Housing a pair of leopard gecko

[cherrydee]

Currently I am keeping a pair of leopard gecko in a 20 gallon tank. They seem ok and peaceful. For the past 3 months the female laid 3 pairs of eggs. So my question is, is it ok to house them together?
Notes:
1. no fighting over hides
2. female has gotten thinner! or maybe the male just got bigger. dunno tho
3. I'm struggling to find a good food dish that I can easily find in the kitchen. currently using a 2" high glass bowl. I don't have enough time to check whether the male or the female gets the food. But once or twice a week when the female peeps in the hide I usually tilt the food dish in front of her so that she can eat 2-3pcs of superworm.
4. Female likes to be picked up especially when she's pregnant

IF you suggest to house them separately, Can i just put a divider in the middle of the tank? I just think they're cute if they live together tho. Also, how many months should be the interval between mating? I posted here because I'm concerned with my female. She ain't getting fatter. Thanks!

 

[indyana]

Breeding can be a big drain on weight and resources for females, which is why housing a male-female pair together all the time isn't generally recommended. If you really want to breed, having them together just for mating once in the early spring is enough to fertilize her eggs, but I would not recommend breeding until she has had a good rest period and gained back weight.

 

[acpart]

I think it depends on the geckos. I leave my male/female groups together throughout the breeding season. By about June, the male no longer try to mate with the females. I usually try to separate the males for about 6 weeks to several months in the fall/winter before recombining the groups. This season, unfortunately, I don't have empty cages because the hatchlings aren't moving so quickly. I heard one gecko rattling his tail last week, so I re-paired them for next season. Only one gecko has shown any interest and when the female declined, he has backed off. None of the females is ovulating so it isn't an issue and generally the geckos are still in winter mode.

Aliza