When it comes to reptiles living together, there are a couple of thighs you should put into consideration. This is because most reptiles generally love to live alone and putting them together can cause a whole lot of problems such as competition, being toxic to each other, and sometimes, one eating the other up.
This is why it is generally advisable to not put reptiles together as they are better off individually. However, if you insist on putting some together to reduce having to buy two different cages, you will like to know the reptiles that can stay together and a lot more.
What Pet Reptiles Can Live Together?
The most common set of pet reptiles that can stay together is the lizard and the snake reptiles. Some of the species of these reptiles can live together and cohabit without one trying to kill the other. Below is a list of the species you can consider putting together.
1. The Dessert Banded Gecko
This is the first specie that should come to your mind if you are looking for reptiles that can live together. The dessert-banded gecko can live together with their fellow species. They hardly struggle for food and they can grow as long as 6 inches in length. This gecko just like the leopard gecko is one specie that can ideally live with its fellow species.
If you have a snake for a pet, the dessert banded gecko is one specie that you should keep in mind if you are looking for another reptile that can cohabit peacefully with your snake. You can also put the leopard gecko in the same habitant as your pet snakes as they hardly perceive each other as a pet.
2. Rusty-spotted Gecko
This is another specie you can consider if you are looking for a specie that can comfortably live with one another. The rusty-spotted gecko is one of the most common geckos you will find. They are the geckos you find on the walls of your home or in various dark places such as under the couch in your home.
These geckos survive bad weather such as extreme summer or winter. If they can survive bad weather indoors, you do not have to pay special attention to the temperature requirements when housing them with other species such as pet snakes and a lot more.
3. Bearded Dragon and Turtles
This is another pair of species you will not have any problem putting together in the same cage. The bearded dragon which is a special type of lizard can live with almost any other reptile from geckos to turtles and a lot more. They might have one or two problems living with snakes.
You can put two to three turtles together without having to worry about them fighting for food. That is, as long as you give them enough food. The bearded dragon and turtles eat different food so there is little to no chance of them competing for food. However, you will have to pay attention to the temperature requirement as the requirement for both differs slightly.
4. Crested Gecko
This is another beautiful specie that can live with your reptile as long as the reptile isn’t wild or poisonous. Crested geckos are known to be able to live peacefully with other species so you do not have to worry about a brawl or a battle going on when you put this animal with other reptiles in the cage.
This specie hardly competes for food as the food requirement differs a lot from other reptiles it might live with. While crested geckos survive on insects, rodents, and a lot more, other species it might live with such as turtles and snakes don’t. You wouldn’t have a problem putting these two together.
Things to Consider Before Putting Pet Reptiles Together
There are a couple of things you need to consider if you would like to put your pet reptile together. Below are a few of the things you should keep in mind.
– Sex
This is one of the most important things you need to consider if you are thinking of putting your pet reptile together. You need to consider the sex of the reptile as sex goes a very long way in determining if the species can survive together.
When we are talking about sex, we mean it is harmful to put male reptiles together. This will likely lead to a struggle for food and most importantly, a struggle for the ‘alpha’ status. You should consider putting females together or better still, one female and one male.
– Size of the Cage
This is another thing you need to keep in mind if you are thinking about putting or housing pet reptiles together. You need to take your time to build a relatively large cage that will accommodate the species you are housing together without anyone having to fight for space.
The size of the cage matters as you wouldn’t want a situation where your turtle is fighting for basking space with another turtle. You also wouldn’t want your snake to start feeling stressed just because there isn’t a dark hiding space in your cage. You have to build a cage that is large enough to accommodate the needs of the species you are housing together.
– Make an Estimate of the Cost
If you are going to be putting some of these species together, you should make or prepare for the cost of the species living together as well. One thing you should know is the fact that putting them in the same cage doesn’t necessarily reduce the cost of feeding them, you might likely even spend more.
You need to estimate the amount of money you are good to spend if you house these species together. It is a very important thing to consider you will want your pet snake to be well fed to avoid disturbances.
How Do I Spot when my Animals Are Not Getting Along?
There are a lot of things you can use to spot when your animals are not getting along. Below is a list of those things.
Method 1: One Snake Comes Out while the other Stays in Hiding
This is the first thing that should allow you to know that your animals are not getting along. If you put your snakes together and you notice that it is only one that is active, there is a pretty good chance the other snake is feeling threatened or bullied.
Method 2: Lethargic behavior
This is another thing that will let you know if there is a problem with the reptiles you kept together. If the animals you keep together are not interested in exploring the environment for food or prey, there is a pretty good chance that there is a problem somewhere.
It could be the temperature or humidity. It could also be that the animals are not comfortable living with each other. Take your time to check these things when you observe lethargic behavior from your pet.
Recommended:
Conclusion
There are a lot of things you need to consider if you are going to be putting your reptiles together. Various things such as sex and a few more have been discussed in this article.
The animals that can live together have also been discussed. With a read-through, you will know the pet reptiles you can house together.
