Mossy New Caledonian gecko

Mossy New Caledonian gecko

Mniarogekko chahoua

Look who is here! This is another fascinating Caledonian Gecko, commonly known as a Mossy Caledonian Gecko.

You’ll be amazed by their natural beautiful colors and excellent personality. These unique species is a great start for a replite keeper. The fantastic variety of the colors and patterns of the different localities makes the mossy gecko an amazing exotic pet for any home collection.

Would you like to get to know one of this truly amazing and friendly specie? If your answer is yes, then Blackxreptile will help you to accomplish your dream as well as support you in the whole initial process of getting know your new friend.

Please read the care sheet below, and in case you have additional questions you may always contact me through the email.

INTRODUCTION

Mniarogekko chahoua commonly known as the mossy New Caledonian gecko, short-snouted New Caledonian gecko, or mossy prehensile-tailed gecko, is an arboreal gecko found natively on the southern portion of the island of New Caledonia and on the outlying islands of Île des Pins.

5. chahoua gets its common name from the moss or lichen-like pattern it displays. Colors range from rusty red and brown to green or gray. There is a thought that color could possibly be a geographic indicator in this species as the geckos from the outer islands most often display the lighter gray patterns. It commonly reaches a snout to vent length of 5.5 inches depending on the individual. However, some species may reach around 10 inches total length, and weight about 45-75g.

Mossy geckos, like all Rhacodactylus have sticky pads called ‘Lamellae’ on their toes and also on the very tip of their tails. They also have a Prehensile tail which functions as an extra limb, this is unique to Chahoua’s. Your heart will melt, as they start to curl their tails around your hand to get a better grip right after you handle them for the first time. This is one of the good features about them as well, as it makes them feel a lot more study than other geckos, they aren’t going to fall anywhere!

Don´t worry as mossy gecko would shed their skin regularly, their skin will start to look white and papery. They will use cork bark to help them rub their skin off, as well as their own teeth, and their skin will come off all on one go. You won’t usually find any evidence of shedding, other than a suddenly bright colored gecko, as they will eat their shed skin.

WILD HABITAT

The Mossy New Caledonian Gecko is an arboreal gecko which is native to the southern portion of the island of New Caledonia and to the outlying islands of Ile de Pines and Grande Terre. R. chahoua is pretty rare specie in the reptile trade.

They are native to New Caledonia and the small islands around it, this is where the two different types of gecko come from. The Mainland, and Pine Isle locales. Pine Isle are slightly rarer to come by, and can be slightly larger than their mainland siblings, also their colors are supposed to be slightly brighter. However, mainland Chahoua’s can come in some stunning colors too.

It is not known exactly how long Chahoua’s will live in captivity, however it is suspected to live up to 20-25 years. Their lifespan is pretty long for a pet, that´s why buyer should take it into consideration before purchasing.

THE TERRARIUM SETUP

When looking a perfect terrarium for the mossy gecko, there are a few things that are really vital to keep your pet healthy and relaxed. As the Mossy New Caledonian Gecko is arboreal, it strongly prefers a cage that is taller than it is long:

• Keep a single adult Chahoua in a minimum size of 18X18X24, the taller the better.
• A male-female pair may be kept in a terrarium with a minimum size of 24 x 18 x 18.
• For the Chahoua babies, keep them in a 6 quart tub until they grow, then change to 20 quart tub.
• Single adults can be kept in a 66 quart enclosure.
• The terrariums of all types should be vertically oriented as these are an arboreal (lives on the trees) species.
• You may use eco earth and orchid bark as a substrate

Keep in mind, Chahoua’s are a semi-arboreal gecko that means they spend most of their time off the ground, on branches or tree trunks. Consequently, they require more height in their enclosure than other species of geckos. You may keep them in glass vivariums, as these are more suited to high humidity than a wooden tank. Moreover, you can see their beauty better.

As for the substrate, it is a good idea to use eco earth and orchid bark, as wild natural look. Also, it really helps retain moisture, and keep the humidity high.

Decoration is another important thing. Usually it should include:

• large size horizontal thick branches, lianas;
• pieces of bark for climbing and hiding;
• cork hollows and hiding places;

The mossy gecko seems to be in love with horizontally placed branches in their terrarium, as well as large pieces of cork bark to snooze behind. You will find they also prefer slightly thicker branches.

Keep attention to the branches! All branches need to be secured well, as Chahoua’s have an amusing habit of launching themselves at things quite hard so in case branch fall down, it could end up hurting the gecko. You may use aquarium grade silicone to glue all the horizontal branches so you don’t have to worry for the unexpected situations!

As for the heating and lightning:

• do not require a constant heating, but a basking spot in their tanks, of about 80-84°F will be necessary;
• hiding place to cool down, the temperature of the cool side of the tank may reach 70 -60°F;
• use heat mat during the night time. Keep the temperature about 70-74°F;
• due to their nocturnal habits is sufficient to use moderate lightning UVA-B 2.0 or to not use UV light at all.

I recommend you to keep one side of the terrarium cooler than the other side so the geckos will be able to thermo­regulate. As a nocturnal animal, it is currently believed that you do not need to supply Chahoua’s with any source of UV light. Background lighting should be controlled with a timing device left on 10-12hrs a day in summer with a 2-4 hour reduction during winter months. As with the heat source, always properly protect the light source as this too may become hot after prolonged used.

Keep in mind, the temperature should never fall below 60 °F or rise above 85 °F as this species has a hard time tolerating these temperatures. I would also recommend using thermostats to control the heating for Chahoua’s, as their temperatures need to be kept relatively cool and bulbs can easily overheat.

Humidity should be between 55-70% with a proper substrate. This can fairly easily be achieved by having a damp substrate, a water bowl. Mist the enclosure once or twice a day. An automatic mister is also a great investment as it ensures the timing. It is very important to dry the enclosure to normal humidity in between misting. The high level of humidity for too long will lead to mold and could potentially harm your geckos if they ingest it. Humidity can be measured using a digital hydrometer, which you may find in most of the pet shops.

FEEDING

In the wild this gecko is omnivorous and feeds on insects and fruit and will also occasionally eat smaller lizards. In captivity they thrive on a varied diet. Being partly frugivorous, their ration may include:

• non-citrus fruit;
• mealworms, waxworms;
• crickets, locusts and roaches
• small lizards/ pinky mice
• meal replacement powder (MRP).

• to provide more balanced nutritional diet use high-quality meal replacement powder.

For example, it is a good idea for vitamins enrichment to blend some fresh fruit (Mango, pears, strawberries, kiwi etc.) and add in some nutritional powder (about 15-20g per two large pieces of fruit, mango + pear). Be careful when feeding bananas to Chahoua’s, as they contain a lot of calcium and can be bad for them if fed too much.

Also, please keep in mind to avoid the citrus. When it comes to live food, like crickets, locusts and roaches, keep the distance between the gecko’s eyes and the pray, also always make sure you dust their live food with calcium powder. You may give them a fruit mix every two days, and then replace it with insects twice a week.
Feed your mossy’s about an hour after the lights go off at night, as they are most active during the night.

SEX DETERMINATION

It can be pretty hard to determine the sex of the mossy gecko, but by about 12 months you should be able to clearly see a large bulge on the underside of the base of the tail on a male Chahoua. You will also be able to spot little white spurs on either side of the bulge. You can identify the sex by looking for pre-anal pores on a male, however this is very difficult.

BREEDING

Chahouas are usually ready to breed at 15-18 months of age. They should be separated until they are the proper size to prevent premature breeding that can put your female at risk for calcium deficiency.

Chahoua’s are one of the harder Rhacodactylus species to successfully breed, and hatch out:

• Chahoua should be kept at 68-70°F during the day and 64-66°F at night for a couple of months (November to February) prior to breeding.
• After the breeding season over increase the temperature by 5 to 10 degrees during February through March.
• They can produce approximately 4-5 clutches in a season, laying two highly calcified eggs every 5 weeks.
• Females should be at least 18months of age before breeding is attempted and they should always be monitored closely for any signs of calcium deficiency.

After placing the male and female together, add an egg-laying container. Some females, however, ignore their lay boxes and prefer to keep you on your toes, hunting for eggs. Chahoua eggs are highly calcified, so be sure to keep a close eye on your female’s calcium intake so she doesn’t crash.

You should pay attention and keep an eye on female if you think she is about to lay eggs, as if left too long in the enclosure they will dry out and die. If you do manage to find the eggs, very carefully mark the top with a soft pencil, and do not turn them from that position. The reason you cannot turn the eggs is that the embryo inside the egg will have attached itself to the shell, and tipping it upside down can either sever the connection, or drown it.

Mossy eggs are the most highly calcified eggs of all Rhacs, so the shells are a lot thicker and harder. This is not necessarily a good thing though, as it is a lot harder to tell what is going on inside the eggs. They may look fine from the outside, but actually be dehydrated. This is also why the hatch rate of these geckos is a lot lower than others, the babies inside can fully develop, and after that, unfortunately, unable to break through the thick shell, and die.

Another problem with the high amount of calcium used on the eggs is of course what it does to the mother. After laying her eggs, the female should be taken special care of, to make sure she gets lots of extra calcium to build up her supplies again.

Eggs can take anything from 70 – 200 days to hatch (I know!), so it is a big waiting game on these little guys. The eggs should be incubated at around 80C, and should hopefully hatch out within about 90-100 days. They need to be on a suitable substrate (vermiculite, perlite etc.) and the substrate must be kept moist. Try to give the eggs some air a couple of times a week, to prevent it becoming too stale.

INCUBATION PERIOD

The Chahoua’s babies born super strong, and resilient. They are just miniatures of the adults, already able to look after themselves! You can transfer them to a small plastic faunarium after 24hrs, on damp paper towels. Make sure you remove any of the incubation substrate, as they could swallow this and choke. And just keep an eye on them for their first shed, as this is a big thing for such a little gecko!
Try to keep their tanks simple and safe, and handling to a minimum while they are really tiny, and move them into progressively bigger tanks as they grow.

Eggs should be incubated in an aerated plastic container, on a medium of vermiculite or perlite mixed with filtered water at a ratio of 2 parts medium to 1 part water, by weight and at temperatures between 70-80°F. Any discolored eggs should be put to one side in the container, do not discard as these eggs could still be viable, if their collapse is visible, they should be discarded immediately.

SUMMARY

To sum up, the mossy geckos are unique and sensitive tropical friends to have. These miracles are another great starter reptile as they are fairly easy to take care of, but relatively hard to breed.  However, once you arrange everything good for them, they are excellent basic pets. So, as long as you follow the advices from Blackxreptiles and keep the proper temperature and humidity, your geckos will provide you with hours of entertainment.

Note: The care sheet presents the general information on the specie. It is aimed to help you with the most common questions and solutions. In cases of displaying serious symptoms or strange behavior please contact the professional assistance.