Rhacodactylus chahoua

Mossy geckos, or chahoua as they are often simply referred to by keepers, belong to the same genus as crested geckos and are also to be found in the tropical forests and scrublands of New Caledonia. My favourite of all the Rhacodactylus geckos, chahoua are, sadly, nowhere near as common as crested geckos, though their calm nature and gentle temperament mean that they fully deserve to be much more popular.

Appearance

In the wild chahoua, as their alternative common name suggests, rely on their resemblance to moss and lichens on tree branches to camouflage themselves from predators. Various shades of green is the background colour for most of these geckos, mottled against which are a variety of colours including white, brown, pink, red and black. The colouring of individual geckos can range from almost pure green to any combination of the above colours in varying degrees of intensity. Like crested geckos, chahoua also lack eyelids, but their eyes are very distinctive, being very pale pinkish-white in colour shot through by numerous deep red veins that give the eye an almost 'lightning strike' appearance. Overall, chahoua have a generally sleeker appearance than that of crested geckos, with slimmer, more elongate bodies. Their toes are also covered with lamellae, so they make excellent climbers and can scale vertical glass surfaces with ease. Climbing is assisted by the use of the tail, which, in this species, extremely prehensile and which is frequently used for gripping.

Adult male chahoua showing how well he can camouflage himself against bark Detail of a chahoua cleaning an eye with its tongue

Pale sub-adult female chahoua Dark sub-adult male chahoua

The top left hand photograph shows just how well the markings of a chahoua camouflage it against bark. As these geckos lack eyelids, they clean their eyes with their tongue, as shown in the photograph on the top right. Typical variations in colour between individual chahoua are shown in the bottom two images.

Size

Adult chahoua are the third largest of the species in the genus Rhacodactylus and can measure up to 250mm from tip of snout to the tip of their tails and can reach a weight of between 50g and 60g.

Sexing

As with most geckos, males can be distinguish by the presence of both a large hemipenile bulge and pre-anal pores, while these features are absent on females. It can, however, often be more difficult to detect the pores on these geckos than in some other species, as the mottling often apparent on their underside tends to obscure the pores themselves.

Pre-anal pores and hemipenile bulge of an sub-adult male chahoua

Sub-adult female chahoua showing absence of hemipenile bulge and pre-anal pores

The left hand photograph shows a A) the pre-anal pores and B) the hemipenile bulge of a sub-adult male chahoua. The image on the right shows an absence of these features in a sub-adult female chahoua.

Care requirements

The husbandry of chahoua is virtually identical to that required by the crested geckos and their care is therefore comparatively straightforward.

Housing

Chahoua can be kept as single animals, male: female pairs or breeding groups with one male and multiple females housed together. Under no circumstances, however, should two males be housed together, as they will fight.

Enclosure

Individual chahoua can be kept in arboreal vivarium measuring at least 45cm x 45cm x 60cm, though pairs of groups require somewhat larger enclosures measuring at least 50cm x 50cm x 80cm. Again, the high levels of humidity required by this species means that glass enclosures are preferable to wooden ones.

Temperature

It is frequently stated in care sheets that it is possible to keep chahoua without additional heating as long as the ambient daytime temperature of the room in which they are kept lies within a range between 21°C and 27°C (70°F and 80°F). However, even when the ambient room temperature is in the desired range, I have found that it can sometimes be difficult to create a suitable temperature gradient within the vivaria to enable the geckos to thermoregulate properly and have therefore recently started using incandescent light bulbs to create a basking spot for all of my Rhacodactylus sp geckos, including the R. chahoua. The bulbs are housed in canopies placed above the vivaria and, as always with all artificial heat sources, are controlled by suitable thermostats (for personal preference I use Habistat dimmer stats). Using this technique, I have been able to produce a thermal gradient of between 27C (80F) directly under the basking spot and 21C (70F) at the base of the vivarium. Since introducing the basking spots, I have noticed a positive change in the behaviour of my geckos: overall, they are considerably more active and there has been a noticeable improvement in their (already good) appetites.

Humidity

Chahoua require humidity levels of between aproximately 55% and 80%. Though it will obviously depend upon the ventilation provided in any given enclosure, for chahoua kept at temperatures of about 24°C (75°), spraying the vivarium with water so that all foliage and other decor is dripping wet once per day will often result in a humidity peak of approximately 80%; this will then fall over the course of the next 24 hours, until a minimum if between 55% and 60% is reached immediately before the enclosure is sprayed once again.

Lighting

As long as chahoua have access to sufficient natural light from a window to enable them to establish a day-night cycle, then artificial lighting is not absolutely essential. However, I have found that using an incandescent bulb to create a basking spot (see temperature) and also offering UVB light has had a beneficial effect on my geckos health..

Substrate

The best substrate to use for this species is one that retains moisture sufficiently so that the humidity level that they require is maintained. This can be achieved using eco earth or something similar.

Decor

Chahoua are semi-arboreal and therefore should be provided with numerous branches, pieces of cork bark etc, though the greater size of chahoua means that these should be more substantial than the branches used for crested geckos. Also, unlike crested geckos, chahoua display a noticeable preference for resting and sleeping on ledges rather than concealed among foliage. It is therefore advisable to provide them with cork tubes and ledges arranged in a variety of orientations within the vivarium, so that they can select an appropriate resting place to enable them to thermoregulate effectively. I have noticed that the MagNaturals Gecko ledges seem especially popular with my chahoua and therefore provide at least a few in every vivarium. Foliage, in the form of either real or fake plants, should also be provided to screen the vivarium and, therefore make the chahoua feel more secure.

Example of a <em>Rhacodactylus sp</em> gecko vivarium

Further example of a <em>Rhacodactylus sp</em> gecko vivarium

The above images show examples of the vivaria I use to house geckos of the genus Rhacodactylus.

Feeding

Chahoua are omnivores, who will readily eat a variety of feeder insects (including crickets, locusts and roaches), lightly puréed or chopped fruits (mango, cherries, plums and figs being especially popular) and proprietary Crested Gecko Diet. I have observed that, not only are my chahoua all extremely enthusiastic hunters, but also that they appear to thrive on a higher proportion of protein in their diet compared to crested geckos. I therefore alternate between offering them feeders and fruit. Although I do offer my chahoua CGD occasionally, this forms only a minor component of their diet: not only does this allow me to offer food that more closely replicates their natural diet, but it also enables me to adapt supplementation regime to the requirements of an individual gecko.

Water

Although chahoua generally drink by licking at the droplets that collect on foliage as their vivarium is misted, they will also occasionally take water from a bowl too. A small bowl of clean water should therefore be available in the vivarium at all times.

Supplements

All feeder insects should be gutloaded and dusted with a pure calcium powder, with a small quantity of calcium also being mixed into puréed fruit. Further supplementation is not generally required as long as CGD is used as a staple, as this contains a balance of all the vitamins and minerals these geckos require.

Hatchling / juvenile care

As with crested geckos, hatchling and juvenile chahoua are best housed in large faunariums or smaller vivariums (30cm x 30cm x 45cm is ideal) that are fully screened with foliage to make them feel more secure. Young chahoua are much more robust than their crested gecko counterparts, so provision of pieces of cork bark etc to allow these geckos ample climbing opportunities is essential. Chahoua, generally, grow very rapidly however and will therefore quickly outgrow their small enclosure and need to be moved into their adult home.

Young juvenile chahoua Four month old chahoua

The left hand image shows a young juvenile chahoua displaying the typical 'baggy' appearance of this species, together with the often adopted 'curled-tail' pose. The photograph on the right shows a juvenile chahoua of approximately four months of age.

Family Gekkonidae Subfamily Diplodactylinae