Tokay Gecko
Scientific name:Gekko gecko
Family: Gekkonidae, the geckos. This is a large family found in the tropics and subtropics world-wide.
Care Difficulty: Easy. Tokay Geckos have easily met needs.
Size: Tokays average about 10 inches in length, but some large males may reach up to 14 inches and weigh close to 12 ounces.
Description: Tokay Geckos are attractive lizards of unusual coloration. The base coloration ranges from gray to slate blue to a washed-out lavender Several rows of white spots span the body, and many rows of rusty red to bright orange spots adorn the head, back, legs, and part of the tail. A tokay's tail is often banded in white. Young specimens tend to be darker, and their spots are rust colored, getting brighter and more orange as they age. The ventral surface is a dingy white. Tokays have large, bright golden eyes; the pupil is four pin-holes when contracted in bright light. In darker conditions, the pupil is a scalloped vertical bar. Scattered among the fine scales that cover most of the skin surface are many larger, tubercular scales. Tokay Geckos, especially males, have large heads with equally large mouths. The legs are short, supporting a bulky, cylindrical body Each foot bears five toes ending in greatly-expanded climbing pads. Tokays are able to run up panes of glass.
Range: These are naturally wide-ranging geckos that have been introduced to a number of places by man. Their natural range starts in northeastern India and stretches across southern China, Southeast Asia, and Indonesia, ending in the Philippines. Introduced populations occur in southern Florida, on Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands, and on Martinique in the Caribbean.
Habits: Tokay Geckos are nocturnal, aggressive predators. They emerge from their hiding places beneath bark and on the undersides of leaves to feed and mate at sundown and return at dawn. Originally dwellers of tropical Asian forests, they successfully have colonized many man-made habitats, and thriving populations may occur in large cities. In some areas, most houses will have a resident tokay or two. Tokays will collect under street lamps and porch lights to feed on the insects drawn to the light. These geckos will eat anything they are capable of overpowering, including insects, spiders, other invertebrates, smaller lizards, small mammals, and perhaps small birds. Male Tokay Geckos stake out territories and defend them from rivals. Many geckos are vocal lizards, and tokays are one of the most vocal of the group. Males call at night, driving off rivals and attracting mates. The call roughly sounds like "to-kay, to-kay" from which the common name derived. Females croak but do not have a defined call. When alarmed or handled, Tokay Geckos open their mouths and produce a loud, clicking croak.
Diet: Tokay Geckos feed on the commonly available feeder insects, including crickets, mealworms, king mealworms, waxworms, silkworms, roaches, and earthworms. Adults are capable of eating pinky mice. Prey species should be gut-loaded with nutritious food before being fed to the gecko. These are active geckos that should be fed about three times a week, and the types of insects offered should be varied periodically. Mice should not be offered more than once a week. Dust the insects with a reptile vitamin/mineral/calcium supplement once a week. If you have a female that is actively laying eggs or a hatchling tokay, increase the fre
Temperature/Huinidity: Tokay Geckos are durable animals There is some Leeway in the temperature and hum d ty that a keeper must provide them. Daytime temperatures can range between 75F and 85F, with a drop to the low 70s F or upper 60's F at night acceptable. If a heating device is needed to maintain these temperatures, use a ceramic heat emitter or a red light bulb, so as not to disturb the gecko's nocturnal activity patterns. Humidity in the range of 50 to 80 percent is sufficient. This can be maintained with once or twice daily mistings.
Housing: These geckos are arboreal in nature, and therefore they should be housed in talr vivaria. A pair of tokays will be happy in an enclosure the size of a 20-gallon high aquarium, but a slightly larger cage is recommended. The door or screen top should lock or clamp securely because these geckos are notorious escape artists. It is a good idea to cover part of the tank with black construction paper or aquarium background sold at pet stores. This will help reduce the level of light in the cage making the geckos more comfortable.
A number of different substrates will work well in a Tokay Gecko enclosure. Paper towels, newspaper, pea gravel, organic potting soil, reptile bark, and pulped wood bedding are all fine, depending on your budget and sense of aesthetics. Paper towels and newspaper will need replacement at least weekly while the others may need only be changed every month or so.
These geckos require no special lighting. Ambient light from the room housing the enclosure will provide your tokays with their photoperiod. If you house them with live plants, you will need additional lighting to keep the plants healthy Vertically and horizontally oriented hiding places are important for a tokay Pieces of cork bark, cholla cactus, driftwood, and pieces of clay flower pots can be used for this function. Sturdy live plants, such as Sansevieria (snake plant), also offer hiding areas and help maintain the humidity in the enclosure. With some work and imagination, a Tokay Gecko enclosure can be made into a beautiful, naturalistic vivarium.
Temperament: Tokays have a deserved reputation for meanness. They tend to ferociously bite whenever attempts to handle them are made. Some cross the entire cage to bite invading fingers. The bite is hard and painful; as these geckos bite, they tend to twist their body around causing tearing and more pain. While the wounds caused are not serious, they are painful and bleed profusely Cleaning with an antiseptic and use of an antibiotic ointment is recommended. Most Tokay Geckos do not tame down very much, though rare individuals become docile pets. Purchase a tokay if you want a hardy impressive display animal, not if you want a true pet.
Other Notes: Nearly all tokays are wild-caught imports, suffering from stress, over-crowding, and parasites. Moving yours into a clean, appropriate environment and giving it a nutritious diet should be enough to allow it to thrive. However, it is highly recommended you take it to a reptile veterinarian soon after purchase for a health evaluation and parasite elimination.
The tail of a Tokay Gecko will break off easily if you grab the animal by it. Although the tail will grow back, this is stressful and painful for the animal, so such an accident should be avoided at all costs. When the tail grows back, it is usually smaller and darker than the original.
Male Tokay Geckos are very territorial. Never house more than one male per enclosure. As long as there is adequate food and water, female tokays will not be aggressive toward each other, and a male can be housed with a number of females, provided the cage is large enough for them. Provide multiple hiding areas for each gecko. Males, as a rule, are larger and heavier-bodied than the females and have enlarged pores just before the vent.
Pet Suitability: Good for those who want a beautiful reptile for display Tokay Geckos are hardy and interesting, but their aggressiveness makes them a poor choice for those who want a lizard they can handle.
