Housing: Similar to that of a crested gecko (R. ciliatus), however on a larger scale. My chahouas are kept in a screen enclosure that measures 36" tall x 18" wide x 18" long. A live (thick) ficus tree, cork hollows, PVC pipe with twisted Bend-A-Branches, and silk leaves decorate the enclosure and provide the chahouas with ample climbing areas and hide spots.
Paper towels serve as the substrate, as I prefer not to do naturalistic enclosures with my Rhacodactylus. Using paper towels practically eliminates the risk of impaction and offers the added bonus of being very easy to clean (and monitor stools).
I also spray down the enclosure once or twice a day to increase humidity and allow the geckos to lap water from their silk leaves.
Temperature: 72-82 degrees.
Feeding:
My chahouas are actually very big "bug lovers"... nothing beats a nice, juicy cricket or roach as far as they're concerned! They're fed an alternating diet of crickets one day and a liquid diet the next, with sporadic treats of what I like to call "Super Mixture". (Recipe below.)
The length of the insects you feed to your geckos should be no larger than the width of your gecko's head to prevent choking. Be sure that the crickets have been properly gut-loaded before feeding them to your geckos to increase the nutritional content. Commercial cricket food is available at local pet stores, or you can also feed them fresh fruits and vegetables. Crickets are dusted with "Rep-Cal" and "Herptivite" 2x per week.
"Super Mixture" Recipe:
2 bananas
1 mango
3 med. apricots
2 peaches
5-7 strawberries
low-fat plain yogurt
1 jar chicken baby food
Blend everything together and...voila! Super Mixture is born. This recipe was given to me by a friend, and I have to say that it's worked out great. I changed it a little, but the chahouas love it! Keep in mind that the recipe can be reduced and it's not set in stone, you can add another peach, take away a banana, etc. Prepared like this, it lasts me a while, and I have a lot of geckos that eat it. Sometimes I'll also add a little Herptivite or Rep-Cal, but not often since it's just fed as an occasional treat and they get most of their vitamins from the dusted crickets.
Breeding:
The first step in breeding chahouas is to sex your chahoua. Male chahouas have a large hemipenile bulge and enlarged cloacal spurs. Males also possess pre-anal pores which can be seen with a 10x jewelers loupe when the gecko is about 3" snout-to-vent length.
Chahouas are usually ready to breed at 15-18 months of age. They should be separated until they are the proper size to prevent premature breeding that can put your female at risk for calcium deficiency.
After placing the male and female together, add an egg-laying container (washed out "butter" tub) with moistened perlite/vermiculite, Bed-a-Beast or moss to the enclosure for the female to deposit her eggs. Some females, however, ignore their lay boxes and prefer to keep you on your toes, hunting for eggs. Chahoua eggs are highly calcified, so be sure to keep a close eye on your female's calcium intake so she doesn't "crash".
Once the eggs are laid, place them in an incubator (I just use a regular tupperware with holes punched in the lid) with moistened perlite and bury the eggs 2/3 of the way. DO NOT ROTATE THE EGGS! Chahouas usually lay about 3 clutches a year and the babies hatch out after 65-95 days of incubation. (Average being 70 days.)
Because the eggs are so highly calcified and there is such a delicate calcium balance... many breeders only hatch out about half of their eggs.
Other:
These geckos are extremely sweet and very loveable with their "monkey-like" tails and inquisitiveness. Definitely a must-have for the Rhacodactylus enthusiast.
