What do chahoua geckos eat?
The short answer
Chahoua geckos eat a commercial gecko diet plus insects, like other New Caledonian geckos. The difference that matters is proportion: they consume considerably more insect prey than crested geckos, and a keeper running the crested gecko routine of prepared diet with occasional bugs is underfeeding them.
Feeding schedule by age
| Life stage | Diet balance | How often | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Juvenile | CGD daily, insects 2x weekly | Daily CGD | Growing; higher insect demand |
| Adult | CGD every 2-3 days, insects 1-2x weekly | Alternating | More insects than a crested gecko |
| All ages | Fresh fruit | Occasional | Treat only, not a food group |
Intervals and ratios here follow the sources listed at the foot of this page, checked September 20, 2026. Where those sources differ, the disagreement is set out in Where good sources disagree rather than averaged into a single number. Figures resting on keeper consensus rather than a published source are labelled as such where they appear.
What to feed
| Food | Role | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Pangea or Repashy complete diet | Staple | Balanced calcium, phosphorus and D3 |
| Dubia roaches | Staple insect | Good protein; well accepted |
| Crickets | Staple insect | Gut-load before offering |
| Black soldier fly larvae | Staple insect | Calcium-rich |
| Papaya, mango, berries | Treat | Occasional only |
| Gut-loaded insects | Requirement | Feed the insects 24-48h before offering |
| Calcium dusting | Requirement | Insects are calcium-poor as bought |
What never to feed
Items in this table are either outright toxic or cause predictable long-term harm. This is the part of the page worth reading twice.
| Do not feed | Why |
|---|---|
| A crested gecko feeding routine | Underfeeds a chahoua on insects. |
| Fruit as a staple diet | Too high in sugar, too low in calcium and protein. |
| Human baby food as a diet | Outdated advice; not nutritionally complete. |
| Wild-caught insects | Pesticide, parasite and toxicity risk. |
| Prey wider than the gap between the eyes | Standard feeder-size rule. |
Where good sources disagree
Care sheets do not all say the same thing, and pretending otherwise helps nobody. These are the real points of difference between the sources cited at the foot of this page, and what we think the safe reading is.
How much larger the insect share should be.
Sources agree chahouas take considerably more insect prey than crested geckos and are less specific about the exact ratio. Practice ranges from insects once or twice weekly up to several times. The safe reading is to offer more than you would a crested gecko and judge by body condition.
What most chahoua gecko feeding advice gets wrong
Do not copy a crested gecko feeding plan.
The New Caledonian geckos are treated as one husbandry group, and for temperature and humidity that mostly holds. It does not hold for food. Chahouas consume considerably more insect prey, and the crested gecko pattern of prepared diet with an occasional cricket leaves them short. Keep the commercial diet as a staple and raise the insect share substantially.
Refresh the dish, every time.
Mixed commercial gecko diet spoils, and a nocturnal gecko may not visit the dish until hours after you put it down. Fresh mix each feeding is part of the routine rather than an optional nicety, particularly in a warm, humid enclosure.
Common questions
What do chahoua geckos eat?
A commercial gecko diet powder mixed with water, plus a substantial share of live insects such as dubia roaches, crickets and black soldier fly larvae. Fresh fruit is an occasional treat rather than a food group.
Do chahoua geckos need more insects than crested geckos?
Yes, and this is the main dietary difference between them. Chahouas consume considerably more insect prey. A keeper following a crested gecko routine of prepared diet with occasional insects will be underfeeding a chahoua.
How often should I feed a chahoua gecko?
Juveniles need fresh commercial gecko diet daily with insects around twice weekly. Adults need the prepared diet every two to three days, with insects once or twice weekly or more. Refresh the dish each feeding, since mixed diet spoils.