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New Caledonian Giant Gecko - Pine Island
Rhacodactylus leachianus
The 'Pine Island' locality of the New Caledonian Giant Gecko is highly prized for its compact build and brilliant pink blotches. It needs a humid, vertical terrarium.
Class:Squamata
Order:Squamata
Family:Diplodactylidae
Genus:Rhacodactylus
Species:Rhacodactylus leachianus*
* Pine Island
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
60 - 80 %
Day temperature
22 - 26 °C
Night temperature
18 - 21 °C
Adult size
28 cm
UVB
Low
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Endemic to the Isle of Pines (Isle of Pines), located south of the main island of New Caledonia. They inhabit the canopy of humid primary tropical forests, sheltering inside hollow trees during the day.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Belonging to the family Diplodactylidae. The 'Pine Island' locality is an insular form, highly prized in the hobby for its compact build and brilliant pink blotching.
Behavior and Habits: Strictly nocturnal and arboreal. They are highly territorial, defending their hides aggressively if disturbed. They vocalize at night with barks, clicks, and growls.
Morphology: Reaches 30–35 cm in length, being slightly shorter but stockier than Grande Terre morphs. Males have distinct hemipenal bulges and preanal pores. Females are broader and lack bulges and pores.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: A large vertical terrarium (minimum 60x45x90 cm) is required. Furnish with wide cork bark tubes, thick climbing branches, and sturdy foliage. Use a soil and coco fiber substrate to maintain moisture.
Lighting and Heating: Keep temperatures at 22–26°C. Avoid temperatures above 28°C as they can quickly lead to fatal heat stress. A 5% UVB source is highly recommended for bone health and behavior.
Humidity and Hydration: Maintain high humidity levels of 60–80%. Mist thoroughly every evening with dechlorinated water; the gecko will lick droplets. Good ventilation is crucial to prevent respiratory and skin fold infections.
Feeding and Supplementation: Feed a powdered gecko diet (70%) such as Pangea or Repashy. Supplement with live gut-loaded insects (crickets and Dubia roaches) dusted with calcium and D3 once a week.
Compatibility: Highly territorial. House individually. Only house in compatible, established pairs during breeding, monitoring closely.
Health and Common Diseases: Prone to metabolic bone disease (MBD) if calcium supplementation is ignored. Tail loss (autotomy) is permanent; the tail will not grow back.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Endemic to the Isle of Pines (Isle of Pines), located south of the main island of New Caledonia. They inhabit the canopy of humid primary tropical forests, sheltering inside hollow trees during the day.
Origin
Tropical oceans and reefsAustralia, New Guinea, and Oceania
Reptile profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 28 cm
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- No verified data available
- Activity cycle
- No verified data available
- Sociality
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Handling tolerance
- No verified data available
- Brumation
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 28 cm. The ReptTraits v1.2 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 28 cm for this species, recorded as snout–vent length (SVL). These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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