Leachianus vs Chahoua

[liljenn]

Ok, I've decide my next gecko will be either a Leachianus or Chahoua. I saw & held a leachie at the last reptile show, and have been :smitten: with these wonderful creatures since. I've been reading as much as possible about them and recently learned about Chahoua geckos. I couldn't find as much info on these but size wise ... they look to grow to about the same as a leo. They sound more docile than the leachie but is that dependant on the animal? I certainly don't want an aggressive gecko, since I show my geckos to the home school group. The leachie I held was just wonderful! And I liked the size of the leachie.

For those of you who own both, can you tell me the pros/cons or general differences of the husbandry & personalities?

 

[liljenn]

Anyone want to tackle this one for me??

 

[yellermelon]

Leachies are cooool

 

[liljenn]

:devil: I can't take advice from you... you're a bad influence on me!!

If I listen to you, I'll end up with BOTH!!! ... and then some! :main_laugh: (probably will anyway:main_rolleyes: ...)

 

[Kristi23]

I'm not much help since I only have a leachie. I got to hold a Chahoua at a show awhile back and just fell in love with it. I'm hoping to get one someday in the future. They're both really neat animals. I do love my leachie though. She's really active at night and makes cute noises.

 

[Haroldo]

They sound more docile than the leachie but is that dependant on the animal? I certainly don't want an aggressive gecko, since I show my geckos to the home school group. The leachie I held was just wonderful! And I liked the size of the leachie.

For those of you who own both, can you tell me the pros/cons or general differences of the husbandry & personalities?

First question of concern I have for you: How often do you plan on "showing" the animal?

I've kept R. chahoua and R. l. henkeli in the past and have found their personalities are somewhat variable. I was told chahoua were "laid-back" but had a female mainland that loved to lounge at anyone near her cage. I had a male henkeli (Nuu Ami) that wasn't aggressive, but was skittish. There are always exceptions to the rule and you need to accept that. Animals are often stressed out at shows and are lethargic. Give them their own cage and some security, and you can see a "personality" shift...

There's not much difference in husbandry perhaps except cage size. My pair of henkeli had a 90-gallon to share and my chahoua only got 45-gallons.

 

[liljenn]

Thanks, Kristi & Harold!

As far as "showing", it would be maybe once or twice a year to teach kids about reptiles, different types of geckos, & maybe genetics. My kids are ages 4-13 yrs old, and it would be to their home school groups. I would show them, not pass them around! However, my children do like to hold the geckos,too.

I have been planning to get a leachie hatchling in the next couple months, so I was doing a lot of research & read that they can be aggressive. I wasn't sure if this was a general fact (like tokays) or variable by animal (like dogs). I am okay with the fact that animal's personalities vary.

Harold, approx. how big are the chahouas? Like an average leo?

 

[godzillizard]

Get a henkeli leachie!!! They are generally way more chill than the GT types, plus they are less than half the price. I have 8 henkeli (purebreds and mutts) and 3 GTs--the island forms are WAY more relaxed--but these guys live in hollows, so they need the security of their fort to do well. They will whistle at you when they want to go back into their "fort". On the other hand, chahoua like to sit in the open and are way more active, but that generally translates to a less handleable animal. For your plans, i'd get a young leachie, and only handle him/her when you clean the cage. Then once it gets to be 25+g, then I'd slowly start handling it. They are a totally different creature as hatchlings

Chahoua are about the size of a regular leo. Pines are bigger and fiestier, but the mains have an even cuter face...

 

[liljenn]

Thanks for the info, Brian! I have a GT x Isle E leachie on hold. Just hatched this weekend! I am SO excited! Thanks for the handling advise too. I do want one that I can handle.

 

[seonage]

I love lechianus... You can see muy vídeo with one of my lechies but... If you don´t have space I recomend you get a chaoua... There are amazing too...

Playing with my Giant Gecko



Best regards...

www.geckoscrestados.com