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tokay geckos
i just got a tokay gecko from my friend and shes grumpy. i realize thats a species characteristic but i was wondering if anybody has domesticated one to the point that you could safely handle it, and if so, how?
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Want to answer more questions in the Domesticity category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Pets?
Housing requirements:
Enclosure: Tokay geckos can be kept singly in a 10 to 20-gallon aquarium. You can house them in groups, however it is inadvisable to keep males together as they will fight. You can keep up to six geckos in a 55-gallon aquarium. When possible choose high tanks over long tanks. Screened enclosures are not a good choice because of the geckos’ delicate foot structure.
Temperature: Tokay geckos should be kept in a relative cage temperature of 85° to 90° F during the day with a 15° F drop during the night.
Heat/Light: A heat lamp may be used. As Tokay geckos are nocturnal, ultra-violet lighting is not necessary but can be used for aesthetic purposes and plant maintenance. Undertank heaters are rarely used by this gecko. A photoperiod of 10 hours light and 14 hours darkness is adequate.
Substrate: Potting soil and sand mixture, orchid bark, coconut fiber or fir bark can all be used as substrate.
Environment: Tokay geckos are from the tropical rainforest, but the can be found at home within human habitations as well. Since they are a rainforest species a relative humidity should be around 70% to 90% and should not drop below 50%. The substrate listed above will help in keeping the humidity in the desired range. Strong plants such as croton and wax flower are recommended. The back wall of the terrarium can also be lined with bark. Split branches, cork tubes and grape wood branches can also be used.
Diet: Tokays are not squeamish and will eat a wide variety of insects. Crickets should be a staple and will be relished. Wax worms, wax moths, superworms, locusts and even pinky mice will be eaten. Food should be offered every other day. Dusting of insects with a multipurpose reptile vitamin/mineral powder should be done at least every third feeding.
Maintenance: Spot cleaning of the terrarium should be done as needed. A complete breakdown of the terrarium and replacement of the substrate should be done every three to four months. Humidity can be maintained by daily misting once in the morning and once in the evening. These geckos stress with handling and should be considered a “hands off” gecko. If captured they will bit strongly. As these bites can be quite painful, it is best to wear strong gloves when handling is necessary. As the vast majority of Tokay geckos are imported and very few are captive bred, wild caught animals may be loaded with parasites. It is recommended to have a veterinarian check for these parasites with a fecal flotation exam.
hope i helped!!
if you need any more help, dont be afraid to ask!!
my s/n for AIM is in my advice column, or you could just put it in my inbox!!
good luck!!
*ash*
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Tokay geckos are well known for being quite "grumpy" around people in general. Often, they will bite you as soon as you place your hand in their territory, and are very hard to train unless you start right at the start, (when they are just hatched, really).
It's not impossible, but it's pretty difficult. You could try to separate feeding time with your 'bonding' time, and start slowly, trying to handle him/her only maybe a few minutes every other day, then every day, then for more time. Maybe, just maybe, the little bugger will get used to you.
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get a bigger cage and buy another tokay gecko and make it the opposite sex and maybee it might be nice to the other sex and have children and it will take it's mind off of the meaness
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Just go too google.com and do a search on tokay geckos... sorry btu thats the best advice i can give!
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