Among the branches with a Chahoua gecko.

A Chahoua gecko is Mniarogekko chahoua: a nocturnal, arboreal gecko from New Caledonian forests. Its mossy camouflage, broad toe pads, and grasping tail make sense in a tall, covered climbing home—not a bare display tank.

They can suit a well-prepared keeper, but they are not a shortcut to a small, easy enclosure. Before one arrives, have the adult home running: safe climbing routes, cover, humidity dry-down, fresh air, food and water, secure doors, temperature choices, a night-dark routine, and a reptile veterinarian.

About 30 cm (12 in) total length is a helpful adult picture. Published care guides commonly cite roughly 25–31 cm, while primary descriptions note a body up to about 147 mm with a substantial tail. Plan the adult enclosure, not the baby gecko you first see.

Think in decades. Published care guides commonly cite 15–20 years, with husbandry and veterinary care mattering throughout. The adult enclosure, moves, routine, and a backup plan are part of the choice—not just the first few months.

Most of the interesting life happens after dusk and through the night: climbing cork, moving between cover, looking for food, and choosing a perch. During the day, a Chahoua usually wants a quiet retreat rather than an audience.

Do not treat hobby locality labels as recognized subspecies or personality types. Mniarogekko chahoua has no described subspecies, and Mniarogekko jalu is a separate species—not a Chahoua locale. Choose an individual for its documented origin and care needs, not a story attached to a label.

Use at least 60 × 60 × 90 cm (24 × 24 × 36 in) of usable internal space as a one-adult consumer planning floor. Then make it useful with anchored vertical routes, cover, food and water access, ventilation, shade, and escape-proof doors. Dimensions alone do not make a good home.

Plan one adult per home. Territorial conflict can seriously harm geckos, so do not market sharing an enclosure as companionship. A richly furnished, separate home is the calm default.

Handling should be brief, low, calm, and optional. Support the whole body and let the gecko choose whether to step on; if it flees, repeatedly jumps, or retreats, end the interaction. Never grab, pinch, lift, or restrain it by the tail.

Do not heat the whole enclosure by assumption. If the room needs supplemental heat, the current species guide uses a gentle 26–28°C (79–82°F) upper opportunity, a 21–25°C (70–77°F) cooler area, and 18–22°C (64–72°F) nights. These are bounded secondary targets: measure the places the gecko uses and keep every heat source guarded and thermostatically controlled.

Use a mist-and-dry rhythm with open ventilation, not a constantly wet enclosure. A current species guide describes roughly 60–80% through a cycle, but fresh air, dry-down, the substrate, and the places the gecko rests matter as much as a number. Do not chase all-day condensation.

The honest answer is that sources do not support a universal rule. A current guide uses low-level UVI 1–2 in exposed space, while general veterinary guidance makes lighting setup-specific. If you use UVB, keep it low-level, measured, limited to part of the home, and paired with genuine shade; do not rely on bulb percentage or a generic distance chart.

Choose a surface that lets you monitor a new gecko's food, waste, hydration, and shed changes clearly. A healthy established gecko may use a well-managed naturalistic substrate, but it is a whole-home decision—not a decoration purchase. Keep it managed, never waterlogged.

A complete formulated New Caledonian gecko diet is the practical everyday foundation. Appropriately sized live invertebrates can add variety, but feeding details follow the individual gecko, product instructions, body condition, lighting plan, and reptile-veterinary guidance.

Not as a universal rule. Live invertebrates are a real care decision, not a rigid percentage or a throwaway extra. If you offer them, plan to source them safely, choose a safe size, care for them appropriately, remove any left behind, and keep feeder work out of food-preparation areas.

There is no single calendar that fits every Chahoua gecko. Follow the complete-diet product directions, then adjust food quantity, live invertebrates, and supplements with a reptile veterinarian to the gecko's age, body condition, appetite, lighting plan, and setup.

Yes. Keep clean fresh water available at all times, and use misting as part of the measured humidity rhythm. Droplets can be useful, but they do not replace a stable dish, open ventilation, or a day that can dry down.

Do not pull stuck skin. Check the humidity rhythm, water, cover, textured surfaces, toes, eyes, and skin. Recurring shed trouble or toe and eye concerns are reasons to call a reptile veterinarian, not to keep escalating home fixes.

Call for persistent changes in appetite, weight, droppings, activity, eyes, skin, shedding, tail, movement, breathing, swelling, weakness, or injury. These are reasons to call, not a diagnosis.

Yes. Wash your hands after the gecko, food, live invertebrates, waste, water, or enclosure equipment, and keep all supplies out of kitchens and food-preparation areas. Take particular care in homes with young children, older adults, or immunocompromised people.

Set up and run the adult enclosure before adoption. Confirm its climbing routes, secure doors, warm and cooler retreats, humidity dry-down, ventilation, shade, water, food ledge, cleaning routine, transport plan, and reptile-veterinary contact. Then choose a documented captive-bred gecko or reputable rescue.