Chahoua Gecko

Overview

• The Chahoua, or mossy New Caledonian gecko, is an arboreal, nocturnal gecko famous for camouflage that mimics moss and lichen in greens, rusts, browns and whites.
• It comes in two forms: the mainland (Grande Terre) locale and the larger Pine Isle (Isle of Pines) locale, which often shows a white collar and commands the highest prices.

• Care is broadly similar to the crested and gargoyle geckos already common in the hobby, but the Chahoua is larger, calmer in the hand and has a famously strong, velcro-like grip.
• Its fully prehensile tail also regenerates almost perfectly if dropped, unlike a crested gecko's, which never grows back.

• The intermediate rating reflects cost, sourcing and calcium sensitivity rather than difficult husbandry.
• Captive-bred animals typically cost several hundred to well over a thousand dollars because females lay only a few two-egg clutches a year, so this is a species to research and budget for, not an impulse purchase.

Housing

• House one adult in a tall, well-ventilated vivarium of at least 45x45x60cm (18x18x24in); 45x45x90cm (18x18x36in) is a genuinely better target, and 60x45x90cm (24x18x36in) suits large Pine Isle animals.
• Chahouas are trunk-perchers rather than twig-dwellers, so wide vertical cork bark rounds and flats they can flatten against matter more than thin branches.
• Dense foliage and a bioactive, planted setup provide cover and help hold humidity.

• Keep daytime temperatures around 22-26C (72-79F) and never let the enclosure sustain heat above 28C (82F), which stresses and can quickly kill this cool-adapted species.
• A natural few-degree drop at night is welcomed rather than harmful.
• A strong basking lamp is unnecessary in most homes, though a low-output UVB tube (a low Ferguson-zone source) is beneficial.
• Mist once or twice daily for 60-80% humidity, always letting the enclosure dry partway between mistings, because constantly wet, stagnant air causes skin and respiratory disease.

Diet

• A commercial complete powdered gecko diet (CGD) mixed with water and offered in a dish several times a week forms the base diet.
• However, the Chahoua is the most insect-hungry of the New Caledonian geckos, and some individuals largely ignore powdered food.
• Budget and plan for live feeders from the start rather than hoping the dish alone will do.

• Offer gut-loaded, calcium-dusted crickets or dubia roaches about twice a week to adults, which is more insect protein than a crested gecko needs; growing juveniles want smaller feeders offered more often.
• Never rely on plain fruit or baby food, which is unbalanced and causes deficiencies.
• Provide fresh water in a dish, though they also lap droplets from misted leaves.

• Calcium supply deserves particular attention in this species.
• Healthy Chahouas store visible calcium reserves in endolymphatic sacs in the roof of the mouth, and keepers should learn to check that these are not depleted.

Health

• A healthy Chahoua has clear eyes, full toe pads, a firm grip, steady weight and clean sheds.
• The biggest risk is metabolic bone disease from inadequate calcium or UVB, and breeding females are especially prone to sudden calcium crashes because egg production drains their reserves quickly.
• Overheating is the other common, rapidly fatal husbandry error, so keep the enclosure below 28C (82F).

• Retained shed around the toes can constrict circulation and needs correcting with a humid hide and gentle moisture.
• A dropped tail regenerates well and is not an emergency, though prevention through calm handling is better.
• Any change in grip strength, appetite or jaw firmness warrants a prompt visit to a reptile-experienced exotics vet.

• Given a 15-20+ year lifespan and the animal's price, locating an exotics vet before purchase is part of responsible ownership.
• Insist on captive-bred stock from a documented breeder, as New Caledonian geckos are protected in the wild and smuggled animals still enter the trade.

Temperament

• The Chahoua is widely considered the calmest of the New Caledonian geckos to handle.
• Rather than leaping like a crested gecko, it tends to sit still and grip with surprising, velcro-like strength, which makes it steady in the hand once settled.
• Juveniles are shyer and flightier, and a startled adult can deliver a noticeably harder nip than a crested, so keep sessions short, low and unforced.

• They are nocturnal, spending the day pressed motionless against bark and becoming active in the evening.
• Expect a beautiful display animal you mostly watch, with handling as an occasional extra rather than the point.

• House them singly.
• Males fight seriously, and even long-established pairs can suddenly injure each other outside supervised breeding contexts.
• Solo housing is the responsible default for a pet Chahoua.

Is your enclosure big enough?

Check your own enclosure against this

Is this urgent?

Small geckos dehydrate and lose condition quickly, and the tail is the fuel gauge.

Go now

Today

This is general guidance for a healthy adult, not a diagnosis. An exotics vet who knows your animal always overrides it — and the time to find one is before you need one.

Can a chahoua gecko eat that?

Geckos split into two diets that share almost nothing: insectivores like the leopard gecko, and the fruit-and-insect species like the crested gecko. Check which one you have.

Never (13)

Rare treats (1)

Occasional (4)

Everyday foods (4)

That food is not on our list. Check which kind of gecko you have first — the two diets barely overlap — then ask an exotics vet.

Dust feeders with calcium to the schedule in the species guide, and keep a small dish of plain calcium available for insectivorous species.

Search this list

What it really costs

Setup, monthly, first year and across a whole life, itemised and with the electricity worked out from the actual wattage. Published figures for the same animal disagree by a factor of four, so the calculator shows ranges rather than picking one.

Work out the cost of a chahoua gecko