Common Name - Tokay Gecko Scientific Name - Gekko gecko Origin - northeast India across Indochina eastward to western New Guinea; also established non-indiginous colonies in southern Florida Size - 14" (35.6cm) STL, 7"+ (17cm)SVL

Temperment/Traits - They are generally very aggressive geckos. Some will even come out of hiding to attack your hand while cage cleaning. Captive bred specimens are much easier to tame, and do not harbor the parasites problems that many wild caught ones have. These geckos have a distinct call. Many say it sounds like "To-kay", but I think it sounds more like "Geh-o". The have fused eyelids (clear eyelid over the eye, like snakes), slit pupils and adhesive lamellae. They're generally solitary animals, but can do well in pairs and even trios if the caging is large enough and there are plenty of hiding places.

Longevity - Can live upwards of 30 years in captivity with proper care.

Active - Nocturnal

Choosing a healthy tokay - Try to find a tokay that is not emaciated. Thin is okay, but you don't want to get a tokay that's hip bones and/or skull are very pronounced, Avoid animals with sunken eyes and dried or crusted fecal material on and around its vent. Chances are, the tokay you get will be wild caught. It's recommended that you take your tokay to a reptile veterinarian for a fecal exam to check for internal parasites. Most wild caught tokays are pretty well infested with parasites. If your tokay hasn't been checked by a vet and it's not eating, chances are it has internal parasites.

Use these links to find a reptile vet in your area...
ARAV - Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians
Melissa Kaplan's Veterinarian Listings

 

Captive Care

Caging - preferrably tall, large terrarium 20H (high) gallon tank is a good start for a single tokay or a pair. Only keep one male per cage. Females sometimes fight as well, so keep an eye on any tokays housed together for signs of fighting or aggression (bites and/or one tokay that is always hiding, or not eating well) Orchid bark is good as a substrate. There is a substrate on the market that looks good - Jungle Mix. Cork bark sheets and tubes, and lots of plants (live or artificial) provide excellent hiding places. The more tokays you keep together, the more hiding places you should provide.

Temperatures - 77-86°F (25-30°C) daytime, 68-77°F (20-25°C) nighttime, 70-90% humidity (misting several times a day)

Feeding - Tokays will pretty much eat anything that moves that is smaller than themselves. Recommended foods are large insects such as crickets (Acheta domestica), superworms (Zoophobus morius), large mealworms (Tenebrio molitor), cockroaches (many online insect suppliers sell Madagascan hissing cockroaches), pinky and fuzzy mice. It's best to feed tokays at dusk/night as they are nocturnal geckos.

Feed the insects (the following is mainly the crickets) a good diet prior to feeding the geckos. Commercial cricket diet, infant cereal flakes, Total cereal, egg laying mash (used for chickens and is high in calcium), Placing slices of fruit such as apple or orange or a slice of potato will give them moisture. You can also buy a cricket waterer, but it should be cleaned at least once a week to prevent bacteria growth. Or you can buy a product like Cricket Quencher. It's important to "gut load" the insects 48 hours prior to feeding them to the geckos. If you feed the insects a good diet, supplementation can be kept to a minimum (every other week or so).

Placing a bowl of calcium supplement in the cage is benefitial. I have personally seen my tokays eat calcium from the bowl.

Lighting - If you use live plants, you will need to use a full spectrum light (UVB reptile light). UVB lighting may be benefitial to hatchlings/young and gravid females.

Water - I have seen my geckos drink from a water bowl and I feel it's important to keep a shallow bowl of water in their cage. I also mist the cage several times a day to keep the humidity level up around 70%. A range between 40-80% are acceptable humidity levels. A humidifier in the room can also be helpful in raising the humidity levels. Note: Warm mist humidifiers can cause burns if the animal can come into contact with it.

Other Notes... Tokays eggs are hard shelled and most often laid in sets of two, but occasionally only one egg is laid. They are called "gluers" which means their eggs adhere to the surface they're laid on. Do not try to remove the eggs or they will break.
Also, pay attention to the adhesive lamellae (toes) as sometimes they don't shed completely. A humidity level that is too can be the cause. Moisten a cotton swab and work the shed off the toes as soon as noticed to prevent damage to them. Often misting your tokay directly a couple extra times a day when it appears whitish (opaque) will help it have a good complete shed. Tokays will have a dull whitish look to them before they shed. Tokays like other geckos, eat their sheds.

Additional Reading Material... General Care and Maintenance of Tokay Geckos and Related Species by Sean McKeown, Jim Zaworski (Contributor), Paperback - 60 pages (August 1, 1997) Advanced Vivarium Systems; ISBN: 1882770382