Hi, I’m new to keeping geckos and would love to get an AFT. I have seen some people online keeping them in pairs or trio’s and would love to do the same. a lot of online sources say you can’t keep them together and that they will get territorial and attack each other is this true?
I am new to geckos however i do own several different snakes so I’m familiar with humidity, humid hides, temp etc so not to worried about that.
also, if there are any other unforeseen issues with AFT’s i should be aware of pls let me know.
I do intend to do the best by any animals i let into my care so a bigger cage for more geckos is fine and also if they can’t be kept together that will also be fine with me
thanks for any help or guidance you can provide on this topic.
As a warning…It can be a very hot button topic!
Now, I haven’t kept AFTs, but they are a bit similar to Leopards in this aspect, so I think the advice should still hold true? If a AFT keep chimes in, I defer to their judgement.
As a beginner, I would definitely say start by keeping them solitary. This way you can learn the feeding habits and behaviors of these little guys before going into a mixed group. You’ll have the best start to keeping a new species by taking it slow. When you are ready and more familiar, you’ll know what behaviors are out of the normal range and showing stress or aggression.
Every gecko has their own personality. Some may just be naturally chill. Others can be that more territorial type.
I do currently keep a trio of leos together (all female). So it would be hypocritical for me to say ‘don’t try it!’ But I do think you need the experience before you do. Keeping them in a larger enclosure as you said will also help because you can offer the multiple hot spots, feeding stations and hides.
Sometimes the changes are very small, so you do need a good eye on ‘healthy and happy’. For example, one girl in one of my groups started to become a bit more flighty after a bit. She was moved back into her own enclosure and the attitude bounced back almost immediately and even put on a bit more weight, never moved her in with a group again.
Of course, males can’t be housed together. But even in the case of 1:1 I do not recommend it at all outside of a couple days if breeding. Any groups I keep are females only and usually odd numbers. typically I’ve kept 3 or 5 over the years as it’s easier to keep one on one bullying down.
I also make sure that the geckos are all of a similar size. No babies with sub-adults or anything like that. If any of them seems to show any aggression they are taken out immediately. Small bites can show as just a bit of flakey looking skin on the neck or tail, that is another sign to separate them immediately
I personally have never had a issue outside of a female getting a bit of a nasty nip from a male during breeding. But this is because I keep a close eye and shuffle them back into separate cages at early signs. I don’t play games to see if they ‘work it out’. I’ve had the current group together for 7 years now.
That’s been my experience, again with leopards but fairly similar. I heard AFT can be a bit more moody? But that may have just been because people weren’t working with them as much then.
It’s still something that I recommend waiting and gaining the experience and knowledge on AFT care for first. Not something I would recommend for beginners at all, but that has been my personal experience.
I keep 3 females together and have had no issues with them, they dont fight and they eat well. I wouldnt keep males together as ive had males trying to attack each other when theyve seen each other through the glass