Tokay Gecko - Gekko gecko
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General Information

Distribution — The tokay gecko is found throughout south and southeastern Asia. It has also been introduced and is now established in areas such as Hawaii, south Florida, and the Caribbean.

Habitat — At one time, this arboreal gecko was only found in the tropical rainforests throughout its range. However, due to reduced habitat and increased human presence, these geckos are now commonly seen around or in buildings and homes that people inhabit.

Adult Size — The average size for this gecko is 20 to 25 cm (8"-10") for females and 30 to 36 cm (12"-14") for males.

Temperament — Tokay geckos are renown for their 'feisty' disposition. Most wild caught specimens immediately open their mouths in a defensive display when any attempt is made to handle or restrain them. A very painful bite generally follows if the display is ignored. However, some tokay geckos do become accustomed to handling if they are exposed to it from a young age.

Longevity — A tokay gecko can be expected to live between 15 and 20 years in captivity.

Captive Care

Rating: 3 — Due to this animal's somewhat nasty disposition and unavailability as a captive bred animal, it receives an average rating. Unfortunately, tokay geckos are still imported in large numbers as captive breeding is not extremely common. However, this is an extremely hardy species that usually acclimates well to captivity. We recommend that if you are interested in owning a tame tokay gecko, you seek out a captive bred baby and begin handling the individual as a youngster.

Diet: crickets and mealworms, (adults may take a pink mouse every once in a while)

Temperature: 25OC to 30OC (76 to 86 F).

Space: A pair of tokay geckos can be housed in a minimum sized enclosure of 2'x2'x3'. Like most lizards, males cannot be housed together as they are very territorial and they may fight and severely injure each other. Lots of branches and vertical hiding spots are necessary furnishings for this arboreal gecko.

Breeding: Cooling is not absolutely necessary to induce breeding in this species. Once breeding does occur, up to six clutches of one or two eggs are laid every 2 to 6 weeks. Hatching occurs after an incubation period of 65 - 200 days at 28OC.

Special Requirements: Like most arboreal geckos, tokay geckos will not drink out of a water dish. They require daily misting to increase humidity and for drinking. A few squirts from a spray bottle should accomplish this task.

Sources (Suggested Reading):

Bartlett, R.D. and P. Bartlett. 1995. Geckos. Barron’s Educational Series Inc., New York. Pp. 104.

Henkel, Friedrich-Wilhelm and Wolfgang Schmidt. 1995. Geckoes. Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar, Florida. Pp. 237

Henkel, Friedrich-Wilhelm and Wolfgang Schmidt. 1995. Geckos: Biology, Husbandry, and Reproduction. Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar, Florida. Pp. 237

McKeown, Sean and Zaworski. 1996. General Care and Maintenance of Tokay Geckos and Related Species. Advanced Vivarium Systems. Santee, California. Pp. 60

Rogner, Manfred. 1997. Lizards, Volume 1. Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar, Florida. Pp. 317.

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