CHA - WHO - A

Went to the NY Metro Reptile Expo at White Plains, NY today and spent the entire day there from about 8:15 AM until about 4:15 PM. As opposed to usual for me at a reptile show, I barely looked around at any of the reptiles or amphibians. Instead, I spent almost all day at a vendor's table with John H, Rich H and Vin R. I brought along a Hermann's Tortoise and three Crested Gecko babies that I got rid of while there.

While I did not look at many herps at the expo, I managed to get two large bags of Keepers' Choice red cypress substrate and a jar of Rep-Cal Tortoise Food from Slither & Swim, and a piece of cork bark (used as a hiding place for my lizards) and 1,000 3/4" crickets and 500 1/4" crickets from other dealers.

I also managed to make a major score in that I found (really my good friend John H found) a dealer selling a female Rhacodactylus chahoua (New Caledonian Mossy Gecko) at a very good price.


New Caledonian Mossy Gecko, Rhacodactylus chahoua.
This is a female and is of the mainland variety.

The females usually go for anywhere between $500 and $700 apiece but the price being asked was substantially less and the price I paid was even less than the asking price. It was the friend of a friend price kind of a thing. All I can say is that it is good to have good friends who are good friends of herp dealers. Besides getting the excellent deal, the chahoua is guaranteed to be female.

Being it is only a year old, I will have to wait at least a year and a half or more before trying to mate it with my male. Mating these lizards is not all that easy like it is with Crested Geckos. My understanding is that they sometimes do not readily accept a mate just because it is the right species and the right gender. Time will tell if my pair hit it off and if chahoua eggs and babies are in my future.

All the best,
Glenn B