agressive behavior or unknown male?

[sarahlynn]

i need some expert advice.

i have three female gargoyle geckos, two that are about the same size and one that is a bit smaller than the the others. I had them separated out, the two big ones together and the smaller one alone. I recently got a fairly large tank and decided to try all three of them together with their personalities, it seemed like they should do fine.

i've had them together for a week now and everyone seemed happy, eating and moving around, and i never noticed any agression. this morning i wake up and my seemingly most docile gecko was on top of the the smaller one in a mating position. i have separated out that one and am wondering if this is normal behavior or if i should keep them separated or if i should go back to the way i had them housed before? i really don't think she's a male, but i suppose that could be as well...? i've had them all all since october and they are all under a year old. i don't want to breed them and i would like to keep them together if i can.

any advice?
thanks!

 

[lil_katiedan]

Your best bet is to keep them seperate for the time being. Sometimes it takes a while for the gecko's "true gender" to show when they're under a year old. After you're completely sure you have all females you could try housing them together again, although keep an eye out for bullying and what not. Also keep in mind that geckos tend to lay on each other, jump on each other, etc. and it's not meant as a breeding attempt, it's just how they are.

Good luck!

 

[David Loftin]

How large are your auriculatus? We have had proven females pseudo - copulate with eachother on numerous occasions. From the experiences that I have had with auriculatus Females, they are much more aggressive than males. Also, in comparison to ciliatus, auriculatus will not congregate in the same area. So, when keeping multiple animals together make sure they are of the same size and sex. Make sure the tank is heavily planted and there are lots of hiding spots.

 

[Jeanne]

I agree with David, even if they are all females, doesn't mean they will get along. I have heard that Aurics are a more aggressive species of Rhac. and are better off kept separately, my male and female get along fine, but have heard stories of babies attacking each other, etc.

 

[David Loftin]

When we first started hatching out auriculatus.. We thought that we could house a clutch together like ciliatus. We found out that they really like to eat eachothers tails. So, you end up with little frog butt geckos for a little while until they grow them back. Now they get housed seperatley. But they are really cute..