New tokay: what's normal?

aquamentus_11 · #1 11-11-2011, 08:23 AM

Sorry for the flood of questions over the past few days; I'm just very interested.

The store where I found my tokay seems knowledgeable re: care, etc. (they're advice matched up with almost all of the info you guys have provided) but I noticed that they don't seem to worry too much about the humidity. There's another tokay there now and he is very dark. My tokay is also a dark grey/black and was when I got him. Do you think they're both stressed or could it just be that the color is particular to the breeder?

I haven't found droppings in his tank the past 2 mornings, which makes me wonder if he's eating. Again, environmental variables are all well-controlled. He climbs well and I hear him tearing around in there at night so he seems pretty energetic. What's a healthy weight for an approx. 6 mo male with a 5-6" body length?

Also, he had already had to regrow his tail when I got him and the store owners couldn't tell me when it happened. I know that regrown tails never look the same as the originals, but this one seems very short to me: roughly half the length of his head/body (~2"). I've had him for almost 3 weeks now. After automatization, when will their tails stop regrowing and is the length of his tail normal for a regrow? I actually think his new tail looks pretty cool and makes him look tough, but I'm worried that its short length may limit his fat storage capabilities. Is there anything I can do to help or is it too late?

Thanks again.

**Riverside Reptiles** · #2 11-11-2011, 11:05 AM

Their tails generally grow back somewhat "stubby" looking. Usually a little shorter and thicker than normal. Since the store doesn't know how long it's been regrowing, it may well still be. Time will tell. It's nothing to be concerned with though. Tokays (especially young ones) drop their tails fairly easily. So it's not unusual in any way. As for no poop in 2 days...I would keep an eye on it, but it's certainly not anything to get worked up about. Keep in mind that in the wild they don't have someone feeding them in an enclosure daily. A few days without eating is not a big deal. Do keep trying to feed though and keep track of how many days it's been. If it continues for any length of time, then you'll need to start looking for reasons. Lastly, your question about the dark coloration, I think I pretty much already answered in the "morph" post...so check it out. You should post a thread with some pics of him and his enclosure for us. It's always fun to see other people's set ups and it gives us all a better idea of what you may or may not need to change.

aquamentus_11 · #3 11-11-2011, 01:13 PM

ok, i'll do that tonight. definitely going to try the pvc thing too.

aquamentus_11 · #4 11-11-2011, 08:03 PM

what about a good weight? is there a range I should shoot for?

Tokayy · #5 11-14-2011, 10:08 AM

The poop is not a big thing to worry about. Unless you are feeding your Tokay 8-10 crickets a day and then you do not see poop, then you really gotta ask the question where are all the crickets going. I feed every 2-3 days and I do not see poop in there everyday. I will usually clean poop out of her cage anywhere from 3-4 times a week. Just to give you a rough idea. They won't poop everyday, I have also noticed my Tokay does not poop as much as my leos do.

billewicz · #6 12-10-2011, 12:00 PM

As to weight, most imported WC Tokay are about 35 to 40 grams. Once the parasite load is handled and they settle into their new digs, most will put on about 8-10 grams a month for a while.

If you breed your females they will not increase in actual body weight due to egg production. If you keep your wild caught pairs together, I strongly suggest pulling the male after she has laid 6-8 eggs to let her rest up and recharge. If not, she will just keep going until she drops.

It has been my experience that the females will not eat anywhere near as much as males while in egg production.

I have several unpaired females and most of my males that are between 150 and 250 grams after having them a year. This also varies between morph type. Normals, Granites, Patternless greens, blues and the Olives seem to get bigger a lot faster than the Calico or Leucistic animals.

I hope that helps. A young adult Tokay at 80 to 150 grams seems typical. Tokay can live a long time and grow over a foot, so I'm assuming a healthy 5 year old could be around 300 grams without to much trouble. I'll let you know in a couple of years, HA!!!

Michael