Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

David Maguire · Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 7:47 pm Post subject: tokays

hi all I'm planning on getting one or a pair of Tokay's and i was just wondering what i would need for an adult or an adult pair
_________________
Regards,
David

zarozinia · Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 9:57 pm Post subject:

I would give them an arboreal vivarium around 3 ft high and 2 ft wide plus deep with lots of branches and leaves. You could use a substrate that will help maintain humidity such as orchid bark or eco earth. Did you want to know all the equipment or were you just after an aproximate viv size?
_________________
Cheers Angi
Proud to be a Geordie!
My Images - http://anginelson.deviantart.com/

David Maguire · Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 10:47 pm Post subject:

what sort of temps would i keep them at
_________________
Regards,
David

zarozinia · Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 1:02 am Post subject:

These geckos prefer temperatures in the mid 80s (F) but are quite hardy and do tolerate down to the 70s and up to the low 90s. Humidity needs to be around 65% to 75% or higher at times – they do experience very high humidity in the rainy season where they originate from. Ensure heating is controlled using a thermostat to avoid over heating and obtain correct temperatures, also use a guard otherwise your gecko will end up burning its feet.
_________________
Cheers Angi
Proud to be a Geordie!
My Images - http://anginelson.deviantart.com/

zarozinia · Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 1:07 am Post subject:

You could try reading this book as a starting point-

General Care and Maintenance of Tokay Geckos and Related Species
by Jim Zaworski and Sean McKeown

Have you read anything about them yet? Did you know that they are not really a gecko that you would want to handle very often as most will bite? Im not wanting to be patronising - Im just not sure what you know about them.
_________________
Cheers Angi
Proud to be a Geordie!
My Images - http://anginelson.deviantart.com/

David Maguire · Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 10:20 pm Post subject:

i have read alot on them but most things are American and because I'm in Scotland most things like humidity and cage material wouldn't be the same
and as i don't mind being bitten i thought it would be really cool to have a project on trying to tame them down and if that didn't work i would still have some of the coolest geckos around
_________________
Regards,
David

zarozinia · Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 10:41 pm Post subject:

Well Ive been lucky seeing them in the wild for 3 years in a row.
They are stunning geckos and I am quite fond of them, even if they do bite.
In the wild Ive watched them return each day to sleep near the same area, so they do seem like creatures of habit. Im not sure if they do this in captivity as I have not kept them at home but have looked after them when working in a reptile shop.
They do come from humid areas with rainy seasons, so you could try to imitate the seasons of their original habitat.
As for cage material, wooden/melamine vivs may not last very long with high humidity, you can try to extend the life of the viv by sealing all edges and by coating with yacht varnish, plus use a solid back - not chipboard. Alternatively you could use fibre glass vivarium or a glass viv, mind glass does not help with retaining heat, these should both last much longer.
I personally like to give arboreal geckoes plenty of room to behave as they would in the wild, I know people often say 2ft high by 18 deep but this really is an absolute minimum size and wouldnt really allow a tokay to move around a great deal.
The main difference with regards to your location would be ambient temperatures and how warm your home is and posibly availability of certain materials depending on where you are situated. Mind you almost anything is available via the internet these days.
_________________
Cheers Angi
Proud to be a Geordie!
My Images - http://anginelson.deviantart.com/