Leachianus Gecko Care Guide

Rhacodactylus leachianus

Common Names: Leachianus Gecko, Leachie, New Caledonian Giant Gecko, Leach’s Giant Gecko
Last Updated: August 2026

Leachianus Geckos (Rhacodactylus leachianus) are the largest living species of gecko and one of the most impressive reptiles native to New Caledonia.

Often referred to simply as “Leachies,” these powerful arboreal geckos are known for their massive size, loose textured skin, strong gripping feet, vocalizations, and distinctive personalities.

Different localities and populations can vary considerably in adult size, structure, coloration, and behavior, making Leachianus one of the most diverse and fascinating New Caledonian geckos to keep.

Leachianus Geckos can be extremely rewarding animals for keepers prepared to provide appropriate housing, nutrition, temperature, humidity, enrichment, and long-term care.

They are also a significant long-term commitment. Leachianus may live 20 years or considerably longer in captivity with proper husbandry.

Let’s break down what you need to help your Leachianus Gecko thrive.

HOUSING

Enclosure Size

Leachianus Geckos are large, powerful arboreal animals that require substantial usable space for climbing, resting, exploring, and moving throughout their environment.

Rather than focusing solely on one specific set of enclosure dimensions, consider the total usable space available to the animal, its adult size, and the complexity of the habitat.

Young Leachianus can be maintained in appropriately sized grow-out enclosures that allow their feeding, hydration, waste, growth, and overall health to be closely monitored.

Because Leachianus grow substantially larger than most other New Caledonian geckos, their housing should be upgraded as they develop.

Adult Leachianus should be provided with a spacious, vertically oriented habitat that allows them to:

• Climb vertically
• Move horizontally and diagonally
• Stretch and reposition comfortably
• Move between multiple levels
• Hide within elevated retreats
• Explore
• Hunt live prey
• Thermoregulate
• Choose between exposed and heavily covered areas

The needs of an adult Leachianus can vary considerably depending on the individual animal and locality.

Larger animals require correspondingly greater usable space.

Housing Compatibility

For most pet situations, we recommend housing Leachianus Geckos individually.

Leachianus can be highly territorial, and interactions between incompatible animals can result in serious injury.

In the wild, adult male-female pairs may occupy and defend tree hollows, but captive conditions dramatically limit the amount of space available for animals to avoid one another.

Established breeding pairs are sometimes maintained together by experienced breeders, but compatibility should never be assumed.

Even previously compatible pairs can become aggressive toward one another.

Male and female Leachianus should therefore only be paired intentionally for responsible breeding and monitored carefully. Separate housing should always be available.

Adult males should never be housed together.

Enclosure Setup & Enrichment

Leachianus are strongly associated with trees, bark, hollows, and elevated retreats.

A well-designed enclosure should include a variety of large, sturdy structures such as:

• Large cork bark pieces
• Cork tubes and hollows
• Thick branches
• Horizontal and diagonal climbing surfaces
• Elevated ledges
• Large hiding areas
• Live or artificial foliage
• Shaded retreats
• Multiple levels of usable space

Leachianus are extremely strong geckos, so all enclosure furnishings should be securely mounted.

Cork tubes and other hollow structures are particularly valuable because they mimic the type of enclosed arboreal retreats Leachianus commonly use.

Foliage and cover should be distributed throughout the enclosure while still providing enough room for such a large-bodied animal to move comfortably.

Naturalistic and bioactive enclosures can provide additional opportunities for exploration and enrichment when properly designed and maintained.

Substrate

Paper towel is an excellent option for quarantine, young animals, newly acquired geckos, or whenever closely monitoring waste and health is important.

For established animals, naturalistic tropical substrates can also be used.

Bioactive setups may incorporate appropriate soil mixtures, coconut fiber, bark, leaf litter, live plants, and cleanup crews.

A quality substrate can also help buffer humidity and create a more natural environment.

Avoid substrates containing fertilizers, pesticides, aromatic wood products, or other potentially harmful materials.

TEMPERATURE, LIGHTING & HUMIDITY

Temperature

Leachianus Geckos should be provided with a temperature gradient rather than being maintained at one uniform temperature throughout the enclosure.

A good general range is:

Daytime Ambient: Approximately 72–78°F
Warmer Upper Area: Approximately 78–82°F
Cooler Areas: Approximately 70–75°F
Night: Temperatures can fall into the upper 60s°F for healthy animals.

A gentle temperature gradient allows the gecko to regulate its own body temperature by moving between warmer and cooler areas.

Avoid prolonged temperatures above approximately 85°F, particularly when the animal cannot retreat to a cooler area.

Depending on your home’s temperature, supplemental heating may not always be necessary.

If supplemental heat is used, it should create a localized warmer area rather than raising the temperature of the entire enclosure.

Any heating equipment should be appropriately controlled and monitored.

Use accurate digital thermometers to monitor conditions throughout the enclosure.

Lighting

Leachianus Geckos are primarily nocturnal, but they should still experience a consistent day/night cycle.

Approximately 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness works well for most setups.

Quality LED lighting can provide visible daylight while supporting live plant growth in naturalistic and bioactive enclosures.

Avoid red, blue, or other colored nighttime bulbs. Leachianus should be allowed to experience natural darkness at night.

UVB

Leachianus have historically been maintained successfully without supplemental UVB when receiving adequate dietary vitamin D3.

However, modern reptile husbandry increasingly recognizes the potential benefits of providing appropriately controlled low-level UVB to nocturnal and crepuscular reptiles.

For this reason, we recommend providing appropriate low-level UVB when the enclosure and setup allow it.

UVB strength and placement should be selected based on:

• Fixture type
• Bulb output
• Distance from the animal
• Enclosure height
• Screen obstruction
• Available shade
• Manufacturer recommendations

The enclosure should contain plenty of shaded areas and retreats so the gecko can choose whether or not to be exposed.

UVB should not be placed behind glass or acrylic because these materials significantly block UVB radiation.

Humidity

Leachianus Geckos thrive in relatively humid environments, but humidity should naturally fluctuate rather than remaining constantly high.

Current husbandry guidance generally recommends average humidity around 60–80%, with humidity naturally rising at night and falling during the day.

A good general target is:

After Misting: Approximately 70–80%+
Normal Ambient Period: Approximately 55–70%

Allow portions of the enclosure to dry between misting cycles.

Constantly saturated substrate, continuously wet surfaces, and stagnant air should be avoided.

Misting frequency will vary depending on enclosure design, ventilation, substrate, plants, room humidity, and local climate.

For many setups, a thorough evening misting works well, with additional misting only when environmental conditions require it.

Proper ventilation and fresh airflow are equally important.

Use a reliable digital hygrometer to monitor conditions rather than relying solely on a predetermined misting schedule.

FEEDING & WATER

Complete Gecko Diet

Leachianus Geckos are omnivores.

Their natural diet can include fruit, nectar or plant material, insects, spiders, and even small vertebrate prey.

In captivity, a high-quality commercially prepared Complete Gecko Diet (CGD) should make up a major portion of the diet.

Brands such as Pangea and Repashy produce nutritionally complete diets appropriate for New Caledonian geckos.

Always prepare complete diets according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Young, growing Leachianus can generally be offered fresh complete gecko diet very frequently.

Healthy adults can typically be offered CGD several times per week depending on the individual animal’s body condition, activity level, reproductive status, and appetite.

Because Leachianus can become very large-bodied animals, portion size and feeding frequency should be adjusted to maintain healthy body condition rather than encouraging excessive weight gain.

Remove uneaten prepared food before it spoils.

Fruit, baby food, honey, or homemade fruit mixtures should not be relied upon as the primary fruit-based portion of the diet because they do not provide the carefully balanced nutrition of a professionally formulated complete gecko diet.

Insects & Animal Protein

Live insects can provide valuable nutrition, variety, hunting behavior, exercise, and enrichment.

Good feeder options include:

• Crickets
• Dubia roaches
• Discoid roaches
• Other appropriately sized and nutritionally suitable feeder insects

Young Leachianus may show particularly strong feeding responses toward live prey.

Healthy adults can also be offered insects regularly as part of a varied diet, with frequency adjusted based on body condition, growth, activity, reproductive status, and the complete diet being used.

Feeder insects should be properly gut-loaded before feeding.

Appropriate calcium and vitamin supplementation should be used according to the animal’s overall diet and whether UVB is being provided.

High-fat feeders such as waxworms and superworms should be offered in moderation rather than used as staple feeders.

Although wild Leachianus may consume small vertebrates, routinely feeding captive vertebrate prey is generally unnecessary when a balanced complete gecko diet and appropriate insects are provided.

Water

A sturdy dish of clean, fresh water should always be available.

Leachianus may also drink droplets from leaves, cork bark, branches, and enclosure surfaces following misting.

Because adults are powerful animals, use a water dish that cannot be easily overturned.

Clean the dish and replace the water regularly.

HANDLING & INTERACTION

Leachianus Geckos can develop fascinating individual personalities, but temperament varies considerably between animals.

Some may become relatively calm and tolerant of handling, while others remain defensive or highly territorial around their enclosure.

Give New Geckos Time to Settle

After bringing a new Leachianus Gecko home, allow it time to acclimate before beginning regular handling.

The animal should have an opportunity to establish normal feeding, drinking, and behavior first.

Understand Territorial Behavior

Leachianus are naturally territorial animals.

Some individuals may display defensive behavior primarily while inside their enclosure but become considerably calmer once removed.

This is commonly referred to as cage or enclosure defensiveness.

Defensive behaviors may include:

• Vocalizing
• Lunging
• Biting
• Posturing
• Attempting to drive the keeper away from a retreat or territory

These behaviors do not necessarily mean the animal is permanently aggressive.

Learning the behavior of your individual gecko is important.

Approach Carefully

Use slow, deliberate movements.

Avoid suddenly reaching directly into an occupied hiding area or attempting to pull the gecko forcefully from a cork tube or retreat.

Whenever possible, encourage the animal to move voluntarily onto your hand or another secure surface.

Support the Gecko

Adult Leachianus are heavy, muscular geckos.

Support the entire body when handling and allow the animal to maintain secure footing whenever possible.

Never squeeze or restrain the animal unnecessarily.

Because Leachianus can jump or move unexpectedly, handling should occur in a secure area where a fall cannot cause injury.

Never Grab the Tail

Never lift, pull, or restrain a Leachianus Gecko by its tail.

Leachianus can drop their tails through autotomy.

Although tail loss is a natural defense mechanism, it should never be intentionally triggered through poor handling.

Be Respectful of Bites

Adult Leachianus have powerful jaws.

A defensive bite from a large adult can be painful and may cause injury.

Avoid turning handling into a confrontation. If an animal becomes highly defensive or stressed, calmly return it to its enclosure and try again another time.

Keep Handling Sessions Controlled

Begin with short, controlled sessions and gradually increase interaction based on the individual animal’s response.

Handling should be a positive and predictable experience rather than something the animal is repeatedly forced to tolerate.

Keep Other Pets Away

Never allow your Leachianus Gecko to interact directly with cats, dogs, or other household pets.

Even seemingly calm interactions can result in serious injury.

ROUTINE HEALTH & MONITORING

Getting familiar with what is normal for your individual Leachianus Gecko makes it much easier to recognize potential problems early.

Regularly monitor:

• Body weight and body condition
• Appetite
• Feces and urates
• Activity level
• Eyes and skin
• Toes and feet
• Jaw and bone structure
• Tail condition
• Shedding
• Hydration
• Breathing
• Changes in behavior

A digital gram scale capable of safely weighing larger animals is an excellent tool for monitoring growth and adult body condition.

Shedding

Healthy Leachianus periodically shed their skin and may consume the shed afterward.

Proper hydration, humidity cycles, and access to textured surfaces help support normal shedding.

Pay particular attention to the toes, feet, and tail area for retained shed.

When to Contact a Veterinarian

Contact a veterinarian experienced with reptiles if your gecko develops concerning symptoms such as:

• Significant or unexplained weight loss
• Persistent refusal to eat accompanied by weight loss or other symptoms
• Swelling
• Abnormal jaw or limb structure
• Persistent retained shed
• Difficulty breathing
• Discharge from the eyes, nose, or mouth
• Significant lethargy or weakness
• Persistent abnormal feces
• Injury
• Neurological symptoms
• Any sudden or significant change in normal behavior

Routine wellness examinations with a qualified reptile veterinarian can also be an important part of preventative care.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Leachianus Geckos are truly remarkable animals.

Their enormous size, powerful build, incredible camouflage, vocalizations, territorial behavior, and individual personalities make them unlike almost any other gecko in captivity.

Responsible ownership begins with understanding that their larger size and powerful nature require more substantial housing, sturdy furnishings, appropriate nutrition, environmental choice, and respectful interaction than many smaller gecko species.

A spacious and complex habitat, secure climbing structures, elevated retreats, appropriate lighting, temperature and humidity cycles, balanced nutrition, fresh water, enrichment, and regular health monitoring all help create an environment where a Leachianus Gecko can display more of its natural behaviors and thrive.

Reptile husbandry continues to evolve as we learn more about animal welfare, nutrition, lighting, and natural behavior. We encourage every keeper to continue learning and to adjust their husbandry as better information becomes available.

At Guardians of the Geckos, our goal isn’t simply to produce incredible geckos. We want every animal we produce to go into a home prepared to provide excellent lifelong care.

Passion. Innovation. Genetics.

This care guide provides general husbandry information and is not a substitute for veterinary advice. Individual animals, localities, and circumstances may require different care. If you have concerns about the health of your Leachianus Gecko, consult a qualified reptile veterinarian.