Tokay Gecko

This page is educational reference material for preparing questions. A licensed veterinarian examines the animal, makes the diagnosis, and sets the treatment.

Pretty, loud, and willing to bite

Tokay geckos are Gekko gecko, the blue-spotted lizards of Southeast Asia. Adults are about 10 to 14 inches. They usually last 10 to 20 years, and care is intermediate to advanced. Temperament is the part that matters: aggressive, defensive, vocal. People buy the color and return the animal after the first real bite.

Use a vertical cage at least 24 by 18 by 24 inches, 80 to 90°F, and humidity of 60 to 80 percent. Cork tubes they can hide in completely make a calmer gecko than a bare glass box. Insects with calcium are the diet. UVB is useful for a species that is not a deep-cave animal all day. A tight lid matters. So does a room that can tolerate a barking lizard after midnight.

Display first

Feed with tongs. Clean the cage by moving the gecko into a secure container with a cup or by letting it stay in its cork while you work. Free handling is how keepers get a lizard locked onto a thumb. Captive-bred tokays exist and are less frantic than imports. Wild-caught groups are a parasite and a bite problem together. Do not release them. Introduced tokays are already a nuisance in places far from their original range.

A bite that breaks skin should be washed. A gecko that stops eating or cannot cling to glass needs a reptile vet. ARAV is the directory.

Tokay gecko questions

Do tokay geckos tame down?

A few captive-bred individuals tolerate a hand. Most do not. They are aggressive, defensive, and vocal. Believe that before you buy one for a child.

How bad is the bite?

They bite and hold. The jaws are strong for a lizard this size. Peel them off carefully. Do not shake. The lesson is to stop handling, not to try again tonight.

Why do they yell?

The to-kay call is how they got the name. It is loud, it is often at night, and it is not a malfunction.