Rhacodactylus leachianus
Look who is here! This is the Caledonian Giant Gecko — the largest known living gecko in the world.
You’ll be surprised by their ability to produce calls ranging from whistles and hisses to growls and grumbles. These unique species have been always of a high interest for the most experienced gecko keepers. The fantastic variety of the color and patterns of the different localities makes the giant gecko an amazing exotic pet for any home vivarium or collection.
Would you like to have one of these truly amazing and giant friendly specie by your side? If your answer is yes, then read carefully the care sheet from Blackxreptile presented below.
INTRODUCTION
The New Caledonia Giant Gecko, scientifically referred as Rhacodactylus leachianus), or just Leachies, is a native species found on the island of New Caledonia and the surrounding islands as well. Now there new subspecies of R. leachianus have been discovered, and those species are named depending on the location. Leachianus are the largest gecko in the genus of Rhacodactylus, the length of their body reaches about 35 cm (14 inches), depending on individuals. The duration of life is about 20 years in captivity, which is rather rare and no doubt makes the keeper happier.
Moreover, Leachianus prove to be truly great pets if the owner pay attention to them from childhood as well as handles them regularly. They also like to show their character by producing the voice if they like or do not like something. Starting from children ending with senior adults, there are no better geckos to become friends with.
WILD HABITAT
Leachianus are nocturnal, which means they are asleep during the day but awake at night.
MAIN FEATURES
Leachianus have a short tail (which can lead to release and regenerate but never equal to the original) and large paws with lamellae characteristics. Their eyes are large and torn pupil (typical characteristic for nocturnal animals). They also have skin which looks as if it’s too loose for its body. Their tail and bottom of their feet are covered in small hairs called setae. Particularly these structures allow the geckos to climb on virtually any solid surface. Leachianus may be of various colors such as grey, brown, white, green and even pink, depending on location they came from. They also have many different markings such as stripes and blotching. At night their colors become bright and kind of shining in the darkness. This means that they are awake and ready to hunt for food.
It is easier to determine the sex when your gecko is older than 6 months. Male Leachianus will have a very noticeable hemipenal bulge, which normally develops at the age of 5 – 9 months. Females lack this bulge. For Leachianus younger than 6 months, you will have to use a jeweler’s loupe to try and determine their sex. For males you will see 3 or more rows of visible pores on their underside by their vent. That are the white pores with a dark center. Females usually have one or sometimes 2 rows of pseudopores on their underside as well. Their pores will be lacking the dark center.
THE TERRARIUM SETUP
When looking for Leachianus terrarium, there are a few things that are really vital to keep your pet healthy and relaxed. You should utilize three vertical terrariums sized for the three stages of life; hatching, juvenile and adults:
Talking about the type, there are many specially made enclosures on the market for Leachianus that have many benefits over a regular terrarium. They open from the front for an easy access and are tall so the geckos can climb and have space to jump around. You may also be able to use a screen enclosure as long as you find a way to keep the humidity on a high level.
Moreover, pay attention to the opaque enclosure or ABS plastic enclosure in either black or white as it helps this species to feel secluded just the way they feel in a wild nature.
Decoration is another important thing. Usually it should include:
In order to create hiding places for the hatchlings, you may use paper towel rolls. Also, I recommend to use thick branches that are wider than the gecko body. For the substrate, you may use peat moss or other soils that promote good humidity in the terrarium. If using soil or moss, put a layer of pebbles or Hydroton to drain excess water. Paper towels are also acceptable, although they are not very naturalistic.
As for the heating and lightning:
I recommend you to keep one side of the terrarium cooler than the other side so the geckos will be able to thermoregulate. Lighting maybe beneficial for the Giant Geckos for a number of reasons. You may find your friend frequently sitting on the top of the branches under full spectrum lighting. It is also believed that proper lighting contribute to the color development.
Keep in mind, the temperature should never fall below 65 °F or rise above 85 °F as this species has a hard time tolerating these temperatures. Only 10 hours of light is needed during the cooling period for breeding Leachianus.
Humidity should be between 60-80% with a proper humidity cycle. It is recommended during the humidity cycle, allow the humidity to lower below 60%, to dry out the enclosure and prevent bacteria spread. These species are susceptible to bacterial infection far greater than any of the counterparts in the genus. In most cases this can easily be accomplished by misting 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. Putting a small container filled with Sphagnum moss will help them with their shedding and consistently keep the humidity up in that particular place.
FEEDING PECULARITIES
If you want your giant gecko reach enormous sizes or just make them healthy and happy, try to enrich their ration with different delicacies:
Don´t worry, if sometimes adults may lose interest in crickets, they’re always eager to be fed with feeder roaches along with pinkie mice and meal replacement powder. You may give pinkies only once or twice a month and feeder roaches weekly. This species may seem a picky lazy eater to the novice keeper. Just keep the routine stable at the beginning so the geckos will get used to timely feeding. You may feed them 4 times a week in a combination with a crested gecko diet three times a week; Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You may leave the food in the terrarium, and then replace it on that third night. Any mixed but unserved food should be placed in the refrigerator or freezer for future feeding.
Leachianus are pretty messy when it comes to food, so it is a good idea to put them in a separate cage while feeding as they might accidentally consume the soil or moss.
BREEDING
The young males are ready to perform the breeding at the age of 2. Females should be at least 3 years old to begin breeding to increase success, and between 120-180 grams, depending on which island they come from. One male can be kept with 2 or maybe 3 females to start breeding. Keep the temperature between 75 – 79 °F (24 – 26 °C), dropping about 5 °F at night. Lightly mist the enclosure 1-2 times daily, particularly at night when they are active. Give the breeding gecko’s high quality food to help with the eggs. An egg laying container should be placed inside the terrarium. The container should be large enough to hold the gecko and have enough space to dig 3 – 4 inches down. Container substrate should be 50/50 moistened eco earth and sphagnum moss. Hide the container so the gecko feels safe enough to lay the eggs there. Check the container every day and remove the eggs immediately so they don’t dry up. Females will usually lay about 30 days after copulation. The number of clutches expected each year can range between 1 – 6 clutches of 2 eggs but 2 -3 clutches seem to be average. Place eggs in an airtight container with 2 inches of slightly moistened SuperHatch. Do not turn the eggs over as this might kill them. Mark the top of the eggs just in case they get moved for whatever reason. Open the container once per week to allow ventilation for a few seconds. Eggs should be kept at around a steady 72 °F (22 °C) and hatch in approximately 60 – 120 days. The higher the temperature, the shorter the incubation period. The lower the temperature, the longer the incubation period, which is normally, better. If you have a pair of geckos that is not breeding, you have to pay attention to the key factors such as temperatures, age, nutrition, and space in the terrarium.
If your trying to get a percentage of male or females follow the the temp below
NEWBORN LEACHIANUS
Care for baby Leachianus is identical to adults with few exceptions. Babies should be kept in no larger than a 10 gallon tank or critter keeper. Tanks should be simplistic with paper towels, few branches and easy exits to access the food. Hatchlings may not eat until their first shed is complete, normally 2 – 3 days old. You may even have to help them shed at the beginning. Spray the tank 1 – 2 times a day and feed them 1/8 inch crickets or Pangea Fruit Mix. Do not hold babies until about 2 – 3 weeks of settling into their new enclosure.
HEALTH ISSUES:
The Leachianus health is normally very good and disease free. They tend to be very enduring species. However, a few common health problem may appear:
Most Leachianus do not lose their tail but if they do, there is no need to panic. Most tail losses occur from aggression, pinched tails, or even trouble shedding. Their tails eventually regenerate and there will be no harm done to the gecko itself. It is merely a defense mechanism.
HANDLING LEACHIANUS
Geckos that are newly purchased or less than 2 weeks old shouldn’t be handled. New Caledonian giant geckos may or may not allow handling, depending on the individual gecko. Hatchling R. leachianus should not be handled until they are 2 to 3 months old, as they need time to acclimate to their habitat. Hatchlings are very flighty and will jump, but with gentle handling they will calm down. Do not hold a gecko tightly, but let it grasp on to you. To handle larger leachianus, approach with caution and remove them from their enclosure by quickly grasping the gecko behind the neck area while supporting its feet with your other hand. If the gecko feels threatened by your intrusion into its territory, it may lunge or attempt to bite, which can be quite painful due to the lizard’s strong jaws. Once you’ve got one out and feeling secure, though, it will usually calm down.
SUMMARY
To sum up, Leachianus are the exciting tropical friend to have. It is one of the most spectacular reptiles that can be taken into captivity, both for its size and its relative flexibility. However, these are the geckos particularly difficult to maintain. The owner should have previous experience with other reptiles.
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.