Tokay Gecko housing

C

Cassandra Tweeks

New Member
Messages
12
So while I was getting some crickets for this glutton:

100_0362.jpg


I happened across a little body in a tank being sold for a mere 16 bucks half in shed under some fake leaves. it said a Tokay Gecko, which there has never been at this shop before.

It was kinda sad looking and skinny and I was wondering what type of housing much be used for such a gecko. I've tried browsing sites and I'm getting told random temperatures, from 77 and up to 80 and up during the day, nights were just as varied as was the UVB which was strange for a night time creature to actually NEED UVB.

So I'd like to ask those who OWN Tokay's and have had them happy and healthy and bity (so I hear) what to use for them.

Reason I say that is because last time I tried to get advice for an ailing Gecko I was told it was a water problem, then a heat problem, or issues when I moved his stuff, on the advice of someone else and in the end it was worms that claimed him and I didn't know until it was too late

I'd like to give this little guy a home and I'd like to get something accurate for that little guy so I can give him or her a nice home. ^^
 
T-ReXx

T-ReXx

Uroplatus Fanatic
Messages
1,745
Location
Buffalo, NY
Cassandra Tweeks said:
So while I was getting some crickets for this glutton:

100_0362.jpg


I happened across a little body in a tank being sold for a mere 16 bucks half in shed under some fake leaves. it said a Tokay Gecko, which there has never been at this shop before.

It was kinda sad looking and skinny and I was wondering what type of housing much be used for such a gecko. I've tried browsing sites and I'm getting told random temperatures, from 77 and up to 80 and up during the day, nights were just as varied as was the UVB which was strange for a night time creature to actually NEED UVB.

So I'd like to ask those who OWN Tokay's and have had them happy and healthy and bity (so I hear) what to use for them.

Reason I say that is because last time I tried to get advice for an ailing Gecko I was told it was a water problem, then a heat problem, or issues when I moved his stuff, on the advice of someone else and in the end it was worms that claimed him and I didn't know until it was too late

I'd like to give this little guy a home and I'd like to get something accurate for that little guy so I can give him or her a nice home. ^^
Click to expand...

Ok, here's the basics for tokays:

Housing: The bigger the better. These guys are arboreal, and the second largest gecko in the world, so the miniumum tank size for a single adult is a 20 gallon high. I actually would prefer something a bigger(30+) and taller is always better as these geckos spend almost zero time on the ground.

Temps/Humidity: Tokays come from tropical climates. I keep mine(I have 8, and two in a bator atm) at 82-86F general temp with a 90F basking spot. I use a combination of heat tape(to warm the general area) and a red reptile hear bulb for the basking area. At night the bulb goes off and temps have dropped into the high 70s. I mist 2x a day, tokays do need some humidity but not as much as a lot of tropical geckos, 50-70% is good.
Lighting: I use compact flourensent bulbs and thats only cuz I keep live plants in the cages. I've never used UVB with tokays and the general consensus is they don't need it as long as their prey is properly gutloaded/supplemented. If I didn't have live plants, I wouldn't even use the CPFLs.
Setup: I use coco fiber as a substrate, thick branches, 2" PVC pipe for hiding areas and LOTS of plants. I also suggest lining the back wall with corkbark or a similar "reptile background." Tokays spend a lot of time running across walls and this will give them more textured surface area.(Don't worry, they're not prone to Floppy Tail like cresties) Provide a water dish, but they rarely use it, so misting is important.
Feeding: This is the easy part. Tokays eat just about anything that moves enough and fits in their mouths, lol. That being said, mine don't like worms(supers or mealies) but do love roaches, crickets, moths, pretty much any "legged" insect they can get. I feed a staple of lateralis and dubia roaches, but crickets work equally as well if you don't have the roaches. I dust once a week, and gutload everything. I feed my adults 3x a week, about 20-30 prey items per gecko per feeding.
Personality/Social Structure: Tokays aren't big on being picked up. I'd say 80% of them will bite you, I do have a couple tame ones, but it wasn't easy and took a lot of nerve(and bandaids, lol). So they're really a "look but don't touch" type of animal. They are also quite territorial, I've had the best success with male/female pairs, even then doesn't always work out. Males CANNOT be kept together, one of them will be killed, and females, although they get a long better, really don't like each other. These guys are best kept singly or in pairs(or rarely, working trios) imo.

That's pretty much just the basics. I've been keeping and breeding tokays for a long time, they're pretty much my favorite species to work with(I like attitude, lol) and they can be very impressive display animals. Any other questions, just ask.

Good luck!
 
C

Cassandra Tweeks

New Member
Messages
12
Thank you so much for the speedy response!

I was looking to purchase another tank for my little crestie, a new Exo terra like what I got for my Cuban anole. (he's a brat and bity so a Tokay should be a problem as far as attitude goes and I love a good challenge.)

It was a little thing and I was going to redo my little ten gal until it got bigger but if you think 20 high is a good Idea I'll just purchase that and Save the ten Gal for crickets or something ^^

Where do you get heat tape from? And how long does it last?
 
T-ReXx

T-ReXx

Uroplatus Fanatic
Messages
1,745
Location
Buffalo, NY
Cassandra Tweeks said:
Thank you so much for the speedy response!

I was looking to purchase another tank for my little crestie, a new Exo terra like what I got for my Cuban anole. (he's a brat and bity so a Tokay should be a problem as far as attitude goes and I love a good challenge.)

It was a little thing and I was going to redo my little ten gal until it got bigger but if you think 20 high is a good Idea I'll just purchase that and Save the ten Gal for crickets or something ^^

Where do you get heat tape from? And how long does it last?
Click to expand...

I get Flexwatt from The Bean Farm. You can also just use a heat mat, I just use a lot of Flexwatt so that's what I prefer. For a single setup, a regular reptile heat mat is fine.

I would go ahead and get the 20 high now, he'll appreciate the space, and will definatley grow into it. Also, the 24"X18"X24" Exoterra is a great size for tokays, and the front opening doors are helpful, these guys are pretty quick and good at making a run for it with top-opening cages.
 
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