Need Tokay Advice

[reptiguy]

Hi All,
Special thanks to Kristen that who answered my tokays barking question.
The next thing I need is some advice on general getting started with tokay stuff. I would like to hear from people who have kept tokays before.
Need to know things like: How to choose my tokay, what size enclosure I will need, what the enclosure should be like as far as furnishings are concerned, heating and lighting needs, humidity levels, feeding and handling and any other advice you could offer a person who wants to get a tokay. I have wanted one for a long time and have fallen in love with these beautiful little animals despite their sometimes nasty disposition. I have kept monitors before so I'm use to a challenge when it comes to aggressive animals. The tokay will mostly be a display animal but it's always nice to be able to interact with your animals further.

*Kristen if you read this I would appreciate your advice as your answer to my previous question was great.

Thanks,
-Reptiguy-

[mark129er]

These should keep you busy for awhile and answer some of your questions.

http://www.anapsid.org/tokays.html
http://www.gexfiles.com/tokaycare.html
http://www.geckonetwork.com/caresheettokay.htm

[KristenM]

Hey Reptiguy,

I answered some of you questions already when someone else asked them in an early post so I'm gonna add info and cut and paste info I already wrote down in.
Ok as far as enclosures go tokays need lots of space. If your only getting 1 Adult Tokay you should be ok with a enclosure size of 30-35 gallons keep in mind that height is more important than floor space, since they are arboreal. You want to get the day temps at like 75-80, and at night they like it a little cooler I leave mine around 65-70. I use a heat lamp during the day and at night nothing because my house is a good temp for them. The humidity should be around 70%. This can be achieve by daily misting. You can put a water dish in the cage for more humidity but its kind of pointless since Tokay don't really like drinking out of water bowls. Another reason I mist mine every day is because the lick the water droplets off of their bodies, leaves and the glass of the enclosure. Soemthing else you can try is putting ice cubes on top of a screen lid of the enclosure at night. As the ice melts it drips and the Tokays can drink the droplets. As far as cage decor, I give mine a tall hide box, wood, and plastic plants you can use real non toxic plants if you want. I find that platic plants work well since they can suppot the weight of the Gecko. You want to create many place for the gecko to hide during the day but also a place that they can bask in the light while still hiding. If that makes sense :) As far as food goes I feed my adults superworms, silkworms, and crickets about 2-3 times per week, dusted once every 2 weeks. Also since tokays are nocturnal its a good idea to feed your gecko at night. As far as handling goes I don't really handle mine, but I have heard from more than one person, that they can be tamed down with constant handling. Its easier to tame them down if you start doing this when they are a juvi. To chose a Tokay you obviously want one that looks healthy nice tail, decent weight, eating, no stuck on sheds, etc. Stuff you would normally look for when purchasing a lizard. Colour isn't always a factor since Tokays change colour all the time, when they are stressed, calm etc. They go from dark to light and anywhere in between. Hope I answered your questions.