Introducing a young leo to a group

[Pixie]

Hi all!

I was playing with my girls this evening having them out to run around and get some exercise and when I was done with the last one, my youngest at about 5 months I decided to see how she would do being in the big tank with my two bigger girls.

The younger one is smaller than the other two by one inch in length and is smaller body wise and head wise being about 2/3rds of the other girl's sizes.

Now, I've left her in the big tank since everything is going quite well and it's been almost an hour. Would it be okay for her to make the move right now? She is going all over the place exploring and checking out the hides. When she bumps into one of the bigger girls, she backs up and checks something else out. The big girls don't seem to mind her at all, they are a bit curious but don't seem threatening.

From what I've seen so far, I think my little Piggy could stay in the big tank with my other girls but I wanted to hear some opinions first.

I didn't think I'd be introducing her this early but since all is going so well, should I go with it?

Pixie

[Clownfishie]

They'll probably be ok -- just make sure you keep a close eye on them for bullying, and that everyone is getting their fair share of food at dinner time...

[Alicewave]

Usually if they are not going to get along, they fight right away. Just keep a close watch.

[Emily-Fisher]

Oooh... congrats! Now there's one less water bowl to clean and fill :p From the sounds of it, everything is going to be okay because like Alicewave said, they will usually fight right away if they aren't going to get along. Good luck!!

[Pixie]

Well, so far so good!!!

All went very well last night and everything looks fine this morning. The little Pikachu seemed to have a blast checking out her new home and all the hiding spots, etc. When she would bump into another gecko, she would back away and look somewhere else.

The one thing that was really funny was when little Pikachu saw another gecko for the first time (Nala), when they "bumped" into each other, both looked quite surprised! They both turned around simultaneously and each went head first into a hide with their tail sticking out and wiggling a bit! Was the funniest thing I ever saw especially since it was so perfectly synchronized!!! I presume this is a "don't bite me, bite my tail" defense reaction???

Anyways, they both came out a couple of minutes later and that was probably the most action there was all night!

I think in my case it worked well to introduce Pikachu while still younger. I'm really not worries about her getting her fair share of food as she is my most aggressive feeder. I think I'll have to watch that the other two get their share! lol

Pixie

[Samba]

I wouldn't recommend putting a substancially smaller gecko in a tank with adults. The adult females may see this as an invasion of their 'territory' and could lash out at any moment, especially during feeding time. The younger gecko could get stressed and stop eating, which is a pain in the @$$ (Trust me, I would know). I think supervised visits are ok, but I wouldn't leave them all alone together until the baby has had some time to grow up and gain weight. Just my opinion, I'm glad to hear that they have been getting along so far. Good luck!

[LISA127]

I always wait until the smaller one is 3/4 the size of the largest one.

[Pixie]

The smaller one is about 3/4 the size of the two other ones overall.

I really didn't expect to introduce her so early but since all is going well I will leave her there unless a problem comes up. I've been monitoring the leos closely and absolutely nothing has happened between them.

I found the little one huddled with Nala in the morning twice! And there are more than enough hides, there are 10 for 3 leos!!!

Feeding time has been going well too. I placed a second feeding dish and fill both with plenty of food. The little one and Nala will come right away and start eating and there doesn't seem to be competition with 2 full dishes! Lilo I haven't seen eat in months but she has the fattest tail so I know she eats sometime!

Thanks for all the responses, they are much appreciated :) I know that this is something that should have waited till later but if it ain't broke, don't fix it! ;)

Pixie

[LISA127]

As long as she is 3/4 as big as the others, I don't think it had to wait till later. Good luck with them!

[Samba]

"I really didn't expect to introduce her so early but since all is going well I will leave her there unless a problem comes up. I've been monitoring the leos closely and absolutely nothing has happened between them."

Pixie, I wouldn't want to wait for something to happen before separating the geckos. It's better to prevent problems than be assured they'll be taken care of when they arise. If you leave the geckos in overnight there is no possible way you can say "...absolutely nothing has happened between them..." unless you watch them 24/7 and cease to have a life and responsiblities. Just my two cents.

[drewlowe]

Pixie aside from the problems i'm having (if you have read the post) i too want to add a leo that is arround 3/4 the size of the ones in my colony. But i wouldn't add her yet (even if all of the were healthy) i would wait until they are a little closer in size since you cant watch them all the time. Even though they may seem to get along to you one of them may be stressing out. If it was me i would wait, but you may do it just be very careful. If your concerned with them getting along in the future let them have play dates (lol) give them time together when you can observe them. good luck with them

[LISA127]

A gecko that is 3/4 the size of the others is not all that much smaller. Even two geckos, say 3 years old, are not the same exact size. A problem usually arises when ppl try to put a 20 gram juvenile in with a 2 year old full grown leo.

[drewlowe]

Lisa i know the about putting a baby or juvi in with adults(big no no). No they don't have to be the exact size, but you do have to be careful and make sure no bulling goes on. Not in my collection but in a friend of mine. He woke to a dead gecko after placing a slightly smaller one in and while he was awake they did fine but when he went to bed the smaller one was attacked. I'm not saying this to scare you but just to warn you that it is a risk.

Another thing i would do is have a fecal done before placing a new leo in with a established colony.

[Samba]

Great advice, Jaime, I completely agree with you. Remember, wait until all your little ones are healthy before introducing any other geckos to them. Are the geckos in your colony quarentined yet? If you need help, let me know, I can send you some rubbermaids if you need them. I like the 'play date' idea, and have done that in the past to introduce new geckos to the established ones. Might I add, the 'play dates' should occur in neutral tanks, in which no one gecko resides, (this is to avoid territorial issues). Hope everything works out for you and Pixie.

[Pixie]

Thanks for all the advice :)

Third day and still everyone is doing good. I know it's a riskier thing to introduce a younger leo to some adults and that's why I posted about it here.

Although I cannot moniter them 24 hours a day, I haven't seen any bullying or any other negative behavior. The two that previously ate in front of me still do and don't seem to compete over the food (I put in a second food dish).

I am still watching them as much as I can, I know something can still happen but from the past three days it looks like everyone gets along.

Actually, I was wondering how my little one would have done if I introduced her when she was big. If anyone would be the bully, I think she would! She's a very aggressive feeder not hesitating to try and take a bite out of my fingers!

All three are still active and out during the evening.

I'm hoping that it keeps going as well as it is now :) Tonight is treat night, silkies and waxies!

Pixie

[drewlowe]

Congrats pixie i'm glad everythings going good for you. What i had posted was not ment to scare anyone in anyway but it's always a possibility that people should have in the back of their mind. Specially with an established colony. The bulling when older is always a possiblity thats why i always have what i call "play dates" when i'm around (so i can supervise). I guess i'm a real overprotective mother. LOL