Can crested geckos live together? The answer is that it depends. Can they live together safely and peacefully? Yes, but there are a few things to consider when determining how many can live together at once. Factors such as the tank size, individual personality type, gender of each gecko, and whether or not they’re spayed/neutered all play a role in how many you should keep together.
What about what to avoid when keeping them with one another? There are certain habits that will drive your crested geckos away if left unchecked. Here we’ll cover everything you need to know about whether or not crested geckos can live together. Keep these aspects in your crested gecko care sheet as it’s one of the most important things on how to take care of a crested gecko.
Can crested geckos live together?
Crested gecko pets can live together in small groups. However, they are territorial animals and can become aggressive with members of their own species as well as other crested geckos if there is a lack of resources for them to compete for or space for each one to have its own territory.
It’s best to keep just two crested geckos together when you’re first setting up the group because it will establish dominance between them more easily than introducing three or four at once. They shouldn’t be put into a tank that already has another animal in it; this could lead to aggression from both sides.
The larger the enclosure, the more you’ll be able to keep in it without having any troubles with too much competition over food sources or territory among different individuals.
There are a few combinations for the geckos living together and each one is explained as below:
Baby Crested Geckos
It’s much easier to keep a crested gecko with another baby crested gecko or two. Baby cresteds can live together as long as they are of the same size and age, but it’s important to keep in mind that this doesn’t mean you should buy three little ones if there is only one available.
Crested Geckos who have been living alone can take up to eight weeks to adjust when placed into groups so make sure not to rush things. They’ll need company their own size for a while before being able to socialize with others who were hatched later than them.
| Age | Number of geckos |
| 0 – 2 months | Up to 4 |
| 2 – 4 months | Up to 3 |
| 5 – 10 months | Up to 2 |
The table above shows how many baby geckos you can keep together in a cage without issues.
Male Crested Geckos
Never house male geckos together. The males may fight and injure each other or they could cannibalize one another if one male is large enough. They are territorial creatures and if they are not housed together, one male may be excluded from mating with the females.
Male crested geckos that have grown together may not be aggressive towards one another, but they will not be able to reproduce.
Male crested geckos that have grown in the same enclosure with females may get along well and there is a chance that some of them can mate together if all are at least 12 inches long.
If you plan on keeping male geckos living with each other, it would best for them to be introduced when small or as an adult female so they do not fight over territory. Males can also live together once they reach sexual maturity.
Female Crested Geckos
Female crested geckos can live together.
The number of female crested geckos you can keep in the same cage is determined by their size and how much space they need to move around. Females are typically smaller than males, so it might be possible for a few females to share a relatively small enclosure as long as there are plenty of climbing areas and room for each individual gecko’s territory marking rituals (rubbing scent glands against objects).
Female cresteds aren’t as territorial or hostile as males, but there may be some territorial behaviors if one gecko is more dominant than the others. Males might show aggressive behavior or dominance even if they are housed together in a large enclosure with plenty of climbing areas and other hiding options. They will need an area where they can establish their own territory without coming into contact with another male’s scent too often.
You should avoid housing female crested geckos together when:
- You don’t have enough space for multiple females in your cage.
- The enclosure has a number of barriers preventing free movement among each other (spaces between tank levels).
- One female dominates the group so much that she prevents the others from eating properly or places herself on top of them to sleep.
These aspects ensure your geckos have enough space to avoid stress and conflicts.
A Male and Female Crested Gecko
Keeping one male and one female crested gecko together outside of breeding season is not recommended.
It may be tempting to put a male and female together for the sake of observing their interaction, but both geckos could end up being stressed out by fighting or mating without producing any offspring.
Crested geckos typically live alone (except during breeding season) because they are territorial animals who do not like sharing food or territory with other individuals unless it’s another crested gecko that is bonded to them in some way.
They might tolerate living near one another if there isn’t much competition for resources such as food, shelter, and water sources, but this would depend on the individual personalities of each animal involved.
A Male and Several Female Crested Geckos
You can house one male crested gecko with one or more female crested geckos. You’ll need to carefully monitor the male’s behavior for any signs of territorial aggression, but if you keep it at a ratio of one male per three females, they should get along well enough.
Many Male and Many Female Crested Geckos
The most dangerous combination of crested geckos is a group of many male and many female geckos.
This combo will lead to fighting, which can be very dangerous for the gecko’s health. They may fight over territory or mating rights and in general they are just not compatible with one another as companions because males chase females relentlessly until they mate, sometimes even hurting them if necessary.
The best way to keep multiple groups of crested geckos happy together is by keeping either many female and few males (or vice versa). This ensures that there’s no competition when it comes time for the mating season around September-October and also allows each group some privacy during breeding time so these shy animals don’t feel too stressed out.
READ ALSO: Best Substrate for Crested Geckos
Many Male and One Female Crested Gecko
If you plan on keeping many male and one female crested geckos together, you will need to make sure that the male does not become too aggressive and fight with other males. This can be difficult if there are many of them in a tank or enclosure.
The female crested gecko may also start attacking the males because they have reached sexual maturity at different times. It is best to keep one male and two females together so that there is enough room for each individual’s territory while still being able to form social hierarchies among themselves.
One important factor when deciding how many crested geckos should live in an enclosure would be based on the size of the tank. A smaller enclosure would require less crested geckos than a larger one, but there should be enough room for each individual to have their own territory and not feel crowded or stressed.
A male gecko may also begin mating with other males if they are in an area too small together. Crested geckos can live together peacefully given that many factors such as size, aggression levels and the number of individuals are taken into consideration first before moving them into an enclosure together. This ensures stress is minimized and all parties involved will enjoy living together happily.
If you need to know How many crested geckos can live together, follow the guidelines in the table below:
| Terrarium Size | Number of Adult Geckos |
| 30 gallons | 2 |
| 45 gallons | 3 |
| 60 gallons | 4 |
| 75 gallons | 5 |
| 90 gallons | 6 |
Do crested geckos get lonely?
Crested geckos are solitary animals and so they do not suffer from loneliness.
However, crested geckos are territorial creatures. They guard their territory in order to avoid conflict with other animals that might want the same piece of real estate. Crested geckos will fight if necessary for a space where there is food or shelter resources nearby because these places provide safety from predators like hawks and owls.
If you have more than one adult crested gecko living together, it may be wise to keep them separated into different containers as often as possible so they can retain their individual territories but still spend time interacting with each other on occasion without becoming territorial or aggressive towards another animal which could lead to biting.
Knowing how to care for crested geckos is important since it also entails knowledge on how many to keep together and how to handle them in general.
READ NEXT: Crested Gecko Not Eating – Reasons and What to Do