Tokay Gecko

Origin

The tokay Gecko (Gekko gecko) belongs to the class Reptilia and the family Gekkonidae. Now, at the time of publication of the article, there are two subspecies recognized by the literature: Gekko gecko gecko (LINNAEUS 1758) and Gekko gecko Azhari (MERTENS 1955).
At the moment the species does not appear on the list of endangered animals, on the contrary there are numerous specimens spread all over the world. They have a large distribution area that includes much of Asia, northern India, Indonesia, Philippines, Bangladesh, New Guinea, Japan, China, etc.

Tokay Gecko Food

Like other lizards it is a species that prefers insects. In the wild it feeds on various insects and fruits.
If you have purchased one or you are going it is good to know that it can be fed with insects(crickets, grasshoppers), worms (mealworms, superworms) or cockroaches (different types, but beware that there are some bitter species that do not prefer them and may refuse them because in the wild they consume sweet fruits)
Before feeding the animal powder the feed with calcium (can be sold from specialty stores). Every breeder or amateur will make their own feeding schedule.
Some prefer to feed them daily, others do not. I recommend daily meals for better digestion. This way he will use his Predator Instinct more often.
How is a lizard living in a humid climate it is good to provide him with a terrarium with high humidity. If you do not provide this moisture, your skin will be drier, discomfort will appear and you may have skin problems.
It is enough to spray water on the terrarium decor twice a day and thus ensure its water needs. Gecko in general is an arboreal lizard, which likes to climb, is curious and you will not see it on the ground too long under normal conditions.

Features Tokay Gecko

It is one of the largest of the existing gecko species. In captivity they can live up to 20 years under normal conditions. She doesn't have a very good reputation when it comes to her bite.
It is considered a small putbull, if you will, because once bitten it does not let go and we can say that it has enough strength to hurt and produce a wound.
These lizards have several advantages in relation to humans: they are maesti in camouflage, they are fast, they can move on almost any surface and when I say any surface I mean glass, wood, wall, even ceiling. Once you get away it will be hard to catch them so be careful when handling them.
The feet end with fingers that are adhesive on most surfaces, and the eyes have no eyelids and are large. Males are gray-blue in color with red-orange-white dots. Females have more faded colors. Adults weight of 200-300 grams and length of 25-35cm. Females are smaller than males.
For those who want to keep a tokay gecko do not forget that the terrarium must be "large" vertically. We can only tell you one thing about size: the bigger the better.
Some breeders say a height of 1m on a 50-50 basis would be enough for two specimens. The temperature can vary between 20 and 30 degrees (night-day), but the humidity should be about 75%.
To keep the humidity is good to put a bowl with water, some lizards will go to drink water if it will be positioned higher.
For the substrate you can use dry napkins, and the decor must necessarily be natural.(branches, creepers, etc.to climb on.)

Tokay Gecko Breeding

Sexual maturity is reached at the age of one year, but immediate mating is not recommended in order to have no problems and for a normal development and birth without problems, considering that the animals grow up to the age of two years.
During the mating season the male makes sounds to call the females "to-kay". Over the course of a season, which generally lasts 4 or 5 months, the two partners will mate several times.
Females lay eggs by sticking them to the bark of branches or various objects in the terrarium. The eggs are guarded by both parents until hatching.
To avoid the risk of the chicks being eaten by the parents, because cannibalism situations are encountered, it is good to move the chicks in an incubator, but carefully so as not to hit them when you detach and manipulate them. Do not twist the eggs when moving them to avoid the risk of the embryos dying.
Incubation lasts from 90 to 120 days. If you have chosen to move the eggs in the incubator it is good to know that the temperature should be between 25 and 30 degrees.
This has a major role in determining the sex of the little ones, the higher temperature gives more chances for the puppies to be males. The substrate is good to be slightly moist.
The newly hatched chicks are about 7 - 8cm long. It is good to move them to individual terrariums so that they do not attack each other or fight over food.
Breeders have obtained over time numerous varieties through selective breeding.