Tokay Gecko

About the species

According to Wikipedia, the tokay gecko (Gekko gecko) is the third-largest gecko in the world, after the giant leaf-tailed gecko and the New Caledonian giant gecko. Adults usually measure 25–30 cm, and some reach 40 cm. Blue-grey skin with red to orange spots and vertical pupils make it one of the easiest geckos to recognise. The name is onomatopoeic: the male gives a loud, repeated call that sounds like “to-kay”.

Size and how it differs from the leopard and crested gecko

Two geckos are already featured on Živalce: the leopard gecko (18–25 cm) and the crested gecko (20–25 cm). The tokay exceeds both by several centimetres and, above all, has a bigger head, a sturdier body and a semi-prehensile tail. The leopard gecko spends most of its time on the ground, whereas the tokay is arboreal: fine setae on its toes let it climb vertical and overhanging surfaces. The biggest difference is behaviour. Our leopard and crested gecko profiles rate them suitable for beginners, while sources describe the tokay as generally aggressive and territorial. The male is brighter and slightly larger than the female, with a slight swelling at the base of the tail.

Terrarium, temperature and humidity

Reptiles magazine gives 60 × 60 × 120 cm (2 × 2 × 4 ft) as ideal for a pair of adults, and bigger is better. Because the animal is arboreal, height matters as much as floor area. Air temperature should be 26.7–32.2°C, averaging about 28.9°C, dropping to 23.9–25.6°C at night, with humidity of 50–60%: the enclosure should be humid but not wet. Other care guides give humidity anywhere from 50 to 80%, and a constant 75% or more may raise the risk of bacterial, fungal and respiratory infections, so humidity is worth tracking with a hygrometer. Lighting runs on a 12-hour cycle. Opinions on UVB are not settled: the article's authors provide it to all their breeding pairs, and some breeders report good results, especially with breeding females.

Diet

The tokay is an insectivore that also takes small vertebrates in the wild, and adults eat younger geckos too. In captivity the diet is built on crickets and dubia roaches. Superworms and hornworms help animals that are too thin, and it will occasionally accept a pinky mouse. Feeder insects are gut-loaded before feeding and dusted with calcium and vitamin powder. Feed two to three times a week.

Bite and handling

Wikipedia notes that a strong bite can break the skin, especially in large males. Reptiles magazine writes that bites can be quite painful and cause bleeding, and that wild-caught animals are prone to biting. A threatened animal opens its mouth and barks or hisses. According to breeders, taming starts with getting the gecko to take food from tongs. The tokay is therefore an animal to watch, not to cuddle.

Breeding

It reaches sexual maturity at 2–3 years. The female lays two hard-shelled eggs per clutch, about once a month, and a season can produce up to 20 eggs. Incubation takes 60–180 days. According to Animal Diversity Web both parents guard the eggs, but in captivity they often eat them. For breeding, females should have good body weight, around 90 g.

Trade and protection

The IUCN rates the species as Least Concern (2019 assessment). At the 18th Conference of the Parties in Geneva in August 2019, however, it was added to Appendix II of CITES, so international trade is allowed only with permits. India, the Philippines and the EU submitted the proposal. According to an August 2019 article by the MCR Society, Indonesia is the largest known exporter. Its annual quota was between 23,850 and 45,000 animals in 2010–2018 and was raised to 1.8 million for 2019 (1,778,750 for consumption and 21,250 for pets). About 1.2 million dried geckos were exported to China in 2006, and Hong Kong seized 7.45 tons in 2011. Dried geckos are sold as tonics and medicinal powders; most claims of medicinal effects are not clinically proven. Pets are mainly exported to the EU and the United States. When buying, choose documented captive-bred animals.

Health and lifespan

Wikipedia gives up to 15–20 years in captivity, whereas Animal Diversity Web gives an average of 10.5 years in captivity (a figure from the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research). The sources differ, so the card shows the wider range of 10–20 years. A lost tail regrows in about three weeks and is usually shorter than the original.

Pros & cons