Caring for Leachianus Geckos

1 year old Pine Isle (still growing)

 If you like big geckos and big reptiles, then you may be interested in this giant gecko. The leachianus gecko can reach up to 12 inches and weigh up to 300 grams, depending on the locale of the gecko. Leachianus geckos are big and green and laid back, but don't let their docile temperament fool you because they can get temperamental and end up leaving nasty bites on your hands.

If you think that you're up for a leachianus gecko, make sure that you do your research, as they can be quite expensive to purchase, and you don't want to have to just give up on the new pet, nor do you want to lose your pet to neglect (IE improper housing and diet).

Size: up to 12" including the tail and about 350 grams depending on the locale
Lifespan: thought to be between 20-30 years

Housing: It is best to house these geckos individually, as they can get territorial. You'll find that even breeders see serious bullying and defense wounds on adult geckos during breeding season, so it's best to just house geckos separately.

Depending on the locale and the average size of an adult, the size of the enclosure will vary. Some say that the smaller locales, like the Nuu Ana leachies can be housed in an 18" x 18" x 18" enclosure, whereas some of the larger locales, like the GT and Pine Isle leachies need much larger enclosures.

You won't need to worry about an adult enclosure for years, so you can start off a younger leachianus in a medium kritter keeper and slowly upgrade to various size storage tubs (vented accordingly) until the gecko is ready for a large enclosure.

When setting up an enclosure for a leachie gecko, you'll want plenty of cork bark, PVC, and other sturdy materials. Remember these are a heavier gecko species,  so a thin vine won't do the trick.

Use paper towels for younger geckos, and if you opt to switch to a more natural substrate, coconut coir is a good option to use for adults. Otherwise, paper towels and tile make great substrates that are easy to clean.

Feeding and Diet: For younger leachianus geckos, you will want to try feeding crickets and appropriately sized insects, as this is good for protein which helps develop growing bones and muscles. Also, make sure that you offer CGD regularly, as this will supply the gecko with all of the essential nutrients.

As leachies get older many of them start to ignore crickets, so a sole diet of CGD will be fine, but again this is why it's important to offer crickets while the gecko will eat them.

 

Caring for Chahuoa Geckos

 This gecko isn't as common to find as crested geckos. They aren't as prolific breeders and have a problem with calcium in the eggs, but if you're lucky enough to find them and to find them at a price you can afford, they can be great pets and breeders. More and more people are getting into the Rhac species, so they are becoming a little more easy to find, but you'll find that many breeders only release a small number of their hatchlings, keeping back many for their collection and for later release.

There are two different locales of Chahoua- the Pine Isle and the Mainland Chahoua.  Generally, the P.I. is a larger gecko with brighter colors, whereas the Mainland is a tad smaller and less colorful. Although, this isn't always the case, as there are some really dull PI chahouas and really colorful Mainlands.

If you are looking at getting a chewie, make sure that you do your research. The basic housing and care tips for the chahoua are as follows.

Size: up to 10" including the tail
Lifespan: thought to be between 20-30 years

Housing: This species is housed similar to the crested gecko, except for slightly larger. One adult can thrive in a 36" tall x 18" wide x 18" long tank. Some people like to use screen enclosures, but then you have to worry about the habitat being too dry. Some people just use large storage totes that can be found at Wal*Mart, Kmart, Lowes, etc.

Use plenty of PVC, corkbark, and branches. These guys like the climb and spend time in the trees.

It's best to use paper towels for younger geckos, so that they don't ingest any loose substrate while eating. Personally, I prefer to use a solid substrate like paper towels or tile for all ages of gecko.

Keep the temperature around 72-80F with high humidity. You can achieve the humidity by two good soaks a day. Babies and younger geckos need to be misted more often than adults.

Feeding and Diet: I prefer to use CGD as the main staple of the diet. I also provide crickets twice a week for younger geckos. This species needs more proteins than crested geckos do, so the crickets are a good idea. You can also offer appropriately sized dubia, lateralis, or discoid roaches.

These geckos can be very docile and personable, which is why they are becoming more and more popular among keepers.