It was my eldest son's birthday this weekend and, alongside a Micro scooter, I managed to source a young adult Rhacodactylus leachianus - The New Caledonian Giant Gecko. This is a species he had noticed a while ago and I remember how it captivated his attention and imagination. He liked it more than the Green Tree Python, and that is saying something.
This Gecko is rare in the UK and was first collected in the 1980s. Subsequent expeditions in the 90s yielded additional stock and you often see animals sold as being genuine examples from island X,Y,Z etc.... In reality you cannot possibly know where your animal came from, unless you travel to the wet, wind swept islands of New Caledonia (east of Australia) and collect it yourself! We see the same situation with many other reptiles and unless the locale in question has very clear distinguishing characteristics, then it is entirely likely they are crosses from a variety of regions.
Recently the New Caledonian Giant Gecko was reclassified into one single species, whereas formerly it was two subspecies - R.leachianus leachianus and R. leachianus henkeli. The former was found on the primary island in the NC cluster (appropriately called Grand Terre). The smaller satellite islands were home to R.l.henkeli. Physically the satellite animals were often a little smaller and colours could vary, but they are the same species. Our male was sold as a Pine Island example but it is anyone's guess as to whether that is the case. He is certainly a very big Gecko.
I had to cunningly sneak the semi-arboreal lizard into our house and ensure the adjustment period produced a happy, settled gecko. This was a lot easier than I expected, largely due to his completely nocturnal behaviour. In the day he slept in his little tree house and at night would venture out and about. He was soon feeding regularly and thriving in the conditions.
This is a unique and beautiful animal. It is the biggest gecko you will ever clap eyes on (the Tokay - see picture below - is a similar size but doesn't have the same huge head and feet). The Tokay is also a very aggressive species - they can be tamed but are generally a bad choice of pet for children. The New Caledonian Giant Gecko is probably the most vocal of all lizard species. People living on the islands refer to them as the devil in the trees, because of the array of whistles, barks, growls and chirps they use to communicate with each other. Kept alone they are relatively quiet, however, and it takes another of their kind to provoke a proper conversation!
Purchasing a hatchling wouldn't have been suitable for us, because young kids need something they can work with immediately and that is fairly robust. You can't expect them to show the patience required to watch a very slow maturing species grow into an adult, which will finally (maybe) accept physical contact.
Getting a quality example, especially one that is calm, is tough. He tolerates handling but certainly does not appreciate it. Not a biter, which is essential, and once outside the vivarium he will sit in the hand calmly enough. Even so he is very pleased to go back in and I can't trust him in the same way as our other reptiles. Ultimately we will aim to pair him up and produce some hatchlings of our own, but that can wait a while. It is not as simple as putting a male with a female - this species is very particular about mates and will reject numerous candidates. Also they only produce a couple of eggs in each clutch, so it is not hard to see why prices are still high. A fantastic addition to the collection and one of the most amazing reptiles I have ever encountered.
