why is it that my tokay becomes "tame"

IwantAbeautifulTokay · #1 03-02-2010, 10:54 PM

only after i get him to crawl on my hand? does he mistake my arm and fingers for a branch as soon as he is resting on it? he quacks and snaps at me until i finally get him to jump on my hand, its until then that i'm able to pet his back and chin. will he eventually crawl onto me on his own if i've gotten this far?

Lordoftheswarms · #2 03-03-2010, 12:17 AM

I get the idea that they are defensive aggressive, but not necessarily offensive aggressive.
Get him to trust you, treat him right, and maybe he might let go of his defensive habits.

J.P. · #3 03-03-2010, 01:05 AM

i congratulate you if that is indeed a sign of progress. i really hope you have made the tokay trust you.

but barking and snapping are not the only signs of stress.
have you observed if he was breathing heavily when he is on your arm? maybe he wasn't barking or snapping because he was too freaked out to be on your arm. they do that sometimes.

i have a related experience with my tokays. whenever i spot clean, they will bark and gape at first, but when i get the cleaning brush near them, they just freeze. but even if the aren't moving, i can see that they are stressed because of the arched back, heavy breathing, and their eyes are following every move.

IwantAbeautifulTokay · #4 03-03-2010, 11:53 AM

he only breathes heavily if i move to quick. if i move slowly enough he will just sit there. not once has he gaped. he is only 2 months and some days old. he acts perfectly fine once he sitting on me.

IwantAbeautifulTokay · #5 03-03-2010, 12:40 PM

also, is it ok that he sleeps on the ground and not hanging on to something? i recently put a black pvc pipe in there that he loves to sleep in all day but its harder to handle him and to get him out of there. so now i just put a piece of bark up against the tank and now he sleeps on the ground.

holocaustto · #6 03-03-2010, 03:09 PM

It seems to me like your trying to handle him to often and therefor he is very stressed. Be carefull, that could kill your animal. Stress. If he feels comfortable in the PVC just let him stay there, don't look for something that makes it easier to handle him...

IwantAbeautifulTokay · #7 03-03-2010, 03:22 PM

well should i wait until he is 6 months or something?

**Riverside Reptiles** · #8 03-03-2010, 03:44 PM

I'd put the piece of pvc back in the enclosure. They need to have somewhere they can go to feel secure. It's certainly very stressful for it to be left out in the open like that. And a stressed animal can turn into a sick animal rather quickly. I've had my new group of baby tokays for over a month and not handled them a single time since setting them up in their enclosures. Perhaps you should consider giving him some time to settle in before trying to turn him into a toy.