Pet Information > ASK Experts > Exotic Pets > Reptiles > strange behaviour in my female leopard gecko

strange behaviour in my female leopard gecko

22 13:26:01

Question
hi, i have a big big problem, i had, since 2 years, 2 females of eublepharis macularius, now they are adults and i decide to get one more female and then a male to breed this specie of reptile, but when today i receive at home the new female (it is and adult too), the biggest one of my female geckos attack her, like it was the courtship bitting its legs and neck, i though that the first one could be an hot female, but if this was true why didnt she attack the other female with wich have been living since it was 2 months? what can i do to prevent more agressions?

Answer
Hi Mike,
First, do check to be sure they are females..which I am sure you have already done.
Since your first two were together since they were babies, they accepted each other and chances are, even though you don't see it, the one is the "boss".  Bringing in another adult caused your female to challenge the other..."get out of my space, you don't belong here". If they continue to stay together, they(or one) may get hurt very badly...in rare cases they can work out their differences, but, most often they don't and severe stress and of course injuries will occur.
You may have to keep the new female in her own cage to prevent any more aggression.   Also, since your one female attacked the new one, be on the look out for her also attacking her long time cage mate.
In most cases, it is almost impossible to introduce an adult into a home of other adults.
Also, the male should be housed separately other than for a short time for breeding purposes.  This is for safety of all of them involved.
In my opinion, it is best to house your new female in her own cage and also give the male his own cage.