Reptile Tank Supplies
November 25th, 2010 | Published in Reptiles
Can I keep 2 female leopard geckos in the same tank.?
I am purchasing a Leopard Gecko. I have all the supplies, and have owned reptiles before, but never a Leo. Can I keep two females in the same tank together? Will they fight? Because I dont want to buy a male and a female, and have them mate, because I would have no idea what to do with the eggs. Any help is appreciated
If your females are relatively the same size they can live together comfortably. And won't fight.
You probably should keep them in a 20 gallon tank or bigger so each leo has room.
If you notice any aggression at all, if you notice one is eating and one isn't, if you notice one is gaining weight and one isn't, separate the leos immediately! Some females will intimidate their cage-mates and prevent them from eating. The smaller one can get so scared she literally starves herself to death.
Are you sure you have everything you need? Here are the basics:
You need 3 hides for each of them: a hide on the cool side, one on the warm side, and a moist one in the middle. The moist hide can be filled with moist moss, vermaculite, or even paper towels.
You need two powder suppliments: calcium powder and vitamin powder. Keep a milk cap full of calcium in the cage at all times--especially if you're buying baby geckos. Dust their food with vitamin powder every few feedings to ensure proper nutritional balance.
Have a shallow Water Bowl with clean water available to them at all times.
You need a digital thermometer. Rest it on (or in) the substrate so you know the temperature the leos will be feeling, not the temperature of the air. You want the cage to be 75-79 on the cool side and 85-92 on the warm side.
To maintain this heat, you should see if an under the tank heat mat will bring your temperatures up first. The reason a mat is recommended is that leopard geckos absorb heat from their bellies, not their backs. An overhead light takes longer to warm the floor.
If, however, a heat pad doesn't warm your cage to the proper temps, an overhead lamp is necessary. Buy an infrared or nocturnal bulb. These animals are nocturnal and the bright lights hurt their eyes. If you have a bright overhead light you will likely never see your leos active.
That being said, they do not need a UVA or UVB light, also because they're nocturnal. It's a waste of money.
Substrates:
You're going to hear a lot of different things about what substrate to use. Here is what's been proven--
Ground Walnut Shell Sand: This stuff is the worst you can do for your leo. It kicks up dust and can cause a respiratory infection. Also, occasionally when hunting, especially if you've got young leos, they will miss and grab a mouthful of substrate. This isn't digestible. It will cause a blockage of their system, known as impaction. If not caught and treated soon enough, impaction will kill a leo.
Calcium Sand:
Pet stores will tell you that this sand is okay--they'll tell you that because it has calcium in it, it's digestible. Don't believe them. Leos still cannot digest sand and the same impaction can occur if eaten as with walnut shells. They are actually more likely to eat this BECAUSE it has calcium in it. Don't offer this.
Vita-Sand:
Sometimes pet stores offer this as well. Same deal as the calcium sand. Never, in any circumstance, would it be okay for your leo to eat this. Unless you want to spend a fortune on vet visits and have a very sick leo (or two) on your hands, this is a bad idea. There is nothing like the FDA for animals, especially for animal bedding. None of these facts get checked and the pet store goes with whatever the companies tell them is okay. It's up to you, as a responsible pet owner, to do the research and know the good from the bad.
Play Sand:
If you MUST have sand in your tank, this is the way to go. Finely ground play sand is the least likely to cause an impaction, however, as with any loose substrate, an impaction is always a possibility. Leos, in the wild, live on packed clay and rocks. They don't encounter sand in the wild and, in my opinion, shouldn't encounter sand in captivity.
Small rocks/pebbles:
These are usually not the best idea, especially depending on the size. If it can be ingested, chances are, at some point, it will be. I don't know many leo owners who use this substrate.
Repti-Carpet:
A lot of leo owners will recommend this. An equal number will tell you not to use it. The only problem with Reptile Carpet is that sometimes leopard geckos' claws can get caught in the loops and tear off. I've never seen this happen, personally. If it becomes that big of a concern, but you would like to have reptile carpet in your cage, make sure you cut off any pieces a gecko could snag its claw on. Reptile carpet is a bit of a hassle for me. In order to be cleaned, it needs to be soaked, so you need to have two sets of carpet that fit your cage.
Non-adhesive shelf liner:
Take care to notice the "non-adhesive" part. The glue that sticks adhesive shelf liner is toxic when heated. You don't want to do that to your new pets. Regular shelf liner is very simple to maintain. If it's laminated, you can simply wipe it off with a wet rag/wipe. If it's not, you can remove the dirtied paper and replace it with clean. I'd recommend not using laminate
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