Leachianus With Fight Scars Leachianus Baby High Pink

So far this year has been a peculiar one, as far as my reptilian menagerie. Years ago I swore that I would never proceed some other animal besides a chameleon (dogs non withstanding) because nothing could be equally interesting or challenging to keep as a chameleon. I was mayhap right to a degree, only equally I stand in my new lilliputian reptile room/office and admire my ten not-chameleon pets, I accept contradicted myself on every regard!

In May, every bit a altogether nowadays to myself I purchased a bonded pair of R. leachianus geckos (New Caledonian Giant Geckos), allegedly belonging to the Nuu Ana locality. I had always toyed with the idea of keeping leachies, only for the cost of ane of these beauties I was never sure I could justify it if they were going to be irksome to keep. Who wants to pay $800+ for a giant blob of gecko wrinkles that yous can't handle and that doesn't move all 24-hour interval? This pair was for sale at a ridiculously reasonable price, so I snatched them upwardly and I've been so glad!

This is written with simply virtually 5 months of experience with this species just as they are dominating my Instagram, I am getting bombarded with questions on how I care for mine. Below are 5 things I've learned well-nigh them while they've been function of my piffling household.

My big cute male person, Atticus.

ane. Your decorating skills mean nothing to these inconsiderate wrinkly lizardpigs*.

Ah yes, housing. I go on my pair divide in two Exo Terra terrariums measuring 24" Westward x 24" H x 18" D, which is a niggling more generous in size than what most people use (I believe for pocket-size localities people opt for the 18" W ones to salve a picayune space) but this means I could house them together during mating season. I will go into why they are separate a little farther down.

As my long-time readers may perhaps know, I put a lot of attempt into decorating my enclosures. I go on and on extensively near environmental enrichment, so naturally my enclosures are total of species-appropriate décor, like branches, logs, plants, and substrate. Things to climb, things to dig into, etc. Leachianus geckos, however, have no regard for your carefully orchestrated cages. Oh no. These behemoths of the gecko world will disregard all your carefully placed branches and choose instead to hang vertically from the drinking glass sides. At feeding time, they volition take their over-sized cadger easily and finger-paint the murals of the Sistine Chapel beyond the front of their glass terrarium. And every bit if that wasn't insulting enough, they seem to savor leaving their mail service-meal… deposits, to streak down as much glass equally possible before landing in some tough-to-make clean cork.

I practise provide a mild UVB seedling across the top of the cages, nether which they practise seem to enjoy basking at least a portion of the day. My female also gets a depression-wattage basking bulb that she does use, particularly when she is gestating some eggs.

2. Ready to be serenaded at night, and quite loudly.

Accepted to the chirps and squeaks of crested geckos, I expected leachies to be along the aforementioned vein. Louder, perhaps, only in a similar family of gentle, unobtrusive sounds. Boy was I naive!

Leachies have up to fifteen recognized different noises, most of which I have discovered every bit I was startled awake by a telephone call on the contrary side of the apartment, through a airtight door. Barking, whistling, chirping, screaming, groaning, growling, etc. One leachie is apparently quiet. Two or more than leachies seem to have a lot to say to each other, and very loudly.

iii. Mango is King.

A big plus to this species, after having kept large chameleons, is that they can consume the crested gecko diets then I don't have to worry about procuring a varied diet of large insects. They will gladly consume their CGD (specially if it'south mango flavored), and volition most certainly go after mashed fresh mango, but volition non go after live food with a lot of gusto and enthusiasm. It seems that annihilation that promotes a relatively lazy, easy existence is preferred over having to chase down a live cricket. It is just too much attempt. Belongings up an insect in tongs? Still too much endeavour. I accept watched Petra take a roach from tongs, chew it just long enough to impale information technology, and and then spit it out unceremoniously. Simply not worth swallowing. Simply non mango.

Petra gets tong-fed some fresh mango, buy optics the camera suspiciously.

4. Leachie Tinder would be even weirder than human being Tinder.

Every bit anyone that is familiar with this species may know, courting is an ordeal. This species pair bonds and two uniform animals may breed and cohabitate together successfully for years. However, what I did not know when I first got my pair is that leachie amour is a very tumultuous affair, even in bonded pairs. Mine would bite at each other, scream, whistle, and grunt in displeasure with each other. I proceeded to separate them, worried they were no longer compatible animals. A few professional breeders bodacious me that this was completely normal behavior, that most leachie pairs are never completely peaceful. I was even told about a successful pair where the female bites off and eats the male'south tail every single year. But considering!

This is Petra, my pretty female. Y'all can see her head is scarred upwardly from fights with her paramour. She has left him some as well! And withal, they court each other, serenade each other, and sleep as closely together equally they can through the glass.

I reintroduced the pair, who lived together uneventfully another several weeks. Until 1 evening I hear a lot of racket (like flapping) in the cage and I pull abroad some cork flats to investigate. She was hanging from the glass with his entire confront in her mouth, while he was trying to furiously shimmy away! I separated them again, this being a bit as well crude for my tastes, and they will remain separate until next spring (when we shall endeavor again? Undecided yet.)

In a world where romance means "I'yard going to chew on your face, infant" I am reminded that man dating is non quite this difficult to navigate. Near, but not quite.

5. Babies are only tiny, adorable replicas of their wrinkly, lizardpig parents.

Incubating eggs turned out to exist extremely straightforward, compared to chameleon eggs. I left them at room temperature and fourscore days after I had two perfect hatchlings. No diapause catamenia, no viii-calendar month await. But a few short months and large, wrinkly, gecko piglets emerged. And my goodness, are they adorable! I promise that my female person will still lay a couple retained clutches because I do not know how I could possibly get rid of the babies and non keep at least one. Maybe keep all of them, I haven't decided how far I want to descend into this madness.

A few months ago I had no interest in convenance this species across only my little pair, but now? Is one pair of leachie lizardpigs enough? I cartel say that it may non be. And I am diddled abroad by the naturally occurring patterns, greens, pinks, and whites that this species displays. And so fourth dimension will tell if I stop up selling the two babies I have now (I've already named them) or if I begin the slow accumulation of more beautiful adults. We'll exit that for a unlike mail, mayhap.

My first hatchlings from this pair, hatched on September 19th, 2016.

Then these are just five of the things I've learned since taking in these strange geckos. I have to say I adore their fat, wrinkly bodies and their disproportionately large anxiety. Petra may be hell-bent on biting me (unless I offer fresh mango, and so we're on good terms) but Atticus is a gentle, shy lizard, and the 2 babies seem to be taking after dad's more complacent nature. I am so glad I finally decided to give this species a try, and I have been enthusiastically recommending them to anyone that likes New Caledonian geckos and wants to get something different.

While I am ever happy to respond questions and assist where I tin can, I do not feel experienced enough to assistance with very specific questions. A lot of lizard physiology and medicine is the same so I will help if I can but for advanced assistance with breeding, pairing successfully, or locale identification please seek out one of the meridian-notch breeders in the hobby that specialize in these guys.

*Lizardpig is not the correct scientific identifier for Rhacodactylus leachinaus, just I am a rebel.

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Source: http://www.muchadoaboutchameleons.com/2016/09/5-things-ive-learned-about-keeping.html