Questions about my upcoming Tokay set-up.

[Trollvomit]

First off..I'm new here so hello! 8P


Ok, I'm about to buy a Tokay and am just about finished with the cage..I have some questions about it though. I read that heat rocks are a bad idea because Tokays don't spend much time on the ground and that they can overheat.
What do you guys think if I have it placed nice and sturdy high up on my drift wood branches? Also..The heating rock I have was pretty expensive and seems to be of very nice quality. (It also turns itself off once it hits a certain temp then resets when it cools to a certain point.) I also have a small Zoo Med Mini Repti-Therm UTH Under Tank Heater at the bottom of the tank coming in the mail. Do you think the two heat sources I have will keep a vertical 20 gallon tank around 85 degrees? Also, Do you this that this is an adequate sized tank for a Tokay? I read that you can keep one in a 10-20 gallon tank, But I just want some more opinions on this seeing they get so big.

I'll just list all the stuff I have in it and coming at the moment also so you folks can tell me if I need anything else.
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Two large pieces of tangled up drift wood.

Zoo Med Mini Repti-Therm UTH Under Tank Heater.

Zoo Med Fir Tree Repti bark substrate.

Exo Terro Thermo controlled heat rock.

Fluker's Digital Display Thermo-Hygrometer.

Zoo Med Repti Rapids Waterfall. *Will this keep the humidity up enough you think?*
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For my Tokays health I bought some of the following..

Natural Chemistry Healthy Habitat spray.

Fluker's Liquid Vitamin Electrolyte Spray Formula.

Tetra Terrafauna Reptocal Reptile Supplement.

Zoo Med ReptiSafe Instant Terrarium Water Conditioner.
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Thank for your time. :main_thumbsup:

 

[killagreen]

A picture is worth a thousand words.

 

[Trollvomit]

Hehehe, Yeah I know..Now if I only had a damn camera! But remember..Not all the stuff I listed have arrived yet so it would not be a very good picture anyways...Maybe I will stop by my parents house tomorrow and get my Fathers Camera. Still..I hope I can get some good feedback from you guys..This seems to be a pretty nice forum.

***EDIT***
Holy crap! I didn't notice this was a Leopard Gecko Forum! Can we get this moved to the appropriate Forum? Sorry..I always mess up of my first Forum posts..Derr.

 

[RAZERWIREREPTILES]

Hello just wanted to drop my 2 cent i have 7 tokays now living nicely together in a 65gal they don't like the floor area i only have one that will sometimes use a small hide down on the floor level i have a lot of cork bark going every different way and a few vines they love creeping around with all the cover they have as far a s heating goes Wall mart= 2 dome light "hardware section" 17 $ 2 25watt party lights tinted red 5 $ and that good ole high tech keep the temp great at all times plus when a light or heater burns out you don't have to think if a pet store is still open i would deff not use a heat rock what so ever just to many bad thing have happened with them not worth the risk IMO a 25 for one is ok but you really will want to get a bigger tank when you can the more room they have the more they like to go out creeping around i have found in smaller tanks they tend to find a hiding spot and stay put but this is just what i have seen for a 25 gal tank i would only use 1 25 watt red party light and adjust the hight of the light according to the temp you get hope i helped

Razerwirereptiles

 

[Trollvomit]

That does help some, Thanks alot! Anyone else have some suggestions?
It seems that i'm going to have to customize the cover of my cage to get any sort of heat lamp on it seeing it's all plastic and no screen.

 

[killagreen]

I use to have a tokay. I had a pretty basic setup. An exo terra cage 18x18x24 i think. I had a ceramic heat bulb elevated a little from the top screen. 3 or so pieces of driftwood. A ceramic hide at the bottom of the cage. The substrate was bark. A thermometer and humidity gauge.

He used the hide very little, but he did go down there on occasion. He spent most of his time on the glass hiding behind the driftwood.

He loved crickets. I tried mealworms several times and he would never eat them.

 

[Trollvomit]

I hear a lot of good things about those exo terra cages. I'll have to check them out. I'm think i'm going to have to go with a heat lamp so i'm trying to find a place that sells hexagon shaped screens for my cage..Not much luck so far for some reason.

 

[killagreen]

Yeah the exo terra cages are awesome.

Some fake plants would probably be nice to. Something to spray to help keep humidity up and also drink from. I always had a water dish available, but i'm not sure if he ever drank from it. That is why it is good to spray some water on the leaves or on the glass.

I forgot to mention no actual light is needed. Only ambient light from the room is needed as they are nocturnal. You probably knew that, but just thought i would mention it.

 

[Trollvomit]

Very cool..Thanks for the info so far. Do you think that a 20gal. tank will be sufficient space for a Tokay? I thought I read that they Actually usually stay in a small area and guard it. But i'm not sure if a 20 gal is enough. Or at least if it's an adult. Oh, And another question that's a bit off subject. How often do Tokays do their mating calls and barks and for how long?

Thanks again!

 

[killagreen]

A 20G long would be fine for 1 adult tokay in my opinion. I'm guessing you are gonna stand it upright?? They are arboreal so that would be the best idea. I'm not sure how you would do the screen though.

Tokays pretty much guard them selves when you reach in. They are cool to keep, but mean little things. I have known people to tame them, but i had no such luck.

As far as mating calls i'm not sure. But the barks that i am use to are when i reach in the cage or try to pick them up.

There is a fun little game i use to play with some of my friends. Tell them how nice your gecko is and have them reach in to pick it up.

I'm guessing you are gonna buy from an online store?? Or a petstore near you? Usually tokays are wild caught and more than likely it will be an adult.
Very few people out there actually breed them.

That is all for now, feel free to pm me if you have any other questions or want some suggestions.

 

[Trollvomit]

I actually have a vertical standing cage..I'm not really looking to pick up my Tokay that much..I do know Tokays are vicious and that's one of the things that I find attractive about them actually! :main_thumbsup:
It would be neat to have a tamed one but I don't really feel a reptile is a pet that would like to be held much anyways. (No offense to all the people who like to handle them..I'm sure it's not a big deal and I am in no way against it, I just don't see the point.)
There is actually a place near where I live that does breed them and many other types of reptiles, so I guess i'm lucky!
I'm hoping I can find a young one there. Is there much of a difference between male and female besides the size?

I guess I can't stop saying thanks! Hehe...Thanks.

 

[killagreen]

Yeah they are vicious. No doubt about it. I think that is the reason i had one too.

That is cool about the breeding of them near you. I don't think the size difference would be that obvious. I think the only way to tell the sex is right by the tail, just like a leopard gecko. Here is a link http://www.igniche.com/tokay_sexing.htm

 

[Trollvomit]

Excellent! Thank you very much!

***EDIT***
Seeing i've had a few beers I thought it would be the perfect time to blow some more money on my cage!
I just purchased a bunch of natural cork bark that is flat on one side so that I can put them along the backside of my cage. I was wondering what I should use to adhere them to the wall of the terrarium though..Could I use those sticky pads you use to hang posters without tacks you think? I also read I could add plants into them, How would I go about doing this? I'm going to etheir put live plants into them or just stick a bunch of wild African warthog tusks I have into them for some extra stuff to hang on. I don't know if I will need any extra humidity with the waterfall I have coming though..Plants or tusks? Tusks would look neat though eh?

 

[killagreen]

As far as the plants go i think you will have more success with silk or plastic plants. Real plants can be a pain. I would just drill a hole or two thru the wood and pull a piece of the plant thru to secure it. To attach the wood onto the cage itself is hard to say. I think the sticky stuff for posters would not be strong enough. You could always use some fishing line to secure some stuff from the screen. That is what i did with my chameleons cage anyway. Gorilla Glue would probably work. I don't know if it would have any fumes or anything though.

Oh yeah i forgot you have a waterfall coming. That will be pretty cool. The hide box that i had at the bottom of the cage i remember i used as a humid hide like something to use for leopard geckos. Add some moss and water to assist with shedding.

 

[Trollvomit]

Sounds good! I think I would rather get plastic anyways just because i'm not sure what kind of real plant would be good to have in there anyways.
By the way, I just ordered a Exo-Terra Glass Terrarium (24"L x 18"W x 24"H)..I couldn't resist! My Tokay should have a pretty good time in there!
Everything should be set up by the end of next week. I'm having my buddy stop by and take some good quality pics of it to see what you all think. :main_thumbsup:

***I always forget to add the last thing on my mind.***
I also picked up the following,
Exo Terra Glow Light - Medium - GLOWS IN THE DARK!
Exo Terra Heat Glo - 100 watt
24/7 Digital Timer Power Center

Anything you think would be nice to have?

 

[killagreen]

lol. don't you just hate it when you are drunk and have money to spend. Sounds awesome. I just looked up the glow light online, that is pretty cool.
You are gonna have a pretty awesome setup. That will be one lucky tokay. Only thing i can say it make sure that the temp near the light doesn't get too hot. Other than that can't wait to see some pictures.

 

[Trollvomit]

Thanks! I hope to have the pics up asap.
I wish I didn't waste my money on the heat rock though..(Damn thing was about $32.00!!) You think the under tank heat pad could be set for night time on my night time timer (I typed time too many times there..:main_rolleyes: ) and still produce enough heat? If not I suppose I could get a ceramic heater for that. I just rather not think i've wasted money on two products. I'm not sure if the heat pad could produce enough heat at night though seeing I live in Minnesota and the weather is pretty shifty here and I might have the AC on alot during summer. I could see that bringing the temp down a bunch.

 

[killagreen]

The only thing with a heat pad is often they get WAY TOO HOT. It is very important to have a rheostat with them. Same thing goes for heat rocks and ceramic heat lights in my opinion. Ceramic heat lights get really hot. At the time i didn't have a rheostat so i just moved the Ceramic heat light about 6 -10 inches off the top of the cage and put a thermometer at the top of the cage. The infared light that you bought would probably be perfect for nighttime. They do not provide much light. So if it is in your room, it may or may not bother you. I dont' really have a problem with the shifty temperatures here. haha I live in florida. Temp stays pretty constant for the most part. The heat pad will produce enough heat, but it is going to heat the glass on the bottom, nothing else really. It won't effect the air or anything.

 

[Trollvomit]

Just updating!
So I went to the store and reserved my Tokay today..The only bad part is they where hiding out of sight and I didn't want to have the employee bother them, so it looks like I will just have to hope the are in good shape when I pick mine out!
I also canceled my 24X18X24 exo-terra once I realized I could just go pick one up from petsmart, So I ran over there and ended up buying the 18X18X24 seeing it would fit better in the area it will be going. Oooo is it ever pretty! I got the habitat kit version also, so it can with a bunch of extra vines and plastic plants and such.

Anticipation is growing..:main_yes:

 

[Trollvomit]

Hate to double post but I have yet another question...Ok, I am getting the Exo Terra Heat Glo - 100 watt bulb which is incandescent for my heat, But my tank came with a light canopy that uses the Repti-glo bulbs..I'm thinking it's ok to have both going at the same time but not sure if I should just get one 2.0 compact bulb and 5.0 bulb combination or just two 2.0's for the canopy..Or does it even make a difference besides the lighting? :main_huh: