New tokay owner

Tokayy · #1 10-03-2011, 06:05 PM

Hey all,

I'm a new tokay owner who has been trying to feed the gecko on a diverse diet. Currently I have been feeding crickets but would like her to eat other things as well. I put wax worms in a feeder
bowl and my gecko didn't eat them. Now I am trying a few super worms. I would like to know if there is anything I should be doing. She has a 75 watt UVA bulb with a heat pad.

Yoshi'smom · #2 10-03-2011, 08:27 PM

I can't recommend too much in the Tokay department as I have no experience with them but I would make one suggestion:
I think it's great that you're trying to get your gecko to eat a very diverse diet but please don't feed it waxworms. I'm glad your gecko showed no interest in them. They are a horrible feeder- totally fatty. It's junk food for your gecko.
Good luck with your new one!!!

Tokayy · #3 10-04-2011, 11:55 AM

Cannot feed roaches as all the pet stores in my area and where I do my shopping do not sell roaches. Looking for other substitutes. Do not want steady cricket diet.

Yoshi'smom · #4 10-04-2011, 01:14 PM

Crickets are actually a very good stable diet. They are just the most nutritious aside from Calciworms (aka Pheonixworms and a whole bunch of other names). You could try feeding butterworms and mealies as well. Just know that some geckos can be picky about their food's activity. If a food item isn't active enough it just won't stimulate your gecko's appetite.
Roaches can be hard to get a hold of but lots of people breed them. You could try posting a wanted ad in the classified section on here for them.

Tokayy · #5 10-04-2011, 01:36 PM

Thank you for the response. I live in Toronto and am skeptical about feeders being shipped to me. I always thought meal worms would be too small for the gecko. Thanks for the tip about the butterworms. In going to try those in the feeder bowl I bought. How bout a horn ("tomato worm") as a treat once and a while? I know the gecko loves crickets anytime I put them in, may it be at 4pm, she goes all out over them.

How is my set up? Pretty good? I'm thinking about using a little bit of moss to lock in humidity as well. Using Kay kob as a substrate with a feeer and water bowl. As previously stated there is a 75 watt UVA bulb. The gecko does get a misting 2-4 times a day as I have a probelm locking humidity too about 50 as a Constant, hence the moss I will start using.

**Riverside Reptiles** · #6 10-04-2011, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tokayy

Thank you for the response. I live in Toronto and am skeptical about feeders being shipped to me. I always thought meal worms would be too small for the gecko. Thanks for the tip about the butterworms. In going to try those in the feeder bowl I bought. How bout a horn ("tomato worm") as a treat once and a while? I know the gecko loves crickets anytime I put them in, may it be at 4pm, she goes all out over them.

How is my set up? Pretty good? I'm thinking about using a little bit of moss to lock in humidity as well. Using Kay kob as a substrate with a feeer and water bowl. As previously stated there is a 75 watt UVA bulb. The gecko does get a misting 2-4 times a day as I have a probelm locking humidity too about 50 as a Constant, hence the moss I will start using.

Tokay in general don't tend to eat much for worms. They tend to enjoy a more active prey item. Variety is good, but crickets make for a fine staple diet as long as they're dusted and gut loaded. I don't know what "kay kob" is, but it sounds like it's something derived from corn cob which is not good for tokays, geckos, or most reptiles in general. I wouldn't use it. Something simple like orchid bark, or cypress mulch, even a peat/potting soil mixture would be better. They don't tend to drink often from water bowls. So it's important to mist them a couple of times a day to insure that they stay well hydrated. Since they are nocturnal, UV lighting is not needed at all. A heat pad on the floor isn't going to do much good either as these geckos are arboreal and spend almost no time on the ground unless forced to. You don't mention what the temperature is in the enclosure. Make sure you have a good digital thermometer to monitor your temps. You also need to make sure that you have lots of vertical hiding spots (cork bark, bamboo, pvc tubes, etc) for it to hide in as they are very shy animals. Again, these hides should be vertical, not on the ground. Some plants (either real or fake) will also go a long way in making him/her happy. Real plants will go a long way helping with humidity issues. Also, you don't mention the size of your enclosure. These are large geckos that require quite a large space to be happy.

Tokayy · #7 10-04-2011, 05:28 PM

My enclosure is 12x12x18. I do have several fake plants with suction cups. I have two pieces of bark as well. One for hidin on the ground and the other is to allow for climbing.

Humidity is usually around 50% and I do mist everyday a decent amount. I have read that before, that they do not drink still water. So I am up to date on my misting. My temperature closer to the light reads anywhere from 80-85 and the "cool spot", lower portion of the tank away from the light generally reads 80. These temperatures do drop at night, but not too significant. Never gets below 75 at night.

The Kay kob that I am using is like corn cob. I was told this was okay? I currently use the same stuff for my leapord geckos. The leapord geckos are yet to show dislike towards it

billewicz · #8 10-04-2011, 11:52 PM

Hello,

I have to agree with Ethan on the corn cob. His list is much better suited for Tokay. I keep 100+ Tokay all on Cypress because it holds moisture but does not rot or mold like corn can. The trick with Tokay is high humidity without a soggy bottom.

I have used under glass heat pads to help evaporate the extra moisture from the mulch.

Most of my Tokay will not eat Super Worms, etc. They all will eat crickets and most will eat roaches. Make sure your crickets are well fed, (gut loaded) and dusted to give your Tokay all that it needs. 50% will eat pink mice. My new imports, and females get one a week.

Caging. Your 18" tall cage will work for a young Tokay. I like the height to be three times the length of the animal. Just like your Leo's would like a lot of ground space, Tokay use the walls and vertical hides as their 'floor'. I've got several 2 year old males over 12" long.

I hope this helps and good luck.

Michael

You can see some of my group at www.billewicz.com

Tokayy · #9 10-05-2011, 07:39 AM

Why I use the cob is I realized the gecko won't eat the substrate. When using other things, the gecko would sometimes eat the substrate while feeding on crickets. The moss I intentend to put in there to increase humidity as well as allow for a drinking source.

How would moss hold up as substrate? Or should I use something else as described with a little bit of moss? I'm real new to tropical geckos an want the ideal habitat.

In regards to my ligh is it fine? Or would a 75 watt infared het bulb be more ideal? Do not want ceramic heat emitter as I don't have $35 for a bulb. I find that kinda expensive when general bulbs are only $10.

**Riverside Reptiles** · #10 10-05-2011, 10:25 AM

Corn cob will mold as well as the chance of impaction if the gecko does get a mouthful of it when hunting prey. Not only should you remove it from your tokay enclosure, you need to get it out of your leo's enclosure as well. Some animals can digest corn cob...geckos are not one of them. Moss, to help hold humidity, is fine on top of another substrate. Cypress, orchid bark, ect can all be purchased very cheaply and work far better. The one thing that I disagree with Michael on is the pinkie mice.They're almost all fat and contain almost nothing of nutritional value. Use of pinkies is an old breeder/importer trick to pack on weight quickly to thin animals. The downside to that is long term health issues such as fatty liver disease. Feeding of well gut loaded, well dusted insects will provide a much better meal and put on weight in a much healthier way. A ceramic heat emitter may seem expensive, but it'll last far longer than any bulb and will provide better heat and it can be used 24 hours per day unlike a light bulb (infrared lights are fine for viewing your animal for short periods at night, but should not be left on all the time). You should also have your heating devices on a thermostat for the safety of your animal and the safety of your home. Heat cable or heat tape like Flexwatt can also be used on the back of the enclosure BUT they MUST have a thermostat so as to not risk burning the feet of the gecko. And, as Michael mentioned, your enclosure is fine for a temp enclosure, but you might want to start looking for something bigger. If money is an issue, start looking at craigslist.com etc. There's always people looking to get rid of used enclosures for cheap. Just keep in mind, you want something with lots of vertical space, not horizontal. And again, I would take the bark for "hiding on the ground" and set it up vertical as these animals don't hide on the ground in nature and will only do so if forced to by lack of other hiding places. The happier your animal is, the healthier and longer it will live.