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87rx7chick   Steve1rob2   87rx7chick   Steve1rob2   Russell55   Prettykttkat  
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 #1958501


87rx7chick
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 New tokay

well i just bought an adult tokay geko. i knew they were fast and MEAN, i spent about 10 min today with my tokay latched on to my finger. every time i tried to get him off he’d chomp harder. didnt draw any blood but boy it was not fun.

every time i try to hold the tokay he’ll bark and lunge.

if this is what a tokay geko is then i am perfectly fine with it. but if there is a way to tame or a way to make it unlatch itself from my poor fingers i’d like some advice.

i bought him from a pet store. i think he’s been there his whole life they sell tokay for 15$ and he’s been there as long as i can remember




02/24/09  05:06pm

 #1958604


Steve1rob2
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   Message To: 87rx7chick   In reference to Message Id: 1958501


 New tokay

Actually your fairly lucky! Sometimes , they draw blood. BTW, if it happens again, they usually release if put under water.

Keep reading on this site. Lots of great info.

They are typically exactly as you describe, very defensive, especially if they came from a pet store. Keep working with them and you may gain its trust. It is a long journey though so be patient. And do not be surprised if he never really fully trusts you. Most success in taming them comes from starting with young Captive Bred Tokays. It is there only defense against what they perceive as a Giant species about to harm them.

I am about to start the same adventure as we just acquired a pair of fully grown mating adults. They had built an entire colony in my buddies roof. We were repairing his roof and ran across them. We are still catching the young ones and there are at least one more adult female. We will be closing it all in this weekend so we are trying to get them all out before they get closed in. The male is much more aggresive than the female as well. I am keeping the large ones and his son is keeping the babies to raise out. The little ones are much less aggressive. Plus it does not hurt when they bite.

Are you sure it is a male? Not that it matters if you do not plan to breed them, but if you ever get another one, it may be important as two males will fight sometimes to the death. Again, there are good references here on sexing them with good pictures to be sure.

Hope this helps.
02/24/09  07:16pm

 #1958680


87rx7chick
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   Message To: Steve1rob2   In reference to Message Id: 1958604


 New tokay

i have not sexed him yet. next time he latches onto my finger i’ll be sure to look. thanx for the info! wow you have wild tokay geckos in florida? thats crazy!!

i have a frill dragon. so i know all about trust. my frill is just a baby. at least frills dont bite.

i think the tokay is sooooooooo cute when it barks. my bf thought it would be a good idea to poke at it with a bendy straw and it did nothing.... tokay are pretty darn smart. i told my bf to not poke at it any more haha... he doesnt like reptiles but is starting to show signs of interest haha.
02/24/09  09:29pm

 #1958704


Steve1rob2
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   Message To: 87rx7chick   In reference to Message Id: 1958680


 New tokay

We are sure they started as pets that got let loose. One of the neighbors had one once and let it go. Interesting thing is that it obviously found a mate and away they went. My guess is the neighbor had the male. He probably called out for who knows how long and eventually a female answered his calls. The rest as they say is history.

The other thing is it appears that they have been there for at least a year or more and we went through some seriously cold weather this year for Florida. We had 3 days in a row below freezing and very low humidity. They obviously came through it all without issue so either the attic had some warmer spots or they are a lot tougher than people give them credit. I am betting on the latter. But in a controlled environment like an aquarium or cage, I could see how there needs need to be maintained. Plus, a few days later and it was back in the 80s where they thrive.

They are also very healthy looking animals. The male is a chubby thing and the female looks leaner but by know means thin. Whatever they were eating and we guessed local chameleons and various insects, they were doing just fine. I have 100s of chameleons around my place so I might even throw in a few small ones and see if they like them. Free food is always better than buying crickets.

They are extremely intelligent. She tested every inch of the aquarium her first night and every time I opened the lid, she would come over and try her best to get out where the crack was until I walked back up there. Plus both of them found ways out of their bird cages while I was transporting them from his house to mine. Nothing like a feisty tokay loose in your truck to get your blood flowing while you are driving down the highway. Luckily they are really not aggressive just defensive. They will not come looking for a fight just defend themselves if provoked so there is nothing to fear, just the idea of them loose is not the most comforting thing in the world.

Anyway, have fun with yours. I would not poke at them if you want to tame them down. You can stroke them with your hand. Stick to the tail and the sides and watch their reaction. They will warn you before they strike. Read their cues, respect them and they might warm up and trust you. I would normally start with a glove but since yours has bit you and not brought blood, I think you are OK to go ahead and use your bare hands. Plus if I was a gecko I would be more threatened by a gloved hand than one without, at least I think I would. Who knows what goes through their minds.



02/24/09  10:10pm

 #1958973


Russell55
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   Message To: Steve1rob2   In reference to Message Id: 1958704


 New tokay

I had a Tokay Gecko that was probably wild caught as he,(?), was about 12"long when I got him. I had him for 13 years before he died. His name was Gollum and he was 16" long when he passed and had a head 3"across. He was never really tamed but he did learn to eat from my hand, but I had to be careful that he didn’t get my fingers, too. The only time I was bitten was when I bought him. The guy in the pet store was too afraid of him so I volunteered to remove him from the terrarium myself. I got him behind the neck with no problem but he was so STRONG that he was able to twist in my grip and bite my thumb with the side of his jaws. It BLED for quite a while and became infected. It took a couple of months to completely heal and I still have the scar. That was in 1978! I think they may have a high bacteria count in their saliva like some Monitors. One of the things I really liked about him was his singing. I case you didn’t know, they are named after the bell-like sound that they make. Tokay! Tokay! Yours may be too young to sing yet. And I don’t know if both sexes sing or not. Also, Tokays sometimes go though periods where they stop eating. I have seen them starve to death from refusing to eat. Mine stopped eating three times during the years I had him but I was always able to eventually tempt him to eat again. Live pinkies usually did the trick but not always right away. Anyway, enjoy your Tokay and good luck! They are really beautiful geckos.
02/25/09  01:44pm

 #1961673


Prettykttkat
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   Message To: Russell55   In reference to Message Id: 1958973


 New tokay

You can tame a tokay if you have alot patience and time. Mine are both tame and my kids can even hold them. Go to my blog and you will see where I write about how to tame a tokay:) You can also look at pics of my tame ones on there being held by my 5 yr old daughter.

Here’s the link:

http://thereptilewhisperer.blogspot.com/



03/02/09  10:24am


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