Can Crested Geckos Live Together? Cohabitation Pros and Cons
What is better than a single crested gecko as a pet? MORE than one crested gecko of course! But, can crested geckos live together or should they each have separate enclosures?
Crested geckos can be housed together as long as they aren’t both males. However, as we’ll see in this article, there is a difference between can be and should be (or ideally) when it comes to keeping crested geckos.
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Quick Tips for Keeping Crested Geckos Together
- Never keep more than one male together
- Provide plenty of plants, branches and hiding places
- Give the crested geckos the largest enclosure that you possibly can
- Only keep crested geckos together that are the same size
- Always be on the lookout for potential issues
Check out our comprehensive crested gecko care guide here!
How to Ideally House Crested Geckos
We love geckos, especially our pet geckos! Our pets become members of the family and we want to take care of them to the best of our abilities.
Crested geckos do not live in communities or in large groups in the wild like many animals do. They lead pretty solitary lives occasionally crossing paths or when looking for a mate.
Crested geckos have no need to live together in captivity. However, there is one rule that you must follow if you do intend to keep crested geckos together;
NEVER house more than one MALE in the same enclosure. They will fight. They will injure one another. They will BOTH suffer and possibly even die.
If you intend to breed your crested geckos then temporarily housing a male and female or male and a trio of females together is just fine.
Also, females can be kept together in a small group, which works for many keepers. However keeping cresteds together, no matter the sex or ratio, does have drawbacks and is not without challenges.
I think the ideal way to keep crested geckos is individually. That said, although keeping crested geckos, each in their own enclosure, is the ideal that doesn’t mean that it’s not possible or wrong to house them together. (with some basic rules)
We all do what we can to provide and care for our animals in the best way that works for us.
Cons of Keeping Crested Geckos Together
There are some downsides of housing crested geckos together.
Crested geckos have individual personalities; this means that while one person might keep their geckos together with no issues at all, it doesn’t mean that it can or will work for everyone.
Some questions you need to ask yourself before housing multiple crested geckos together;
- What happens if you try to keep more than one crested gecko together and it doesn’t work out?
- Do you have a backup plan?
- Do you have the resources and space to separate them and keep them individual enclosures?
- If not, are you sure that you can rehome one or more of your geckos?
You need to be able to figure out a plan BEFORE you put more than one crested gecko together in the event that it doesn’t work out.
It’s not fair to the animal to become “homeless” or stressed because of its poor living environment.
Note: | Crested geckos can lose their tails and unlike similar geckos (leopard geckos and gargoyle geckos) They DO NOT regrow them!
Keeping crested geckos together will INCREASE the chances that your gecko will drop its tail. If this is something you’d like to try and avoid, I’d reconsider cohabitation.
Even if keeping your crested geckos together doesn’t result in the need to separate your them, it can cause stress and potentially lead to poor health and vitality.
Keeping Female Crested Geckos Together
Two or more females housed together can work but they do need to be supervised to make sure that no problems or issues arise. As previously mentioned, crested geckos have different personalities.
One gecko may be calm and perfectly fine living alongside others and a different gecko may be very aggressive and not get along at all.
Even the best-tempered female geckos, similar to males, can and will fight on occasion. (although it is rarely as intense as males fighting)
This means that you’ll always have to be on the lookout for trouble that could pop up at any time.
Keeping Male and Female Crested Geckos Together
It is also possible for a SINGLE male and a female crested gecko to be kept together.
This type of living arrangement will also need to be supervised closely. Males tend to me more amorous (interested in mating) and aggressive than females.
You’ll need to make sure that your female isn’t getting stressed by the male’s sexual advances or is being dominated by his aggression.
Crested Gecko the Male to Female Ratio
Another option when housing a SINGLE male and female geckos together is to set up a trio (or more) consisting of 1 male and 2+ females.
This option can work better with regards to aggression and sexual advances than with a single female because the male’s advances will be spread between multiple females, giving a single individual a break now and then.
Just note that the more crested geckos that are together, the larger the enclosure must be and the greater the potential for a single individual to display a personality that conflicts with cohabitation.
Male and Female Crested Geckos Equal Babies!
“Panda the Crested Gecko” by Jessie Swick is licensed under CC BY 2.0
If you plan to keep a male and female (or multiple females) together, they WILL mate (and if the females are breeding age) they will lay eggs!
Note that even juvenile females will mate even though they may not be ready to produce, carry and lay eggs. This can be stressful to young cresties.
Also be aware that female crested geckos will retain sperm from the male. This means that even if you remove the male after some time, the female(s) can and will continue to lay fertilized eggs.
The thought of crested gecko babies is definitely exciting and something awesome to witness. However, are you prepared to provide more enclosures that take up additional space, feed, clean and take care of even more crested geckos?!
Please also don’t assume that finding new homes for all of your crested geckos is as simple as it may sound. You definitely want to find them quality homes that are prepared and able to take care of them in the best way possible right?
Breeding ANY animal is a lot more responsibility and work than many people assume and it’s something that they usually aren’t equipped or prepared for.
Just make sure to be as responsible for any potential new crested geckos as you are for your geckos that you already have!
Enclosure Size For Keeping Multiple Crested Geckos
An enclosure measuring 18” x 18” x 24” is a great size for a single crested gecko. Anything more than one (male/female, multiple females, or a trio (m and 2f) will need a large enclosure.
An enclosure 18″ x 18″ x 36″ would be minimum for two or more adult crested geckos.
You may need to provide multiple feeding areas to ensure that all of the geckos in the enclosure have an equal opportunity for food. You will also need to provide even more plants, branches and hiding places the more geckos you have living together.
Plants and Branches for Your Crested Gecko Community
One of the best ways to provide cover and make your crested geckos feel secure is to fill their enclosure with numerous sturdy live plants and climbing branches.
Some great examples are shown here:
Potential Trouble Signs
Even though your crested gecko community may be working out well so far, there are some signs you need to look out for to alert you to trouble brewing.
4 Signs to Look for In Crested Gecko Communities
- Tail nipping / tail loss -as soon as you notice aggressive tail nipping you should separate your crested geckos before one of them loses its tail, if it’s not already too late!
- Crest biting -crest biting can be a part of mating but excessive and very aggressive crest biting will only harm your crestie in the long run
- Weight loss -weight loss can be caused by stress, but also by intimidation and aggression. Aggressive geckos (both male or female) can bully less dominant cresties and prevent them from getting their fair share to eat; even preventing them from eating at all.
- Unusual behavior -crested geckos hiding or acting extremely shy and timid are signs that something is not right
Can Crested Geckos Live Together? Answered.
Crested geckos can live together when we follow certain guidelines and if we prepare for potential issues.
Whether you house your crested geckos individually or choose to try and keep them in a “crested gecko community,” we wish the best for you and your crested gecko family!
