Sharing enclosure

[barnaby]

Hi all!

I know this is usually not endorsed here, but I read somewhere in Chameleons Online that some people keep Pygmies and small Geckos together with sucess.
I have a 46 gal (exoterra 60x60x45), can I have a 1.2 pygmy group and a 0.1 or 0.2 CB Lepidodactylus lugubris together?

Their temp and humidity requirements are identical.
Cham is diurnal and the gecko is nocturnal so they don't see each other that much.
They have the same size (geckos are slightly smaller I think), so no one eats no one.
geckos can eat the survivor feeders during the night.
It seems a "match made in heaven"...

Can this two species share an enclosure? Has anyone done anything like this?

Thanks!

 

[AndrewH]

Almost everyone here is going to advise you not to do it. Just dont be surprised if they are freaked out with each other or start to claim territories instead of sharing and caring.

 

[barnaby]

Just dont be surprised if they are freaked out with each other or start to claim territories instead of sharing and caring.

I wouldn't ask for THAT much ... just for them to ignore each other.

 

[opihiman]

I don't know what species of gecko that is, but if you have big enough cage and the two occupy separte levels of the viv....it could work...

Most in the forum would tell you not to though...

OPI

 

[barnaby]

caresheet

For those who don't know the species, here's the caresheet:

http://www.gekkota.com/html/lepidodactylus_lugubris.html

I also seen in a gecko's forum someone who had a 1.1 Brev group with 0.2 and it was working... But I always like to hear everyone's opinion...

 

[kinyonga]

One concern....they come from two different areas so you could introduce bacteria, parisites, etc. from one to the other that they might not tolerate.

 

[barnaby]

One concern....they come from two different areas so you could introduce bacteria, parisites, etc. from one to the other that they might not tolerate.

True. That was my only issue with this... But with a Captive bred animal won't I fix this?
This why I'd like to meet someone whoh tried this...

 

[Kat77]

The advice that most people on here are going to give you is just not to do it. Even species that come together naturally in the wild may not be compatable once put in a tank together with no actual mode of escape.

These two do not come from the same part of the world as far as I can tell and just as someone before me mentioned, sharing of bacteria or parasites could end up killing all of them off, chams and geckos, without discrimination.
I wouldn't do it. I guess thats what I'm trying to say.

 

[Dankmeleon]

housing together is generally ok to some extent given a large cage and good care, but why put a stress factor in your chams life, its bad enough he has to watch every move u make, let alone another cham or another lizard

also subtle social roles will develop and you'll get a dominant and a submissive cham, that won't come to the top of the cage to feed near the dominant one...just my 2 cents

 

[barnaby]

housing together is generally ok to some extent given a large cage and good care, but why put a stress factor in your chams life, its bad enough he has to watch every move u make, let alone another cham

also subtle social roles will develop and you'll get a dominant and a submissive cham, that won't come to the top of the cage to feed near the dominant one...just my 2 cents

yes... but I was not talking about another cham. It's a small gecko. There's a caresheet a few posts above.

 

[Dankmeleon]

even worse imo

 

[ciafardo 4]

I have a male jacksons in a large enclosure with a flying gekko hes been in there for about a year no problems i dont think the chameleon knows hes in there he doesnt move during the day

 

[ciafardo 4]

GEKKO GECKO

 

[Dankmeleon]

the stresses it could cause may not even be visible, but anyways i love how people always ask for your opinion even tho they aren't going to listen

 

[ciafardo 4]

Opinions are like as nevermind

 

[barnaby]

the stresses it could cause may not even be visible, but anyways i love how people always ask for your opinion even tho they aren't going to listen

I didn't say I was not going to listen.
I'm listening and to tell you the truth I probably won't mix the species.

I just like to have a reason. Theoretically it had good chances of working (see first post), but the fact that they're from diferent parts of the world is putting an end to this project...

Honestly, other from that issue, I don't see much more problems in there (given a big enough enclosure, of course).

 

[Dankmeleon]

exactly my point

 

[AndrewH]

you known you are going to just do it anyways despite what everyone is telling you. Almost everyone here has a bond with their chams and wish for them to live happy lives and would not put them under any unessecary stress. I just don't get why you are even asking in the first place.

 

[Julirs]

Pygmies can be hard enough to keep alive for a million reasons. Then-if you have a large tank and end up having eggs hatch that you didn't know about the geckos will eat the babies. I had an Anole hatch in my pyg tank recently (it's Florida-if you store dirt outside the Anoles will lay in it), I am pretty sure that my male Pyg ate it.

 

[barnaby]

you known you are going to just do it anyways despite what everyone is telling you. Almost everyone here has a bond with their chams and wish for them to live happy lives and would not put them under any unessecary stress.

What?

If I was going to do that, why would even lose my time asking?? I would just do it, it's not like you can enter my house and stop me!

But, like most, I also share a bond with my cham, that's why I asked...

But I like the fact that you assume to know me so well...

I just don't get why you are even asking in the first place.

Well, first, because it didn't seem so far fetch. Like I said before:

Their temp and humidity requirements are identical.
Cham is diurnal and the gecko is nocturnal so they don't see each other that much.
They have the same size (geckos are slightly smaller I think), so no one eats no one.
geckos can eat the survivor feeders during the night.

Second, I've read of at least a person who has done it with sucess (don't know for how long)

Third, because when I investigated the situation I found this in "Chameleon News", a site mentioned so many times by some of the experts as a reference in chameleon care:

It’s never suggested to house other animals in the enclosure – one species only. I also want to add that it was suggested in the Necas/Schmidt book – “Stump-Tailed Chameleons – Miniature Dragons of the Rain Forest” that it may be fine to add a nocturnal herp to the enclosure such as a gecko. Any feeders that hide during the day and come out at night (such as roaches) could cause harm to the chameleons. A nocturnal feeder such as a gecko may help combat this. To me, this may be worth trying but a lot of research and close observations will be required. I have also read where other keepers have done this with no ill affects.

Does my question seem so crazy? It seems a very normal question given the facts here...