Mossy Geckos (Mniarogekko chahoua) are another medium sized New Caledonian gecko species. They are a close relative of Crested Geckos and Gargoyle geckos; all these species were previously in the same family until relatively recently. There are two populations in the wild, one on Grande Terre (the main island of New Caledonia) and a separate population from Pine Island (a smaller satellite island). Almost all pet mossy geckos originate from the population on Grande Terre. They are easy to care for as pets with identical care requirements to Crested Geckos. They only require moderate temperatures and will eat both live insects and any of the specially formulated crested gecko diets. They thrive in a naturalistic and Bioactive enclosures so their habitat will make a great display in the home. They don’t tend to be aggressive and are normally quite calm. They are a handleable species with great appeal to first time keepers who are perhaps wanting something like a crested gecko but a bit more unusual. If startled, they have an unusual defensive tactic best described as simply “tuck and roll”. They will voluntarily throw themselves from the branches of their enclosure onto the floor where they will remain motionless and curled up until they feel that danger has passed. Their wonderful, mottled colouring probably serves as a good means of camouflage on the forest floor if they remain motionless. They are simple to keep but much more difficult to breed than crested geckos as mossy gecko eggs have a secondary calcium layer that can cause hatchlings to be unable to escape the egg. Female Mossy geckos are one of a very limited number of gecko species that also show maternal instinct, they will guard their nest site to try and scare predators away from their eggs, so best to watch your fingers when removing eggs…

Like virtually all the animals we sell, these mossy geckos were bred right here in store, we have been working with some very good European bloodlines for the last 8-10 years and have a very vigorous healthy line of mossy geckos.