Newbie requests help

I recently received four female (so he assures me) leopard geckos from a uncle of one of my SpEd students. Upon receiving them (one week ago), they have been housed in a 20 gallon long tank floored with newspaper, water and food dishes, and two shelters.

The first night, the larger one pounced on a smaller one, biting her on the side. Since then, she acts like the Alpha-female. As these gals are so tiny, it has not surprised me that they hide all hours of the day. My over-cautious self worries that the larger one may be bullying the others, since she is the only one I see leaving the shelter to eat, explore, drink. Once, when I was cleaning out the shelter, I noticed the others adopting a subservient, heads down stance in the Alpha’s presence. Last night I measured the little gals. Three are 2 inches (head to vent). The Alpha is 2.75 inches. I am now segregating the Alpha in a separate tank.

Am I doing the right thing? Will this over-shy period end (the PetSmart Geckos don’t seem that shy, they just lie all over the place)? What different sizes can be housed together?

i dont think the difference of .75 inches is going to determine violence in group of geckos, especially when they are all under 3 inches long. ive kept geckos to gether with much larger differences than three quarters of an inch with no problem. i dont see any reason why there should be any aggression especially if they are all females. maybe the attack was a one time thing, that would b my guess, as babies tend to hide alot anyway. the one thing i can think of is that that one female may be whats a called a "hot female". she was incubated at a very high temp, and therefore is very aggressive. but ive never had a hot female so i wouldnt know whether or not violence can be seen at such a young age. my guess is that it was a one time thing, as in my experience, violence between geckos that small is rare. but keep a close eye and make sure the other are eating well. if possible, try to house them separately though, theyll grow faster and be less stressed. good luck.

Originally Posted by Tang

i dont think the difference of .75 inches is going to determine violence in group of geckos, especially when they are all under 3 inches long.

Even a small difference in size can be an issue.... And leos will show dominance very early on.... Leopard geckos are usually better off being housed individually in their own enclosure.... But if you must house them together, they should be the same size.... But if you detect any dominant displays, they should be separated immediately....

I have kept groups of females together with no problems and then there have been some individuals that just needed to be housed on their own
But when keeping groups together- they need to be closely monitored for dominant behavior of any individual-making sure that everyone is getting an equal share of bugs and there should be plenty of moist and dry hides
There are cases where smaller Leos can bully larger or similar sized ones if they are more aggressive
Every Leo is an individual with it's own quirks-some get along with others and some don't
You did the right thing by moving the dominant one-dominance can keep the submissive Leos from feeding
If you notice them in their hides during the daylight hours-that is very common especially when Leos have been moved to a new home
They will come out more as they become accustomed to their new surroundings and they will be the most active after dark and when your house settles down for the night if they are in a high traffic area
Leos are nocturnal animals
Most babies at that size are skittish and tend to run back into their hides when they sense movement around their enclosure
They tend to look at anything larger than themselves as a potential predator

Good luck with them

Got any pics??
Sandy

Thanks for all the help. Since I segregated the larger one, she is pouting in her enclosure, but at least this way I can monitor her behavior. I have noticed that the other ladies have been exploring some in her absence. So I think it was a good thing to do.
Thanks!