[T-ReXx]

I actually have noticed a difference in Captive bred vs wild caught tokays attitude wise, but that tends to be the case with any animal, regardless of species. If you take a domestic dog that has been handled since it was a puppy and compare it to a feral animal that has had little to no human contact there obviously will be a major difference. Socialization and trust is the key to avoiding a defensive response in tokay geckos. Lizards are prey for many larger animals (including people) and view us as predators. If you can prove to the animal that you are not a threat then you are more likely to get a favorable response. I have 8 adult tokays and one pair is wild caught. I got them about 6 years ago and they still prefer to avoid me at all costs. The other 3 pairs are captive bred and I've had them since hatchlings. I don't regularly handle any of my lizards but I do try to maintain trust if possible to make the times it is necessary to handle them easier like exams, weigh ins, cage cleaning, etc. I've found some to be as easy to handle as leopard geckos. Hatchlings tend to be just as defensive as wild caught adults at times but some(not all) will cease to bite with time and gentle interaction 3-4 times a week. If your goal is a "tame" tokay then starting with a hatchling seems to be the best way to go. But that is by no means a garuntee. At the very least captive bred tokays seem to be more accepting of human presence, making husbandry someone easier and less stressful for the animals. As a side note; all bets are off when eggs are involved. All of my tokays protect their eggs and in some cases hatchlings and will bite if they feel the clutch is threatened. Of course, if you are breeding animals they should be disturbed as little as possible.

As far as housing goes, most sources list a 20 Gal High tank as the minimum size for a pair of adults. I agree that bigger is better(my pairs are kept in custom cages 3ftLX18inWX3FtH) but if you don't have the space for a huge cage then something 24"X18X24" will still keep the animals healthy and breeding. As far as happiness goes that is debatable I suppose. In most cases I would say if animals are breeding readily then the conditions are correct. Reptiles aren't like humans, dogs, cats, rodents or any other species that will breed simply because a member of the opposite sex is there. They have to feel secure in their environment. American and European ideas of herptoculture is very different. Naturalistic vivaria are more popular outside of America and more simplistic, space/time saving setups tend to be more popular in America. Which is better? It all depends on your individual situation. I personally don't have the space or time for large natural setups for all my animals, but I'm a breeder, I have to house and care for a lot of animals. If you only have a few animals or enough time space and funds for a giant setup go for it, for any species regardless of "value." Part of keeping reptiles is the joy you get from simply maintaining your animals, as long as they are healthy and unstressed it's all good.

[tokaysunlimited]

I had a 12th generation and a couple of other generations going with different locals.
Really didnt notice anything as far as temperment being calmer etc.Just better structure in the body and alot of varied colors.
Really depends on the gecko in my opinion.
I had some that i held back and handled them frequently and still were defensive.
But as stated before the fire glows in there eyes when you try and mess with the eggs.

[tokeh]

@ ingo
i totally agree with your way of thinking.
there is a big difference between agressive behaviour and just defending yourself or your babies.
my tokays have never attacked me they just hide.
when a tokeh would attack me doing nothing, yeah that would be agressive but i've never heard of a tokay attacking without anny reason.
and the bigger the cage the better but that counts for all species in the world.