Sarasins’ giant gecko (Correlophus sarasinorum) sometimes also called Roux’s giant gecko is one of the rarest of the New Caledonian Geckos in the reptile keeping hobby. They are close relatives to Crested Geckos and Gargoyle geckos and the care is the same for all these species. They are native to the southern pat of Grande Terre the main island of New Caledonia. They have the appearance of a larger slender crested gecko with bigger eyes but lacking the crests. Some literature states they are less arboreal than the other New Caledonian species spending more time on the floor and in amongst leaf litter. This is not a statement that we agree with as in over a decade keeping and breeding them, we would not say this was an observable regular behaviour. We have found ours have the same habitat preferences and behave the same as both crested geckos and gargoyle geckos, often sleeping on the sides of pieces of bark or inside cork tubes rather than on the floor of the enclosure. They will thrive at moderate temperatures in naturalistic / bioactive enclosures and will eat both live insects and the specially formulated artificial crested gecko diets like Repashy, Blue river and Pangea. They are not an aggressive species and can be handled but it is worth noting that they can be a little more skittish and quicker than crested geckos unless handled regularly. Like Mossy geckos, the females can be protective over their nest sites. These definitely appeal to the gecko keeper afficionados that may be looking for a new challenge that still has the familiarity of care parameters to some of the more commonly kept species.

Sarasins’s giant geckos have a few morphs, the standard colouration is plain fawn coloured, there is then a dominant morph called “white collar” which gives them a white colloar marking across the back of the neck. There is also a white spotted morph which is recessive. The ones we produce are actually visual for both the white collar and some also have the white spotted trait, the rarest of the rare when it comes to colouration.