Bauer’s Chameleon gecko is a small species from New Caledonia, distantly related to the ever popular crested geckos and gargoyle geckos. Originally classified in 2001 and named in honour of the American Herpetologist Aaron Bauer. They are unusual both in appearance and behaviour, what these geckos lack in size they certainly make up for in character. They are a laid back species that become very tame, rather than running fast they tend to shuffle along on their belly or use slow and deliberate movement to avoid catching a predators eye. They don’t rely on speed to escape predators. Interestingly they have the ability to squirt a sticky distasteful mucous from glands in their tail if startled, the same as in Australian spiny tailed geckos (Strophurus) however we have never seen a chameleon gecko do this as they are far too laid back.

In the wild they would be found in low shrubs were they would hunt small insects eat fruit and nectar from flowers, they are adept climbers that prefer to rest on thin twigs rather than large branches.

Chameleon Geckos make an excellent pet species for those with more limited space as their care is virtually identical to that of crested and gargoyle geckos but in a more compact enclosure.