult leopard geckos together. You can keep multiple female leos together if they are of the same size. However, you need to keep an eye on them in case there is a fight.
It is recommended not to house multiple males together because they are territorial and will fight for everything. Furthermore, you can keep a male with multiple female leos together if you want to breed your gecko.
Can Three Female Leopard Geckos Live Together?
Three female leopard geckos can live together, provided they are of the same size. However, you will need to keep an eye on them in case they fight with each other.
How Many Leopard Geckos Can Live In A 20-Gallon Tank?
The acceptable tank size for an adult leopard gecko is ten gallon-tank. However, you can keep about three leopard geckos in a 20 gallon-tank if there are enough hiding spaces for them.
Guides To Follow When Keeping Leopard Geckos Together
The gender mix is one of the things that can determine if your leopard geckos can live together. Here is a simple guide that can help you to decide whether you can keep your leopard geckos together.
Two Females Can Live Together
It is fine for two female leopard geckos of the same size to live in the same tank. This is because they don’t usually mind each other’s company, and there will be no problem if they live together.
However, if you notice that a gecko is growing faster than the other, you may want to house them separately to avoid bullying.
Two Males Cannot Live Together.
You need to avoid keeping two male leos together. Although you can keep them together during the hatchling stage, male geckos are very territorial and will fight each other once they mature. You will then need to house them separately to avoid this.
A Male And A Female Leopard Geckos Can Live Together
It is best to house a male and female leopard geckos separately until they have reached their full size. This is because it is likely for male leopard geckos hatchlings to bully female leopard gecko hatchlings.
Furthermore, avoid housing a male and female leopard gecko together if you don’t want them to breed.
Housing Options For Multiple Leopard Geckos
If your leopard geckos can live together, you can opt for a 3 ft vivarium for three leopard geckos. This tank will have enough space for your gecko to explore and move around without interfering with each other.
Fully understanding your leopard gecko will help you better take care of them. As a suggestion, we would recommend you to get a good leopard gecko book. Not to become an expert on leopard gecko care but will help you avoid the common mistake in new pet lizard owners.
Last update on 2022-12-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Wrapping Up
Although leopard geckos are solitary animals, you can keep more than one leopard geckos together. However, you need to monitor your gecko’s behavior and be ready to separate them when housing multiple geckos together.
You will also need to ensure your geckos’ tank has enough space to keep them healthy and happy.
