Lots of people like taking care of reptiles because they just think they’re cool. You might be inexplicably drawn to reptiles, and this is why you like to keep them as pets.
Some people don’t like to stop at just keeping one type of reptile as a pet. Many people want to be able to keep multiple reptile species in the same home.
You might think that it would be convenient if you could keep reptiles together in the same habitat. If you’re limited on the amount of space that you can use, then this might be your first instinct.
However, it’s generally not going to be a good idea to do things like this. If you’re wondering whether geckos and iguanas can live together, then you might be in for a bit of a shock.
Iguanas Will Eat Geckos
Usually, iguanas will wind up eating geckos, and this means that they definitely shouldn’t be living together. You can keep iguanas and geckos in the same house if you want to, but they should be kept in separate habitats and possibly even in separate rooms.
Iguanas have been known to eat small geckos out in the wild, and people have had pet iguanas eat geckos that have been placed in their habitats. Sometimes new reptile owners don’t know enough to seek information about whether it’s okay for geckos and iguanas to live together, and this leads to the gecko getting eaten.
As sad as that might make you, it’s just a part of nature. It’s not really normal for reptiles to get along well with other reptiles, and most are going to fight or try to eat each other.
If you care about your pet iguana and your pet gecko, then you’ll never try to stick them together. It’ll only end in tragedy, and you don’t need the heartache that comes from such things.
Don’t Mix Reptile Species
As a general rule, you should avoid mixing reptile species in one habitat. Different types of reptiles aren’t going to be able to get along like you think that they should.
Even when you’re thinking of mixing similar species, it’s going to be a bad idea. For instance, there are quite a few subspecies of geckos, and you should only house geckos with other geckos of the same species.
You should never put a leopard gecko with a crested gecko. There are many other examples that you could use, but the basic thing to remember is that mixing species will always be a bad idea when it comes to housing reptiles.
Reptiles Sometimes Don’t Get Along with Their Own Species
In fact, you’ll find that sometimes reptiles won’t even get along with their own species. You might think that your iguana needs a friend or something like that, and that’s why you thought about putting a gecko with it.
You know that the iguana will likely kill the gecko now, but did you know that the iguana might not get along with the other iguana? If you try to stick two male iguanas in the same habitat, then they’re going to wind up fighting each other.
Iguanas are kind of ornery, and they aren’t going to want to share a space with another male. You should be fine putting a female with a male, but you should never place males together.
You have to be very wary about what you’re putting in with your iguana. If things go wrong, then you could wind up seeing one of the iguanas get killed or hurt.
Some Reptiles Can Get Along with Amphibians
There are certain reptiles that can get along with amphibians. You might be able to house some frogs and toads with certain types of reptiles.
Some people have even housed geckos with turtles and have had things be fine. This isn’t something that you need to do, but it can be okay if you look into things beforehand.
Not all reptiles will be able to be housed with all amphibians, of course. You’ll need to do your homework if you decide to go this route.
Reptiles Are Fine Being Alone
For the most part, it’s going to be best to just keep reptiles by themselves. They’re perfectly fine living this way, and it’s less likely that you’re going to encounter issues.
You might be tempted to try to give your iguana or gecko a friend, but you’ll often do more harm than good when trying to add a second reptile to the tank. To avoid any potential issues, it’d be better to just continue to allow the reptiles to live alone.
If you do decide to house reptiles with other reptiles, ensure they’re from the same species. Do research first to determine if males from the species can be housed together since some reptiles might not get along well with each other.
There are even some reptiles that can’t live together in opposite-sex pairings. Some of them only come together briefly to mate in nature and then stay apart the rest of the time.
Final Thoughts
Never try to put a gecko in the same habitat as an iguana. It’s not going to end well, and you’re going to be very disappointed about losing the iguana.
You should probably just keep reptiles by themselves to avoid any issues that might pop up. It’s the easiest way to go about raising reptiles at home, and you’ll be less likely to have any serious problems.
You know more about reptiles now and what they can be housed with. Most reptiles are best kept alone, but some can be paired with the same species and be fine.
Others, such as iguanas, will fight when two males are paired together. Some reptiles can’t get along with opposite-sex pairings, but you’ll have to make that determination yourself based on what species you own.
Do your best to care for your reptiles and give them a good habitat to live in. Don’t unnecessarily add “friends” to your reptiles’ habitat either and you’ll have a much better time.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Film/Video/Media Studies, as well as an associates degree in Communications. I began producing videos and musical recordings nearly 15 years ago. I am a guitarist and bassist in Southwest MI and have been in a few different bands since 2009, and in 2012 I began building custom guitars and basses in my home workshop as well. When I’m home, I love spending time with my three pets (a dog, cat, and snake) and gardening in my backyard. I also like photographing wild birds, especially birds of prey.